The GOP in the State House of Representatives isn’t going to pass any legislation any time soon. So it has freed them up to introduce crap and then writepress releases about said crap.
Washington House Republicans introduced legislation on the first day of the legislative session designed to help people who have lost their insurance keep some form of affordable health care.
In the wake of Washington being pretty successful, at signing people up for health care (Seattle Times Link) this is totally the thing to focus on.
Recently, President Obama and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius have responded to reports that millions of Americans have been kicked off their coverage due to Obamacare. To mitigate the cancellations, both have announced policies that allow people to either keep their existing health care plans or be exempted from the individual mandate tax penalty and buy typically cheaper catastrophic care plans. Washington state’s Democratic insurance commissioner has not been supportive of allowing individuals to keep their pre-Obamacare plans.
Right. Because coverage was bad. The GOP are going to pretend that insurance coverage was awesome before? Anyway, let’s skip ahead from criticizing Obama for being Obama and Mike Kreidler (although not say his name) for not being Obama.
To overcome the Obamacare obstacles Rep. Matt Manweller has introduced two bills. The first would allow Washington residents to buy catastrophic health care plans in other states. The second bill would instruct the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to enter into compacts with other states to facilitate the purchase of health care plans from other states. This bill is similar to legislation introduced by Sen. Linda Evans Parlette which passed the Senate last year and was passed by the House Health Care Committee, but died in the House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Information Technology.
Damn you House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Information Technology!!!!!!!! Damn you to hell.
Oh, actually, really? That sounds like a bad idea. Washington State has worked to make sure that insurance actually means something. But what about states where it hasn’t? Let’s get our insurance from there. And by the way, I’m sure that if your cut rate, out of state insurance doesn’t live up to its promises, the Missouri, or wherever, Insurance Commissioner will be thrilled to take up your case.
I should say, though, I normally criticize the GOP for not having a plan, but this is technically a plan. Not a very good one, doy, but it’s something. Anyway, pressing on.
“The Democrats who control our state leaped into Obamacare before they looked. They drove people off the health care plans they liked and eliminated all the low cost plans they could afford. Even President Obama has realized the mistakes of his plan and offered the American people an out,” said Manweller, R-Ellensburg. “Unfortunately, the plans President Obama said we can keep don’t exist in Washington anymore. Therefore, we need to let people buy them in other states. That will bring fairness back to our health care system.”
We’re doing a better job subsidizing coverage for people who need it now, but in exchange for that, you know, there are higher minimum standards. Therefore, get your insurance from another state, where they haven’t been as good at signing people up in the first place, obviously.
What you and others have failed to see in this debate is not everyone actually needs health insurance. Forcing everyone into the system is just a way to achieve a goal without paying for it. Single payer would have been the honest way but this is not an honest country…
I think everyone’s employer paid benefits should be taxed. Here’s how to do it and actually improve the system’s performance:
Your benefit should be taxed at the lesser of the following 2 values: Either the face value or the actual benefit received. You also throw in a “catastrophic” waiver to prevent people from being destroyed.
So… My policy is worth about $9,000 a year – that’s what my employer pays for it. If I receive $15,000 a year in medical benefits I should be taxed for $9,000. But if I receive $1500 a year in medical benefits I should be taxed for $1500.
If you are really fucked – say terminally or severely ill (say, $50,000 or more in annual expenses) the tax could be waived.
This would bring in revenue, force the smug majority not screwed by the PPACA to share the pain, and encourage everybody to NOT use more care than they need.