Re: What's Wrong With America?

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:43:55 -0400, Dan <Dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

William Longyard wrote:

Kindly inform us as to which current "single payer" system America should
pattern its policy after?

Bill Longyard




How about one we CREATE by observing other countries systems, keeping
the parts that work, discarding the ones that don't, and making the rest
better?

What happened to America leading the way? What happened to America
setting the standard.

"Oh...boo-hoo...we're America, we can't make it work. Were incapable of
improving on any system...whaaaaaa."

Seriously Bill--why do hate America so much, and have such disdain for
our capabilities?

The last thing the United States should be doing is to try and emulate
any of the more socialist western European countries.

I think Rudy Giuliani said it best when he said
"Instead of being more like Europe, we need to be
more like America."

A free-market cure for US healthcare system
By Rudolph W. Giuliani | August 3, 2007

AMERICA is at a crossroads when it comes to healthcare.

All Americans want to increase the quality, affordability, and
portability of healthcare. The 2008 election presents a decisive
debate on how to reach this goal.

The Democratic candidates for president believe in a
government-mandated model that looks for inspiration to the socialized
medical systems of Europe, Canada, and Cuba.

Most Republicans believe in expanding individual choice and
decision-making. I believe we can reduce costs and improve the quality
of care by increasing competition. We can do it through tax cuts, not
tax hikes. We can do it by empowering patients and their doctors, not
government bureaucrats. Instead of being more like Europe, we need to
be more like America.

America has the best medical care in the world. People come here from
around the world to take advantage of our path-breaking medicine and
state-of-the-art treatments.

But the healthcare system is being dragged down by decades of
government-imposed mandates, wasteful bureaucracy, and massive
distortions in the US tax code that punish self-employed and
low-income workers. Since 2000, Americans have seen their health
insurance costs nearly double. Frivolous lawsuits have led to
defensive medicine and doctors leaving the profession. More than 45
million Americans are without health insurance.

America is best when we solve our problems from our strengths, not our
weaknesses. Healthcare reform must be based on increased choice,
affordability, portability, and individual empowerment.

We need to begin by bringing fairness to the tax treatment of
healthcare. The current tax system penalizes millions -- including the
rising ranks of the self-employed and 40 percent of employees at small
firms -- who pay for insurance on their own and receive no tax
benefit.

Americans without employer-based insurance, or those who would rather
have individual coverage, should enjoy the same tax benefits as the
175 million Americans with employer-based coverage.

We can do this through a new tax-free income exclusion up to $15,000
for Americans without employer-based coverage. Any amount a family
pays less than $15,000 -- for individuals, less than $7,500 -- could
be put tax-free into a Health Savings Account. This would create a
powerful incentive for more Americans to own their private health
insurance -- making it portable instead of dependent on an employer.

If millions of people go into the marketplace looking for less
expensive health insurance, it will drive the insurance companies to
create less expensive products that meet individual needs instead of
government mandates. Americans should have the option to buy health
insurance similar to their auto insurance -- covering major costs
while leaving decisions about minor expenses to the consumer -- while
those happy with their current coverage can keep it.

Empowering people with real choice will improve markets and lower
premiums. Expanded tax-free Health Savings Accounts could be used for
insurance premiums, deductibles, and other expenses. With more
flexibility and individual control, Health Savings Accounts can become
a major source of tax-free savings and security for America's middle
class. As savings are created and there are reductions in the cost of
health insurance, we will develop a new health insurance credit for
low-income individuals and families so they can purchase private
insurance tailored to their needs. We want to empower individuals, not
the government.

We also need to use the lessons of welfare reform in the 1990s and
encourage Medicaid reform through block grants to the states. One of
the advantages of our federalist system is that different states can
try different approaches to solving problems and learn from each
other. States should be empowered to meet benchmarks regarding the
affordability of insurance options and the availability of preventive
care. The result will be a healthcare system focused on wellness, not
just sickness. And if a state insists on expensive mandates that keep
healthcare options unaffordable, we will open the state insurance
market up to interstate commerce so their citizens can shop for
insurance options in other states.

To address the unaccountability surrounding healthcare costs, we need
to end lawsuit abuse by unscrupulous trial lawyers. In some areas of
the country it's impossible to find an ob-gyn. In Florida, liability
insurance for general surgeons is approaching $175,000 per year and
more than $200,000 for ob-gyns. Doctors and nurses who have devoted
their lives to helping others are relocating or leaving the practice
of medicine altogether, because they literally can't afford the
insurance against frivolous lawsuits. The cost of saving lives is just
too high. The American people understand this problem: That's why 73
percent of Americans support medical liability reform. Reasonable caps
on noneconomic damages would fix this broken system and end medical
lawsuit abuse.

The future of America's healthcare system lies in free-market
solutions, not socialist models. We can increase individual choice and
decrease costs by increasing competition, encouraging innovation while
always compassionately caring for people in need. That's the American
way to reform healthcare.

(end of Giuliani op-ed)
.

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