oracle
07-18-2001, 11:10 PM
Art Linkletter On Senior Issues
Time For a "Patient's Declaration Of Independence" (http://www.unitedseniors.org/pressroom/art.cfm?mode=view&id=19)
Politics, according to an old saw, abhors a vacuum. It also abhors a pot boiling over, which is why Congress now debates a "Patient Bill of Rights." Forty-two million Americans have no health insurance coverage. Those who do have little freedom and few choices about the health care they receive. The resulting frustrations are boiling over on Capitol Hill. But the so-called "patient’s bill of rights" is not the answer. The real solution is not to expand the size, scope and cost of government but to expand individual freedom to choose alternatives. Here’s an idea: Why doesn’t someone in Congress propose a "Patient’s Declaration of Independence"?
Rather than nibbling away at our freedoms and letting un-elected bureaucrats reach into our doctor’s offices and medicine chests, let’s see Congress pass a bold, dramatic, inspiring package of legislation that cuts through all the Jurassic Park-era red tape and gives every American more freedom to choose doctors they trust, specialists they need, and prescription drugs they can afford. True security comes from having true freedom - not simply the freedom to sue a health care provider but the freedom to choose a different, better, more responsive health care provider to begin with.
First things first. Dramatic advancements in science and technology are improving the quality of American medicine and the quality of our lives. New diagnostic and surgical techniques, new genetic discoveries and new miracle drugs are changing everything for the better. When I was a boy, a person was only expected to live until they were in their 50s. Now the average life expectancy is in the 70s. I’m 89, and I expect to live past 100! Better yet, I’m not alone. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that dramatic increases in government regulation at the state and national levels are steadily driving up the cost of health insurance, pricing many people out of the market and restricting the freedom and choices available to millions of others.
Did you know the current Medicare system is now governed by more than 110,000 pages of rules and regulations? A study by the Heritage Foundation and Galen Institute found that of the 16 states that most aggressively increased health care regulations in the 1990s in an effort to expand "patients’ rights," all 16 states "experienced an average annual growth in their uninsured population eight times that of the other 34." In other words, the more government stepped in to help, the fewer people were helped.
Here, then, are some of the positive reforms a "Patient’s Declaration of Independence" could bring about:
· MEDICARE FREEDOM - It’s time to reform Medicare along the lines proposed by Sen. John Breaux (D-Louisiana) and Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tennessee). Let’s give every senior the freedom to choose from a wide range of private health insurance options tailored to meet their unique, specific needs. That’s what Senator, Congressmen and federal bureaucrats have. Some plans could focus on expanded prescription drug coverage while others focus more on long-term care. Some could involve HMOs; others could involve PPOs, or Medicare Medical Savings Accounts, or fee-for-service options. But no one would be forced into a one-size-fits-all plan.
· PRESCRIPTION DRUG FREEDOM - Instead of creating a massive and incredibly expensive government-run prescription drug benefit for all seniors - even though most seniors already have private drug coverage - Galen Institute president Grace-Marie Turner proposes a "Prescription Drug Security Card." It would work like a debit card and give very low-income seniors without drug benefits the freedom and the means to purchase the pharmaceuticals they need. It would also work like a Medical Savings Account for middle-income seniors, giving them the freedom to save money tax-free in the Card’s account to pay for prescription drugs, build up the funds with compound interest, and roll-over the funds each year if not used.
· TAX FREEDOM - To reduce the number of Americans without health insurance, let’s create refundable tax credits of up to $3,000 per family so those who are uninsured have the freedom to purchase health insurance when their employer does not offer insurance. Again, the key is not forcing people into a government-program, but helping them purchase private insurance that best suits their needs. Steve Forbes first introduced the idea of a "Patient’s Declaration of Independence" during the GOP primaries in 1999. He lost, but his idea is a winner. More freedom is better than more lawsuits. The question is: Who in Congress is willing to champion freedom as the cure to the health care ills our country now suffers?
