A health care reform solution to please consumers, government, and private insurers
Problems We Face
(1) Problems for consumers: (a) lack of competition in current system, making prices higher than otherwise; (b) difficulty comparison shopping due to a wide variety of plans offered
(2) Problems for government: (a) liability for government of running a gigantic insurance company, if they start a public option (Medicare already has an unfunded liability in the trillions - imagine if eligibility is extended to the whole population!); (b) since every company can have such differences in underwriting standards, ratemaking, and loss experience, it is difficult for regulators to determine whether or not the premiums being charged are reasonable.
(3) Problems for private insurers: (a) New, small insurers can't compete against bigger insurers; (b) bigger insurers face an unlevel playing field themselves if the government forms its own plan. Medicare's unfunded liability is due to government's tendency to underestimate costs, so it is reasonable to expect that government will charge inadequate premiums and consumers will flock from the private insurers to the underpriced public plan.
Solution:
Leighton Weese
in Economy, Healthcare, Insurance, Spending
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Mao Tse-tung, his political philosophy, and Anita Dunn
After Glenn Beck revealed a video showing White House Communications Director Anita Dunn telling a group of high school students that one of her favorite philosophers was Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong), I did some quick research on Mao and prematurely commented in a discussion that Mao united China and deserved credit. I have since done further research, and I was wrong. China was on the right track until Mao took over. I have summarized the results of my research below. Please be forewarned, history is not my strongest suit, and I relied heavily on Wikipedia for my research, but I took a lot of pains to try to get the history right. I am focusing on health care policy issues and have not documented sources like I normally would. Please comment if you find something that is incorrect.
Leighton Weese
in Ethics, History, Leadership
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Letter to Senators on Health Care Bill
I have examined the Senate Finance Committee bill and made suggestions below that I hope you will review and respond to. Please let me know what I can do to help support a bipartisan bill that is fiscally responsible, provides universal coverage, preserves free markets, and improves healthcare outcomes.
Leighton Weese
in Healthcare, Insurance, Spending, Taxes
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Comparing the healthcare proposals
Here is a site where you can do a side by side comparison of all the health plans being considered by the Congress.
Leighton Weese
in Healthcare, Insurance, Spending
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Senators Ask Reid and Baucus for More Time to Weigh Health Care Bills
This is good:
"A group of centrist Democratic senators, who could determine the fate of the major health care legislation, sent a letter Tuesday to the majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, urging that the public be given at least 72 hours to review the legislation before debate begins on the Senate floor."
Leighton Weese
in Healthcare, Insurance
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