share.triangle.com - Solving the U.S. health-care crisis - Comments

Health Care

Gray — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:27:00 -0400

1. Make ALL out-of-pocket expenses for health insurance, medicine, treatment, transportation and durable medical equipment a 100% deductible expense on Form A (Federal Tax Return). Do this NOW. 2. Health Insurance Companies: convert AT LEAST 50% to NONPROFIT status. Take the profit motive away. Forbid all exclusions by health insurance companies of people who have ANY mental or physical condition, pre-existing or not. Force health insurance companies to allow policy holders to seek and accept medical care from ANY WILLING LICENSED PROVIDER. STOP HMO's. Accomplish this within the next 2 years. 3. Hospitals: Convert AT LEAST 50% to NONPROFIT status and ban competition between hospitals and restrict hospitals and other health facilities from advertising or soliciting patients. Accomplish this within 2 years. 4. Make ALL DONATIONS to non-profit hospitals and other bonafide medical treatment clinics a 100% allowable expense on Fed. Tax Return Form A. 5. Restrict advertising and any other form of patient solicitation by For-Profit Hospitals and Clinics. 6. Put more restrictions and limitations on medical malpractice lawsuits. 7. Take all hospitals and health insurance companies out of the stock exchange. 8. Restrict physicians from owning and operating clinics, laboratories and other evaluation and treatment facilities that compete with non-profit hospitals. 9. Stop physicians from referring patients for testing, evaluation or treatment at any facility in which they have a financial interest or stand to make a financial gain. We need to convert our "profit-motivated health care INDUSTRY" back into a health care SYSTEM , which is based upon and driven by sound, ethical principles. All of the above changes can be done concurrently via fast action by state and federal government and via a strong public education campaign. Socializing health insurance and healthcare facilities and professionals would have to include the above changes and more. But we should not take the easy way out and expect or allow government to solve all our problems in "one fell swoop".

Just for a short term starter...

Java55 — Fri, 04 May 2007 23:41:56 -0400

For those who work to make a living especially for small businesses which have health insurance benefits (for some now becoming a form of bondage?), instead of taking out health insurance costs after taxes, instead have the laws/rules/whatever changed so that these costs could be taken out before taxes. This way the poorest or those with the most dependants will be hurt the least and those with few dependants or higher incomes will hardly notice any changes. Although some may consider such an approach to be the beginnings of socialised medicine which may inevitably lead to an increase of taxes to some degree, in my opinion this is much more acceptable than the current alterative which is in place now. As for the unemployed now thats another question... and as for the ever increasing costs of health care and health insurance that's another question too...

Solving the U.S. health-care crisis

ctmiller — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:59:37 -0400

What will it take to ensure that every American can receive quality, affordable health care?