Dear Senator DeMint, Senator Graham, Representative Barrett, and President Obama,
I am writing to urge you to consider really working on health care reform; emphasis on the word “really”. Our systems, both public and private, are in serious need of repair.
I remember going to see my gastroenterologist, a few years back, for a check-up and striking a conversation with him. He told me he was about to go see eight patients at the hospital, three of which were actually paying to be there. How the costs of the other five patients were being handled was left to the imagination. Now, if one’s imagination comes equipped with a little economic knowledge, one can pretty much conclude that the costs of non-paying patients are the exclusive burden of paying patients together with the costs incurred by those of us who pay the exorbitant premiums charged by private health insurance companies; all of which, no doubt, spend a hefty amount of money lobbying for your help in keeping their profit margins as high as possible at the expense of the average consumer.
I know that those who ostensibly do not want government involvement in healthcare use the claim that the free market is much more efficient at allocating goods and services. In a simple, abstract and beautiful micro-economic model that is true; but the world we live in is far from simple, abstract or very beautiful. Moreover, the free market excuse for not dealing with our current health crisis is a myth. Our system does not clear anywhere near a free market solution since we already have the largest per capita public spending on (crappy) healthcare in the world. And given the scenario I describe above (which seems to be common practice), in the sense that the system encourages taking from Peter to give to Paul, we already have socialized medicine; we just do it covertly, haphazardly and inequitably. I urge you to start thinking about reforming both the public and the private realms of the system in a big way; in a way that provides basic care to people who need it and that distributes the costs equitably over the entire population, rather than concentrating them in the hands of a few.
I do understand the budgetary constraints we are currently facing; but as I state above, and you well know, a large chunk of our budget is already “wasted” on healthcare. The current way in which money is spent should be reformed in order to better serve the people it is set up to help. If we reform the current system intelligently and expand it to include more people, maybe the marginal cost of revamping it to be more equitable and efficient won't be as great as the naysayers claim it to be (emphasis on the word “intelligently”). It is incumbent upon you, as representatives of the people, to get together, stop bickering and grandstanding, and actually reform the system.
The Swiss model of healthcare is a good one that efficiently combines public expenditures with private incentives. Maybe you should start by dissecting their system and seeing how a solution that works in a business oriented, albeit tiny and somewhat homogeneous, country could be translated to operate in our vast and not so homogeneous one. I know this is an enormous undertaking; but you guys need to start getting serious about it because the status quo can’t hold for long. I once actually got an itemized hospital bill containing a line that stated I owed $30.00 for one Band-Aid; now, even the most unconscious of citizens knows something is seriously wrong with that.
Sincerely,
Katya Cohen
(Pickens County, South Carolina: home of Mark Sanford, poster child for grandstanding at the expense of the social good. One yearns for the days of George Bush’s compassionate conservatism... but I digress)
Dear Ms. Cohen,
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about health care. I appreciate you taking the time to write me about this very important and timely issue.
While Americans have access to the best health care in the world, one of the biggest problems we face as a nation today is the escalating cost of health care. Currently, about 47 million Americans lack health insurance. Some are low-income, working individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford an expensive health insurance policy. Others are healthy individuals who do not find it worthwhile to purchase an expensive health insurance policy. It is essential that we take the proper steps to both control health care costs and increase access to affordable, private health care.
I do not support taking this country down the path to a single-payer, government-run health care system. Government-run health care merely limits patient involvement and choice and rations care and drugs. Instead, in order to achieve meaningful health care reform, we should ensure a fair and efficient health insurance marketplace. Americans should have the freedom to choose an affordable, private health insurance policy that best meets their needs, whether they purchase coverage individually or through their employer.
The first step to health care reform is to change the current tax code treatment of health care. Currently, there is an employer-based tax exclusion on health insurance, but there is no tax relief extended to Americans who purchase insurance in the individual market. I believe that we should offer tax relief for all Americans to purchase private health insurance, be it through their employer or the individual market. In this way, individuals and families can purchase and retain their own health insurance coverage regardless of changes in employment status. I recently introduced an amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that would have given all middle class taxpayers the option to receive a federal income tax deduction of up to $1,500 to help pay the cost of covering their children.
Secondly, I believe we should allow people to buy health insurance policies in the individual market from any state, not just their state of residence. Each state sets its own mandated health insurance coverage requirements. Permitting individuals to purchase health insurance from any state would allow them to purchase a health insurance plan that best meets their needs, without having to pay extra in premiums for procedures they do not want covered, such as massage therapy or infertility treatment. Interstate competition would give patients more choices, lower prices, and increased quality. Ultimately, it would give many more Americans access to affordable health care. I have previously introduced this legislation, known as the Health Care Choice Act, in Congress. This simple but effective idea would provide more choices to millions of Americans and help them access affordable health insurance that best meets their needs.
Another requisite for health care reform is to continue to strengthen health savings accounts (HSAs). HSAs are tax-free accounts that can be coupled with high deductible health plans. HSAs can be used to pay for health care expenses, ranging from eye glasses to doctor visits. To make HSAs a better deal, I worked to include provisions in the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, which passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives and was signed into law by the President in December of 2006.
This new law lifts the current requirement that annualcontributions to HSAs are no higher than the deductible of the health insurance held by the account owner and allows taxpayers to make a one-time distribution from an IRA to an HSA so HSA funds are immediately available to meet family health needs.
You can rest assured that I will continue to push for effective health care reforms that put control into consumers' hands. I appreciate your continued input on meaningful health care reform, and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me again about anything important to you and your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of
Sincerely,
Jim DeMint
United States Senator
So white of him...all this blah blah tax incentive this and that assumes an intelligent populace who can make rational decisions based on transparent information, all of which is rarely in evidence in this country.
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