tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post7427443305689859687..comments2020-12-30T12:56:45.883-06:00Comments on ye olde republicke: Health Care: My ProposalGabriel Conroyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03027746942101340042noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-78853248542024426152009-09-10T12:06:05.355-05:002009-09-10T12:06:05.355-05:00David Schwartz:
Thanks for your further comments....David Schwartz:<br /><br />Thanks for your further comments. It feels good to be upgraded from "fatally flawed" to "no worse than the others" If that's not progress, I don't know what is! :)<br /><br />Your points are very well taken, and I'll have to consider them. Fortunately, since I'm neither a legislator nor an adviser to legislators, I don't have to worry about anyone adopting my mistakes soon.<br /><br />I'm also inclined to believe that the all star line up of delegates who "represent" me in Congress--one of whom I didn't vote for (Rep. Danny Davis), one of whom I voted for but will probably not vote for again (Sen. Durbin), and one of whom I didn't have a choice to vote for (Sen. Burris)--have already made up their minds.Gabriel Conroyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17566193099628849226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-37658747374408488782009-09-10T01:52:56.321-05:002009-09-10T01:52:56.321-05:00Thanks for your thoughtful replies to my criticism...Thanks for your thoughtful replies to my criticisms. With the fixes you've suggested, your plan is no worse than most of the other suggestions out there.<br /><br />The big problems are in implementation as the plan relies on the political process "calibrating" a large number of parameters it is (sadly) unlikely to get right.<br /><br />These include:<br /><br />1) What does the public plan cover?<br /><br />2) What must private plans cover?<br /><br />3) Can private plans just skim the very healthiest people and take them out of the pool for the public plan? How will the public plan be fiscally sound with the wealthy and healthy opting out of it?<br /><br />4) What private healthy expenses will be tax exempt and what won't?<br /><br />But, in fairness, this is a problem with all the proposals on the table, certainly including the President's.JoelKatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840865938897877532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-29033574803622480782009-09-09T23:53:22.233-05:002009-09-09T23:53:22.233-05:00Great discussion.
-The President-Great discussion.<br /><br />-The President-Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-12177232626058311572009-09-04T09:01:13.291-05:002009-09-04T09:01:13.291-05:00timnuccio:
Well, you're right, we live in a w...timnuccio:<br /><br />Well, you're right, we live in a world of scarcity. But that's the problem, isn't it? If we lived in a world of limitless resources, the health care debate wouldn't be on the radar.<br /><br />In fact, there'd be no death, no countries, no wars and no religion, too.<br /><br />Imagine!Gabriel Conroyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17566193099628849226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-34229084334494625882009-09-04T08:42:30.202-05:002009-09-04T08:42:30.202-05:00David Schwartz:
You raise some good points, espec...David Schwartz:<br /><br />You raise some good points, especially about the slippery slope (as I interpret it) of tax-exempting health care expenses. On the one hand, everything would risk being a health care expense in order for people to get a tax deduction. Alternately, the government would have to step in and micromanage. <br /><br />I wonder how to solve the problem? I'm not sure at any rate.<br /><br />Per your question about letting private plans opt out: one way I tried to compensate for this would be that they'd have to pay the first month of the dis-insured person's government premium. Perhaps this wouldn't be enough? Or perhaps too onerous?<br /><br />In answer to your first objection--the "near fatal flaw"--good point, too. How about simply requiring that all private insurers provide catastrophic, emergency and terminally ill care (whatever that all means, and it shows, I guess!), and if the government adds more to its coverage (say, prayer therapy or healing through the use of magic crystals) the private insurers would not have to cover that?<br /><br />My ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone has easy access to the bare minimum of health coverage in a way that won't bankrupt them and in a way that functions better--more efficiently and more cheaply--than the emergency room.<br /><br />Thanks, I should say, for taking the time to read and critique my (apparently much needed to be critiqued) plan.Gabriel Conroyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17566193099628849226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-18010686202287395082009-09-03T16:10:12.145-05:002009-09-03T16:10:12.145-05:00Interestingly, your plan also has the opposite of ...Interestingly, your plan also has the opposite of the flaw I pointed out. (Amazing that you were able to get both these flaws in one system!)<br /><br />By making all health care premiums tax deductible, health care plans will include *everything* they possibly can. Heck, health care plans will fix your roof because roofing repairmen can't get paid tax free.<br /><br />So the government will ultimately have to set prevent private plans from offering many services they would like to supply, because otherwise it will be a giant tax loophole.<br /><br />So the government will have to force private plans to cover every crazy thing the political process makes the public option cover and they'll have to prevent private plans from covering too much of what the public plan doesn't cover.<br /><br />So what's the purpose of the private plans exactly?<br /><br />If health care is needed, why let private plans opt out of providing it? And if it's not needed, why let people buy it tax free?<br /><br />Sorry, your proposal makes even less sense than I first thought.<br /><br />And why put a special tax on employer-provided health care but tax exempt privately-purchased health care? How is that rational?JoelKatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840865938897877532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-80235157557067729552009-09-03T15:54:27.850-05:002009-09-03T15:54:27.850-05:00Your plan is a disaster, because there is no way t...Your plan is a disaster, because there is no way that we can pay for it.<br /><br />It's like you're living in a world of limitless resources to read this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7233413034415992317.post-87943194379388398892009-09-03T15:19:47.444-05:002009-09-03T15:19:47.444-05:00Your plan has a near-fatal flaw. As public policy ...Your plan has a near-fatal flaw. As public policy choices screw up the public plan by adding ridiculous services like prayer therapy and acupuncture, private policies must also cover those services. So private policies will not be able to compete with the public plan (by offering a rational, market-driven combination of services rather than a politically-chosen one).JoelKatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840865938897877532noreply@blogger.com