Rick Perry's health plan proposes absolutely nothing new. He regurgitates the same talking points Republicans have been touting for over twenty years. Without even seeing the plan, you could predict it would include at least three points: 1) selling insurance across state lines, 2) personal responsibility for health, 3) malpractice reform, and oh yes, one new thing -- repealing the Affordable Care Act.
When was the last time a Republican, other than Gov. Romney, proposed anything new for health care? When Republicans controlled the White House and the Congress did they enact any of this? Of course not. And why not? Because these solutions will not bring health care costs down or expand access to all Americans.
What is wrong with these proposals? Selling insurance across state lines simply means that insurance companies would locate in states which regulated them the least. You could buy a cheap health plan but it wouldn't include a lot of things you might need like maternity coverage, mental health coverage, certain drugs, coverage for extended hospital stays, etc. Personal responsibility for health is usually just code for shifting more costs to you, the consumer via a "consumer driven health plan." Here's some money, go find a health plan and a doctor. Good luck. Malpractice reform, by CBO estimates, could save $54 billion over 10 years, not an insignificant amount but it would reduce our spending by less than .05%. Texas enacted malpractice reform in 2003 and their costs are some of the highest in the nation and they cover the fewest Americans. (If you want to learn more about Perry's health record, look up Igor Volsky in Think Progress. He has written several excellent articles about what Perry's Texas really looks like in terms of health care. Also this Washington Post piece by Sarah Kliff on Perry's record in Texas. )
Repeal Obamacare? All the Republican candidates are promising that, but ironically, Obamacare includes most of the Republican talking points in the Affordable Care Act -- there is lots of room for "state flexibility" in the ACA, information for consumers about what plans and doctors they can choose, opportunity for state experimentation with malpractice reform, and lots more. What is not in the ACA is room for the insurance industry to deny you coverage because you had a infected toenail ten years ago or offer you plans that cover less than your hospital gown.
One thing we know for sure -- Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann will offer the same old Republican talking points with a strong splash of "let the states decide". Even Romney is trying to justify his support of health reform with a state's rights twist. What that means for most Americans is that if you live in California or New York or Vermont, you might get a decent health plan. If you live in Texas or Arizona or Mississippi you may be out of luck. "Freeing the market to do its magic" unfortunately means "let the buyer beware." When you get sick you may find out your coverage isn't worth much.
When the Republican debates begin, try this drinking game I have recommended before -- every time a candidate says "let the states decide" or "malpractice reform" or "personal responsibility" or "selling insurance across state lines", take a drink! But you better be drinking non-alcoholic beer!
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Wendell Potter: Insurers' Allies in Congress Trying to Dismantle Reform Piece by Piece
Drug companies need to recover the costs of development, including the costs of developing drugs that failt. So it's reasonable that drug prices should have a very high mark-up over costs of manufacture and delivery. But countries with single-payer health plans are in a strong position to bargain down drug prices. In America, however, drug companies can charge almost anything they want and the insurance companies will accept it and pass the costs on to customers. So it is logical for the drug companies to off-load their costs on to the American consumer rather than battling it out in other countries. Result: the American consumer is unwittingly subsidizing the sale of drugs in the rest of the developed world.
Republican health plans do nothing to change this situation but neither does Obamacare. Can anything be done about it? Sure. Adopt a single-payer plan to put the US in the same bargaining position as the rest of the world. But since single-payer appears to be out of the question, Americans had better just get used to shouldering a large part of the real cost of drugs for the whole the world.
In the 1960s none of my relatives had private health insurance and there was no Medicare. Why? It was not necessary. Health care was affordable in the 1960s.
Today it is as if charlatans like Rick Perry have no memory and cannot read a book about the US health care system and its corruption and inflated costs.
We have a system shot through with waste, fraud and abuse, no? This would be true on all counts, the medical care itself, drugs, private insurance, government insurance and the billing and accounting and the financing. This has nothing to say about where all the cash goes and what is done with it. I promise you it is not anything to do with keeping people healthy.
The hard work necessary to untangle the system is of no interest to Democrats either. Our political class is without a collective memory, as if they had mass Alzheimers disease. Rick Perry is special. Obviously he (Perry) has had a lobotomy, and it was paid for by the corporate interests he serves.
Medical treatment costs for related conditions are to be reimbursed. With the medication needed for treatment being Euro 20,000 plus a week or more in the hospital each time plus physical therapy.
...As do ALL the other GOP candidates! Same scripts, merely different actors.
As of 1987 when I last taught high school in Texas, not all districts were required to provide health care. There was no state pool of teachers getting health care. Is that still the case?
My private health insurance plan (since I'm self employed) jumped 20 percent the first year, 20 percent the second year...and then look at that... $704.08 per month for a $5,000/deductible. Umm...I think not.
Single payer...medicare for all...it will happen. I just don't know if I'll be alive to see it. We remain the only industrialized nation in the world with a for-profit health care system..."what you have done for the least of these..." Yeah, yeah I know, the ring wing has an answer for everything. I can't wait to hear the trolls who will jump on this post.
Love to all -- I'm off to the Democracy Convention in Madison tomorrow. Don't tell the right wing, but democracy is coming to the USA.
And please, what has any republican administration done about this or tort reform? Nothing! Not ever. Why didn't Bush and his congressional majority pass tort reform? I'll tell you why. First, they don't care. Second, they need to keep this "ace in the hole" indefinitely as a carrot on a stick for certain constituents. "Next time we promise we'll get this done. Next time. Next time. Please donate."