What are the best policies to put into legislation for health care reform?

The government health insurance plan to compete with private insurance sounds good; could it be made to be just less expensive enough to help the people but not wipe out the big insurance companies?



Also, are there ways of funding this that make sense?What are the best policies to put into legislation for health care reform?
The public option is a good idea. If private plans cannot beat the public plan in efficiency and effectiveness, they deserve to go out of business. The real way to reduce the cost of health care is to pay by its quality, not its quantity.
The buy in option is a good plan, a first step. Millions buying into an insurance program will definitely decrease premiums and increase coverage. The only problem is the administration isn't really addressing the real problem...the high costs of health care. Until we address the exorbitant costs of prescription drugs and continuing care, we really don't have a solution. That's the type of verbiage we'll need in future legislation to truly make a change.What are the best policies to put into legislation for health care reform?
If the government would get out of health care all together the price would go down immediately.



Why has health care become more expensive the more government gets involved?
What's wrong with the health care system now?What are the best policies to put into legislation for health care reform?
This question is actually a lot more complicated than it sounds, and even President Obama has got it wrong, I believe.



Let me just give you an example of what started happening within the last decade. This is how the health care crisis started:



1. A patient shows up at a clinic.



2. He shows the front-desk clerk his insurance policy (e.g. BlueCross BlueShield)



3. The clerk determines the following things:

a. What the doctor's and clinic's expenses are (e.g. $500)

b. What the patient is expected to pay (e.g. 20%, or $100)

c. What the insurance company is expected to pay ($400)



4. The patient pays the $100.



5. The insurance company is not willing to pay $400, so it pays only $250.



6. The clinic loses 30% of its revenue.



7. The clinic starts charging other patients more to balance the debt, so next time the patient shows up...since the insurance company is only willing to pay $250, the patient now has to pay 50%, or $250, to meet the clinic's expenses.



8. The patient cannot afford to pay $250, so he only pays $150.



9. The clinic loses another 20% of its revenue.



10. The clinic starts charging other patients even more to balance the debt.



11. Steps 8-10 forever and ever and ever and ever........



See the problem here? It is the insurance companies' greediness that started this problem. Here is what would happen if the government takes over:



1. The government will lower the costs for patients.



2. Remember the government is already in debt, so if the costs for patients are lowered, then one of two things must first happen:

a. Taxes will increase for everybody. Not just for those making more than $250,000, or else they will practically be taxed 100%.

OR

b. The government will pay the clinics even less money, so clinics and doctors will continue to lose money.



3. If clinics lose money, they will charge patients even more.



4. Patients are unable to pay these higher rates, so clinics continue to lose money.



5. Steps 3 and 4 forever and ever and ever.......



You see what would happen here? Nothing would change. If the government changes anything, then it would only get worse, not better.





Here is my plan:



The government sets new laws about how PRIVATE insurance companies are run. Here are the details:



1. Patients continue to pay what the clinic expects them to pay (e.g. the 20% or $100 as described above)



2. Insurance companies are REQUIRED to pay the remaining $400.



3. Established a court system for medicine and health care.



4. If the insurance companies think that $400 is too much and unreasonable, then take the case to the court and let a panel of 6 decide.



5. The panel of 6 described in step #4 must meet the following criteria:

a. 3 individuals must have an M.D.

b. 3 individuals must have law degrees.



6. The insurance company wins the case if and only if 4 of the 6 individuals vote in favor of them. Otherwise, the insurance company MUST pay what the clinic requires.



This way, there will be no issue of anybody losing revenue, and the health care system works for everybody.