WASHINGTON (AP) - After months spent criticizing Democrats' health overhaul plans, House Republicans have produced a draft proposal of their own. It's much shorter and focuses on bringing down costs rather than extending coverage to nearly all Americans.A 230-page draft was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. A spokeswoman for Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said changes were still being made before the bill would be finalized in time to offer as an alternative when Democrats begin floor debate on their bill, possibly at the end of this week.
BRINGING DOWN THE COSTS, JUST AS WITH THE WIDE OPEN COMPETITION AMONG CELL PHONE COMPANIES, WILL ENSURE EXTENSION OF COVERAGE, JUST AS THE NUMBER OF CELL PHONE USERS HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY
AP's failure to comprehend this is explainable only by means of complete and willful STUPIDITY or the desire to limit the public's comprehension to derisive thoughts about Republicans based on STEREOTYPING.
The bill leaves out a number of the key features of the Democrats' 1,990-page legislation, such as new requirements for employers to insure their employees and for nearly all Americans to purchase insurance. It also doesn't block insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions, as Democrats would do.
There is no doubt that pre-existing conditions cannot be used to eliminate customers, however that is an increased cost WITHOUT A DOUBT which must be accounted for. The democrats are going to to this by taxing what THEY consider to be 'Cadillac plans', such as my wife's plan, a teacher earning MINIMAL salary but with a good health plan.
Instead, the Republican plan increases incentives for people to use health savings accounts, caps non-economic jury awards in medical malpractice cases at $250,000, provides various incentives to states with the aim of driving down premium costs and allows health insurance to be sold across state lines.
BINGO, the magic words appear.
Competition will do for health insurance costs what it did for cell phone plans and numbers
But, I do question if someone damaged by true malpractice would find $250k something adequate to repair the damage done, which MIGHT last a lifetime. However the number of problems with this kind of approach in toto are minuscule compared to the democratic party approach, which adds 1990 pages and 53 new agencies