For over a year now, the US Congress has been working on some kind of comprehensive healthcare reform. The debate has been contentious, the solutions varied, and the mere size of the bills have brought scorn and derision from those who fear any kind of reform for any reason, be it financial or otherwise.
One of the things that I think has been lost in this conversation is the most simple solution. In January of last year, Michigan Representative, John Conyers proposed HR 676 a bill that would provide Medicare coverage to all Americans. Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill, even though the bill didn’t really go anywhere.
The debate raged on. The House and Senate came up with different versions of reform. Republicans unilaterally opposed any and all change, riding a wave of trumped up FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) to stoke opposition. In the end, the people who were left out were people like myself, self-employed or under-employed individuals that are aware enough to not pay $200/mo. for bogus insurance that basically won’t pay for anything, but too poor to pay the kinds of premiums that would provide coverage.
In the 23 years that I’ve been in the workforce, I’ve had health insurance for maybe 10. Three of those I was covered under my parent’s policy. Do the math on that, and think about the worry and anxiety that has followed me all this time.
Lots of people have written, commented, and cursed about this, but as the debate raged on, no one seemed to find the common thread in the whole thing, that people, like myself, just want the opportunity to buy into a system that isn’t going to leave them high and dry after they’re done making money off me.
Enter Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). Grayson has introduced a bill that would allow people, like myself, who do not qualify for any other kind of government healthcare assistance, to purchase Medicare if we choose.
Could it be any more simple?
This is not comprehensive reform. This is a common sense solution to a problem that has been politicized to the point of stupidity. Why haven’t I, or anyone else for that matter, been able to do this for years? I’m paying for it already, and have been for over half my life to cover people currently over the age of 65, and hopefully, myself when I reach that age. Paying more to be covered now seems like a good solution.
But Medicare won’t be cheap. I know this. The difference is that the Government can’t raise my rates or kick me to the curb when they’re done making money off me like Anthem Blue Cross in California and just about every other private insurer in the country. If they tried, the public outcry would likely shut it down and quick. Unlike private insurers, politicians are elected every 2, 4, and 6 years. Accountability comes with that situation. If someone proposed to stop or restrict the program, the consequences could be dire.
Further, allowing more “less sick” people into the Medicare pool would likely result in lower rates for everyone, and force private insurers to compete with a system that was more focused on the health of the individuals rather than the money side of the equation. These companies are already making more money with fewer in the pool. This doesn’t stop them from doing what they’ve been doing if it’s good for their bottom line, but it does give people a safety net if they get bumped, something they haven’t had.
In the end, if we’re too chicken to do what just about every other industrialized country has done, and cover all our people; we need to provide an alternative for them. These four pages go a long way in doing that.
Agreed. Though I still like the other Grayson bill even better