Comments on: The Republican Health Plan http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/ Insights on Health Care Reform | NCPA Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:08:11 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: John J. Fisher http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-46068 John J. Fisher Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:57:41 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-46068 This is great and I really like your suggested changes to the Coburn bill. Is Coburn receptive to your proposed changes? How many Republican Senators (and who) and how many Republican Congressmen (and who) have signed on to support such a bill? Are their any Democrats currently willing to sign on (who) ? Why is your proposal/Coburn's not getting more public attention? There were over a million frustrated and angry Americans in Washington on 9-12 (I was one of them), how do we get this to their attention/support. With a well defined and more importantly well supported alternative such as this, if we can get enough public notice focused on it, it should really help in defeating Obamacare. What is the RNC's position on this, why are they not adopting it as the Republican alternative? This is great and I really like your suggested changes to the Coburn bill.

Is Coburn receptive to your proposed changes?

How many Republican Senators (and who) and how many Republican Congressmen (and who) have signed on to support such a bill?

Are their any Democrats currently willing to sign on (who) ?

Why is your proposal/Coburn’s not getting more public attention?

There were over a million frustrated and angry Americans in Washington on 9-12 (I was one of them), how do we get this to their attention/support. With a well defined and more importantly well supported alternative such as this, if we can get enough public notice focused on it, it should really help in defeating Obamacare.

What is the RNC’s position on this, why are they not adopting it as the Republican alternative?

]]> By: Michael Major http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42964 Michael Major Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:27:01 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42964 Why limit the amount of HSA deposits to the Coburn tax subsidy? Let HSA amounts remain where they currently are, add a provision that when the citizen reaches eligibility for Medicare, the accumulated account balance may be raided tax free for retirement living expenses. Result? Available dough to pay for routine care not covered by catastrophic indemnity coverage PLUS a strong incentive to self-ration. Why limit the amount of HSA deposits to the Coburn tax subsidy? Let HSA amounts remain where they currently are, add a provision that when the citizen reaches eligibility for Medicare, the accumulated account balance may be raided tax free for retirement living expenses. Result? Available dough to pay for routine care not covered by catastrophic indemnity coverage PLUS a strong incentive to self-ration.

]]> By: Links for the Republican Health Plan | John Goodman | NCPA http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42922 Links for the Republican Health Plan | John Goodman | NCPA Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:55:37 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42922 [...] inadvertently dropped them in our posting last week. So here is a link to Sen. Coburn's web site, which includes a summary of the bill [...] [...] inadvertently dropped them in our posting last week. So here is a link to Sen. Coburn's web site, which includes a summary of the bill [...]

]]> By: Baucus proposing Hillary-redux only worse; Coburn and others propose Republican plan « AAPS News of the Day http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42913 Baucus proposing Hillary-redux only worse; Coburn and others propose Republican plan « AAPS News of the Day Sun, 31 May 2009 01:14:09 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42913 [...] The bill would provide a refundable, advanceable tax credit to apply to the purchase of health insurance. It is not a net overall tax increase or decrease; it just redistributes the tax break (as to people who don’t pay income or payroll taxes) and puts an upper limit on it. John Goodman writes that the bill would cut the number of uninsured in half while remaining revenue neutral; in contrast, the Obama plan would require an increase of $1.5 trillion in spending over 15 years for the same reduction in the uninsured. www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan. [...] [...] The bill would provide a refundable, advanceable tax credit to apply to the purchase of health insurance. It is not a net overall tax increase or decrease; it just redistributes the tax break (as to people who don’t pay income or payroll taxes) and puts an upper limit on it. John Goodman writes that the bill would cut the number of uninsured in half while remaining revenue neutral; in contrast, the Obama plan would require an increase of $1.5 trillion in spending over 15 years for the same reduction in the uninsured. http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan. [...]

]]> By: John Goodman http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42889 John Goodman Fri, 29 May 2009 17:17:11 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42889 Response to Bart: Coburn's bill does not create true portability, although it is a step in the right direction. Portable insurance is insurance that is owned by the employee (even if the employer pays some or all of the premium). The insurance, therefore, travels with the employee when he switches jobs or goes in and out of the labor market. Response to Bart:

Coburn’s bill does not create true portability, although it is a step in the right direction.

Portable insurance is insurance that is owned by the employee (even if the employer pays some or all of the premium). The insurance, therefore, travels with the employee when he switches jobs or goes in and out of the labor market.

