Courtesy of Mish.
Please consider Senator Rand Paul’s “Obamacare Replacement Act“.
Paul’s bill allows cross-state insurance. That’s a step in the right direction.
However, Paul misses many obvious improvements. I provide a list below. Any doctors or insurers care to chime in?
Mish Health Care Proposals
Standardized fees: People without insurance should not have to pay more for services than people with insurance. Fees for routine services, medicine, rooms, and operations need to be standardized.
Shopping Around: People should be encouraged to shop around for the lowest cost provider. Under my proposal, insurance providers can allow certain amounts for specified services, and give that allowance to the insured. The insured can then shop around for the best provider. Insurers may even consider rebating the insured a portion of any savings on their next insurance payment.
Foreign Services: Low cost plans should be allowed to require foreign operations for hugely expensive operations for those able to travel.
For example, Bloomberg reported Heart Surgery in India for $1,583 Costs $106,385 in U.S. Demand treatment in the US? Fine. You should have to pay for it. Obviously, this provision does not apply to emergency services like an accident, or to a heart attack.
Insurers should cover travel expenses for the insured and spouse for stays longer than 10 days.
