The Hillary Clinton health plan

I do support the concept of an individual mandate.

I will have to spend the next few days digesting the details before I render a judgment on the plan.

Thanks,
Kevin

Dr. Kevin: Hello. I’ve read your blog for three months and am amazed how much info you consume. My friends call me a super-geek, but you appear at least 4x ahead of moi.

With Mrs. Clinton’s announcement today, I decided to speed up launch of my online site –

http://www.healthcaremoney.info

with this comment on her (new) plan –

” .. Today, there is little in Mrs. Clinton’s new “universal health care” proposal that would ensure quality universal health care. If enacted, it would most likely just create more unresponsive bureaucracy to make health care more complex, costly, and problematic. Her husband once promised the “end of big government:” her plan appears to be trying to bring some of “big government” back ..”

In toto at –

http://healthcaremoney-newsblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/analysis-opinion.html

Best regards. Keep up the great work.

“a plan that stresses… cost control and consumer choice”
Those don’t usually work as a package.

“businesses, in turn, would be required to offer insurance to employees, or contribute to a government-run pool”
Expect more full-time employees to be replaced with part-time contractors.

“Clinton would offer expanded versions of two existing government programs: Medicare, and the health insurance plan currently offered to federal employees… aides stress that no new federal bureaucracy would be created”
No new bureaucracy, just bigger existing ones. Super.

“cost-saving measures to help pay for universal coverage… computerized medical record-keeping and a reduction in federal overpayments to hospitals and health maintenance organizations. She would also promote wellness and disease prevention as a way to reduce costs”
Why do I feel like that’s not going to save anything for a long time, if ever?

“she would require insurance companies to provide coverage to all consumers regardless of pre-existing conditions”
I guess that cost will be coming out of insurance company profits, right?

If only the socialists would relocate to socialist countries. But I guess there wouldn’t be any Democratic candidates if that happened.

” .. When a Repub Congress and Repub President pass the largest entitlement program, the prescription drug benefit, in 40 years without even a pause ..”

Is there a benefit-cost analysis, of quality-of-life improvement v. cost? Having statistics would bring about more meaningful analysis.

On the other hand — trying to force insurers to insure high-cost individuals borders on the bizarre.

It would be like the U.S. trial lawyers group allowing Mexican lawyers to practice in the U.S. without taking the bar. That happens right after the cow jumps over the moon. The insurers — whom I do NOT hold a brief for — will fight that to the death.

I think Hillary may be onto something.

If she becomes President, she is going to need an excellent health care plan. A bullet proof plan, you might say.