]]> By: John Goodman http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42865 John Goodman Thu, 28 May 2009 20:50:56 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42865 Response to Bob: See my resonse to David McKalip on HSAs. The law does not allow employers to charge their employees premiums that reflect their true health status and therefore the true expected cost they add to the employer's insurance pool when the employees are first hired. Basically everyone is charged the same premium, regardless of expected costs. Obama will impose this same requirement in the exchange. Response to Bob:

See my resonse to David McKalip on HSAs.

The law does not allow employers to charge their employees premiums that reflect their true health status and therefore the true expected cost they add to the employer’s insurance pool when the employees are first hired. Basically everyone is charged the same premium, regardless of expected costs. Obama will impose this same requirement in the exchange.

]]> By: Bart http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42857 Bart Thu, 28 May 2009 17:36:56 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42857 John, could you at some point explain what "Encourage Personal and Portable Insurance" really means? I thought I had a vague idea from reading Coburn's summary, but then I saw these comments from the CBO counsel on Galen's site: http://www.galen.org/component,8/action,show_content/id,13/category_id,2/blog_id,1207/type,33/ What, then, does Coburn do other than give the states permission to do what they could already do? If not mandades, does "encouragement" mean funding? John, could you at some point explain what “Encourage Personal and Portable Insurance” really means? I thought I had a vague idea from reading Coburn’s summary, but then I saw these comments from the CBO counsel on Galen’s site: http://www.galen.org/component,8/action,show_content/id,13/category_id,2/blog_id,1207/type,33/

What, then, does Coburn do other than give the states permission to do what they could already do? If not mandades, does “encouragement” mean funding?

]]> By: Bob http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42849 Bob Thu, 28 May 2009 03:06:00 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42849 John, you say people will buy first dollar (HSA) insurance with after tax dollars--doesn't make sense, unless your Roth IRA-like insurance idea is put in the bill. And you say that "In both the exchange and at work, the price system will be completely suppressed. In the market for risk, no one will ever face a real price for anything." I must be slow or not reading correctly so please explain why we should then be for the Coburn bill, which I thought looked terrific. John, you say people will buy first dollar (HSA) insurance with after tax dollars–doesn’t make sense, unless your Roth IRA-like insurance idea is put in the bill.

And you say that “In both the exchange and at work, the price system will be completely suppressed. In the market for risk, no one will ever face a real price for anything.” I must be slow or not reading correctly so please explain why we should then be for the Coburn bill, which I thought looked terrific.

]]> By: John Goodman http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42836 John Goodman Wed, 27 May 2009 13:37:40 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42836 [response to David McKalip] Tax advantaged HSAs would still be available but deposits plus premiums could not exceed the amount of the Coburn tax credit. Therefore, deposits would be rare. People would instead use ordinary savings accounts (not tax advantaged). Your tax subsidy today doesn’t pay for your entire health insurance cost and that’s a good thing. Coburn concentrates the subsidy so that it covers core (catastrophic) insurance that we want everyone to have and leaves people free to purchase any extra with their own (after tax) dollars. Yes. Obama wants a health insurance exchange. And other than employer coverage there won’t be any insurance outside of the exchange. [response to David McKalip]

Tax advantaged HSAs would still be available but deposits plus premiums could not exceed the amount of the Coburn tax credit. Therefore, deposits would be rare. People would instead use ordinary savings accounts (not tax advantaged).

Your tax subsidy today doesn’t pay for your entire health insurance cost and that’s a good thing. Coburn concentrates the subsidy so that it covers core (catastrophic) insurance that we want everyone to have and leaves people free to purchase any extra with their own (after tax) dollars.

Yes. Obama wants a health insurance exchange. And other than employer coverage there won’t be any insurance outside of the exchange.

]]> By: David McKalip http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/the-republican-health-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-42835 David McKalip Wed, 27 May 2009 13:35:53 +0000 http://www.john-goodman-blog.com/?p=3573#comment-42835 John, You seem to imply that HSA's would disappear as we know it. Would HSA's still exist as a pre-tax investment product IN ADDITION to the tax credit for health insurance of $2,300/$5,700? How do you answer critics that say $5,700 is not enough to buy a family health insurance plan? Don’t you think the Health Insurance Exchange is exactly what Obama wants? John,

You seem to imply that HSA’s would disappear as we know it. Would HSA’s still exist as a pre-tax investment product IN ADDITION to the tax credit for health insurance of $2,300/$5,700?

How do you answer critics that say $5,700 is not enough to buy a family health insurance plan?

Don’t you think the Health Insurance Exchange is exactly what Obama wants?

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