Time For a "Patient's Declaration Of Independence" (http://www.unitedseniors.org/pressroom/art.cfm?mode=view&id=19)
Politics, according to an old saw, abhors a vacuum. It also abhors a pot boiling over, which is why Congress now debates a "Patient Bill of Rights." Forty-two million Americans have no health insurance coverage. Those who do have little freedom and few choices about the health care they receive. The resulting frustrations are boiling over on Capitol Hill. But the so-called "patient’s bill of rights" is not the answer. The real solution is not to expand the size, scope and cost of government but to expand individual freedom to choose alternatives. Here’s an idea: Why doesn’t someone in Congress propose a "Patient’s Declaration of Independence"?
Rather than nibbling away at our freedoms and letting un-elected bureaucrats reach into our doctor’s offices and medicine chests, let’s see Congress pass a bold, dramatic, inspiring package of legislation that cuts through all the Jurassic Park-era red tape and gives every American more freedom to choose doctors they trust, specialists they need, and prescription drugs they can afford. True security comes from having true freedom - not simply the freedom to sue a health care provider but the freedom to choose a different, better, more responsive health care provider to begin with.
First things first. Dramatic advancements in science and technology are improving the quality of American medicine and the quality of our lives. New diagnostic and surgical techniques, new genetic discoveries and new miracle drugs are changing everything for the better. When I was a boy, a person was only expected to live until they were in their 50s. Now the average life expectancy is in the 70s. I’m 89, and I expect to live past 100! Better yet, I’m not alone. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that dramatic increases in government regulation at the state and national levels are steadily driving up the cost of health insurance, pricing many people out of the market and restricting the freedom and choices available to millions of others.
Did you know the current Medicare system is now governed by more than 110,000 pages of rules and regulations? A study by the Heritage Foundation and Galen Institute found that of the 16 states that most aggressively increased health care regulations in the 1990s in an effort to expand "patients’ rights," all 16 states "experienced an average annual growth in their uninsured population eight times that of the other 34." In other words, the more government stepped in to help, the fewer people were helped.
Here, then, are some of the positive reforms a "Patient’s Declaration of Independence" could bring about:
· MEDICARE FREEDOM - It’s time to reform Medicare along the lines proposed by Sen. John Breaux (D-Louisiana) and Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tennessee). Let’s give every senior the freedom to choose from a wide range of private health insurance options tailored to meet their unique, specific needs. That’s what Senator, Congressmen and federal bureaucrats have. Some plans could focus on expanded prescription drug coverage while others focus more on long-term care. Some could involve HMOs; others could involve PPOs, or Medicare Medical Savings Accounts, or fee-for-service options. But no one would be forced into a one-size-fits-all plan.
· PRESCRIPTION DRUG FREEDOM - Instead of creating a massive and incredibly expensive government-run prescription drug benefit for all seniors - even though most seniors already have private drug coverage - Galen Institute president Grace-Marie Turner proposes a "Prescription Drug Security Card." It would work like a debit card and give very low-income seniors without drug benefits the freedom and the means to purchase the pharmaceuticals they need. It would also work like a Medical Savings Account for middle-income seniors, giving them the freedom to save money tax-free in the Card’s account to pay for prescription drugs, build up the funds with compound interest, and roll-over the funds each year if not used.
· TAX FREEDOM - To reduce the number of Americans without health insurance, let’s create refundable tax credits of up to $3,000 per family so those who are uninsured have the freedom to purchase health insurance when their employer does not offer insurance. Again, the key is not forcing people into a government-program, but helping them purchase private insurance that best suits their needs. Steve Forbes first introduced the idea of a "Patient’s Declaration of Independence" during the GOP primaries in 1999. He lost, but his idea is a winner. More freedom is better than more lawsuits. The question is: Who in Congress is willing to champion freedom as the cure to the health care ills our country now suffers?