America needs better health care
Americans pride themselves as being the best. However this is not true when it comes to health care. According to The World Healthcare Organization we spend the most yet we rank 37 in health care performance and 72nd in level of our citizens health. An estimated 50 million Americans are uninsured many more underinsured. One in five of our children without health coverage even though the majority of them have working parents. This is not leadership but shameful, we need to reform our health care system.
Would a public option be good for America? In my opinion it's obvious. The public option would create competition. Employers who would like to keep their plan could without penalty. They might even offer better coverage as an incentive to attract employees. They also may drop medical coverage to increase their profits, but if they were large enough they would have to pay surtax. They would have to decide which would be the most cost-effective. Remember they are competing in a world where most of their competitors don't have insurance burdened into the cost of their products.
Eliminating pre-existing conditions might even create jobs by allowing some who would retire except for the cost or availability of health insurance. If claims could be filed in a standardized manner, major cost savings could be achieved.
To pay for the program and we must to be fiscally responsible, I would propose elimination of the cap on Social Security and Medicare deductions.
Not only would this pay for the public option but could also make Social Security and Medicare solvent for the foreseeable future. A progressive rate would be the fairest way to go. Today the poorest pay the most for Social Security and Medicare and the wealthy pay the least by percentage.
Robert Boros
Mount Prospect