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Obamacare Has Driven Health Spending Up, While Covering Fewer Than Expected

jmotivator said:
The solution being offered by the author of the article isn't single payer, it is something akin to school vouchers that give each citizen a certain block grant to buy their own insurance (presumably their share of the current per-capita public health care expenditure of $4500). I'm not entirely opposed to this plan so long as they can manage to make it so that there isn't a subsidy penalty on low end earners for making more money.

So, using only the current money funding public health programs, a family of 4 would receive a block grant of $18,000 a year to buy health insurance.
Click to expand...

I say we do the opposite. true medical competition.
that block grant goes into a HSA.
you can spend that however you want to.

cash is cheaper than insurance anyway.
 
ludin said:
I say we do the opposite. true medical competition.
that block grant goes into a HSA.
you can spend that however you want to.

cash is cheaper than insurance anyway.
Click to expand...

Good idea, but essentially it is my idea minus the freedom to spend the money on things other than health care. I see that as essentially for combating inflation in health care because it doesn't force feed the Medical industry $4500 per citizen.
 
jmotivator said:
Good idea, but essentially it is my idea minus the freedom to spend the money on things other than health care. I see that as essentially for combating inflation in health care because it doesn't force feed the Medical industry $4500 per citizen.
Click to expand...

well HSA's don't allow you to spend on anything outside of healthcare.
exactly.

if it was up to me it would work like this.

government give a block grant to an HSA every year.
you and your company can contribute tax free into that every year as well.

your company will get a bonus tax deduction by contributing 10k+ per employee. so if you have 100 employee's and you give each one 10k to their HSA
accounts you will get a bonus tax deduction.

however this is in addition to an overall change in the tax code.

there would be 2 tax brackets. 10% for < 1m and 20% for 1m or more.
there is a standard deduction of 25k dollars + any mortgage deduction for any home value < 750k dollars.
capital gains stay at 15%.

corporations tax rate drops a flat 15% with deductions only for expansion, healthcare and non-executive pay,and non-investor pay.
so the more you pay your employee's the better tax deduction that you get.
the more you pump into the HSA plan the better tax deduction you get.

the more you expand your business the better tax deduction you get.
 
ludin said:
well HSA's don't allow you to spend on anything outside of healthcare.
exactly.

if it was up to me it would work like this.

government give a block grant to an HSA every year.
you and your company can contribute tax free into that every year as well.

your company will get a bonus tax deduction by contributing 10k+ per employee. so if you have 100 employee's and you give each one 10k to their HSA
accounts you will get a bonus tax deduction.

however this is in addition to an overall change in the tax code.

there would be 2 tax brackets. 10% for < 1m and 20% for 1m or more.
there is a standard deduction of 25k dollars + any mortgage deduction for any home value < 750k dollars.
capital gains stay at 15%.

corporations tax rate drops a flat 15% with deductions only for expansion, healthcare and non-executive pay,and non-investor pay.
so the more you pay your employee's the better tax deduction that you get.
the more you pump into the HSA plan the better tax deduction you get.

the more you expand your business the better tax deduction you get.
Click to expand...

It's a good plan, but I still like the voluntary participation part of my plan. If people can spend the money as they see fit the insurers would have to compete for every penny rather than winner takes all.

Here's a crazy plan: Use your plan but change the HSA to a "Duty Free Account" which places the $4200/citizen and the Employer pre-tax contributions up to $10k into a pre-tax, duty free account that you can spend on anything tax free. :lol:

At that point a flat tax is a heart beat away.
 
jmotivator said:
I can provide an even simpler plan:

Without raising taxes one penny write a new law that:

1) Abolishes VA, Medicaid and Medicare
2) Issues a block grant of $4200 to every US citizen for the purpose of buying health insurance
3) The portion of that $4200 that is spent on health care costs is tax exempt, be it for insurance, a health savings plan, or medical bills.
4) Current massive government health programs would be allowed to privatize like Ma Bell, and left to live or die by market competitiveness.

Done.

There, I just cut 7% from US public healthcare costs per year, provided universal coverage, and saved businesses, large and small, a huge chunk of money currently being spent on employee healthcare in one fell swoop while maintaining the competitive nature of the American health care system.
Click to expand...

And amazingly, eveything will be swell!! Why veryone will have insurance, profits for all!!

Except, that's not what would happen. How would you enforce spending ON healthcare, what if I decided to use that money to buy a new car? Oh and a guarantee amount means everyones insurance will cost exactly that amount, if not a bit higher. You'd induce inflation, drive up healthcare costs and still have people who chose to take the money for other things and need healthcare.

Sorry, your plan is not aces, it's as insane as the current system.
 
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