Have you ever watched the congressional process? Look at NY State and see what is required in a plan to be offered in NY state. Going from memory but such things as chiropractors, Chinese medicine, drug/alcohol dependency, mental health, etc. are REQUIRED to be in a plan. Compare the cost in NY to many other states and you will see it is over 2x vs. some.
Good reason for a national plan... take the wacky NY legislature out of it.
I actually have no problem with a national healthcare plan with the following elements:
Minimal requirements for plan
Coverage is true insurance and only kicks in over $1,000 out of pocket
Probably does not cover drugs until a separate limit is hit
Alternatively, plan has stiff copays for treatments and drugs to show consumer cost
I think 50% co-pays up to say $500 would be adequate to discourage frivolous use.
re: Such a plan would be impossible as folks are trying to turn "insurance" into a payment plan, as service providers scramble to get their share, as drug companies scramble to get their share and as congressional folks pocket tons of money for campaigns. All paid for by taxes on the highest 5% - who you say can then go off and pay for fancier care. And don't forget , much of this is on top of a hike in top income tax rate, a hike in SS tax and the fact that the top brackets are still paying the Medicare tax (along with employers) on all income.
Middle and low income people pay a larger percentage of their discretionary income than the "rich".
*Saw Buffet on TV the other day and he pays 17% in Fed tax; they looked at all his employee returns and they were ~30%.
*Do the top 5% pay SS and Medicare on their cap gains which are income taxed at 15%?
*The working poor may not pay Federal income tax but they do pay about 6% sales tax as well as excise taxes on things like cigarettes, gasoline, liquor, phone service, cable service etc. If they rent they indirectly pay property taxes. And of course they pay SS and Medicare. This is nothing for the rich, but for someone trying to make ends meet it's cumulatively huge. They are contributing... it's just not through the headline 'income tax %' number.
Be real.
I'm trying. |
