2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #237 "HEALTHCARE FOR ALL"

      Obviously the subject of healthcare for all is actively being discussed in today’s world.  I agree this result is desirable, not because anyone is entitled to it but, because we are a compassionate society, we would do it voluntarily.  But what form should it take?  Bringing a single-payer system, or so-called Medicare for all, would be fine, as long as people don’t mind having their healthcare run by the equivalent of the Department of Motor Vehicles.  But we truly can do better.  As an illustration, we have some great friends visiting us now from Canada, and they volunteered that Canada’s socialistic system simply does not seek out innovation.  Why?  Because it is a bureaucracy, and bureaucracies have a strong tendency to resist change.  So for creative care, they must come to the US.

       So what should we do?  The answer is that we should install a system of Medical Savings Accounts.  That means that for those people who can afford to address their own healthcare needs, we should simply require them to put $5,000 into the equivalent of an ATM account at the beginning of each year, and then get the government out of the way.  Then they would purchase the catastrophic health insurance of their choice, probably costing them something like $1,000 per year. Then all of their healthcare expenses would be paid directly out of the $4,000 that remained in the account.  Studies show that most adults pay far less than $4,000 per year on their healthcare needs until they approach the end of their lives.  So if they spent less than that, the remainder would simply roll over into their account for the next year and, eventually, it could be used for their retirement.  However, if they needed to spend more, their insurance would kick in, such that they would only be required to pay their $4,000 “deductible” and then their co-pays.  That would result in everyone spending their money wisely – because it was their money!  And that would also bring competition back to the healthcare field which would, in turn, bring prices back down.  For those people that needed some financial assistance for their healthcare needs, as long as they were legal residents, a voucher system could be used on a sliding scale depending upon their financial abilities.   Then those vouchers could be spent on the private market for payments and co-pays.  So this program would combine the best results that competition brings to the marketplace, which are competition, responsibility for one’s own healthcare needs, and medical coverage for all.

Quote for the week, with one elderly businessman talking to another: “It was slanderous, it was insulting and it was an outrage; but I see their point.”

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Please listen to our weekly radio show entitled “All Rise! The Libertarian Way with Judge Jim Gray” as we discuss timely issues, and show how they will be addressed more beneficially by employing Libertarian values and approaches.  You can hear it every Friday morning at 7 Pacific/10 Eastern by going to www.VoiceAmerica.com, clicking on the Variety Channel and then upon the word “live.”  You can also hear past shows on demand as well.  And, by the way, these 2 Paragraph columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray.wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.

2 PARAGRAPHS 4 LIBERTY: #195 "A BETTER FORM OF HEALTHCARE"

     Last week’s edition attacked the direction we are presently going toward, which is socialized medicine.  This edition outlines a better way, which would be to reduce the involvement of government for people who are able to take care of their own healthcare needs simply to requiring each of them each year to invest about $5,000 in a Medical Savings Account.  This would be a separate ATM-type account that they would use to pay for their own healthcare needs.  In addition, they would be required to purchase catastrophic healthcare insurance, which would basically be insurance with a $5,000 deductible.  Research shows that most people spend less than $5,000 per year for their healthcare needs until reaching the later years of their lives.  So if they have an incentive to spend their money wisely, and know that the remaining amount will be rolled over into the next year’s account and eventually be available for their retirement, they will do just that.  This program will produce at least three beneficial results.  The first would be to increase competition for healthcare dollars, which will bring down those costs.  The second would be that the amount of money paid to healthcare professionals would be materially increased, and the amount paid to administrators and bureaucrats materially decreased.  And the third would be once again to encourage people more to act as active partners with their healthcare professionals in their own health.   All of these are good results.

       But what about people who are not able financially to take care of their own needs?  They would be provided with government-paid vouchers which could be used by them to pay for their own healthcare needs as well as insurance.  These vouchers would be provided on a sliding scale based upon each person’s financial condition, but there would always be some form of co-pay, however slight, to encourage responsible purchases.  This approach would then furnish the same basic results as set forth above.  Thus everyone would be encouraged to spend their money/vouchers productively thus bringing costs down.  In addition, more of the money would go to healthcare professionals and less to bureaucrats, which would also reduce fraud in medical billing.  And this approach would also remove inequitable tax breaks for employer-based insurance plans, and encourage everyone to act as partners in their own healthcare.  So what’s not to like?

Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

2012 Libertarian candidate for Vice President, along with

Governor Gary Johnson as the candidate for President

Quote for the week:  “The trouble with the rat race is that, even if you win, you’re still a rat.”  Lilly Tomlin

                                                                              

By the way, these columns are now on Facebook and LinkedIn at judgejimgray, Twitter at judgejamesgray, and wordpress at judgejimgray@wordpress.com.  Please visit these sites for past editions, and do your part to spread the word about the importance of Liberty.