Health-care reform misses the target
First, I applaud President Obama's attempt to fix the problem. Albeit, his timing is a little off. Right now I think creating jobs and getting money circulating in the economy and breaking the vicious cycle of foreclosed homes and tight loans is foremost.
Keeping the job force and small business owners in mind, I propose these ideas: If we make it a law for employers to offer group health insurance for all W-2 employees (excluding 1099 contractors, sub contractors or consultants), we would have the majority of all Americans covered. Currently, it is illegal for employers who do not have a workers' compensation plan in place, why not health insurance?
I realize some small business owners could not afford today's plans. Obama could negotiate with the insurance companies to create a special plan for employers who earn under a specified amount, based on payroll, or low margins. An audit is done every year for workers' compensation insurance, the same method would be done for group health insurance. Additionally we take a portion of all the trillions of stimulus money Obama would have spent on the government health care system and subsidize this special group plan for the small business owners.
Combined with the insurance company's lower rates, small business owners should have no problem offering group health insurance. They would also have the ability to deduct this expense from their taxes as they do currently. I guarantee with the combination of sharing the cost with the business owners and reducing the cost of the plans through the insurance companies, we would spend far less on this plan than taking on the huge burden of a government run health care system all on its own.
Oh, and what about the unemployed? Well, we already have a government run health care system in place for them. It's called Medicaid and Medicare. We would offer this to all the unemployed. For the self-employed, contractors and consultants, there would still be individual health insurance to choose from. This plan would cover everyone in the country. If this plan was in effect I guarantee the health care costs would go down across the board.
Tim Lavin
Hoffman Estates