Like important Bills of the past, there is no reason why the Health Care Reform Act can’t be a simple document. The Act can easily become the principle(s) on which any future legislation must abide. Beginning this landmark move with a 1,000 page document is nuts, in my opinion, designed to confuse the People and enrich the Few.

War on Error’s Health Care Reform Act, 2009

Section I – Insurers

Insurers are, upon enactment of this Bill, required to pay all claims for the health services of their insured within 30 days.* If an insurer fails to do so on a consistent basis, that insurer’s license to do business in any/all of the 50 United States will be revoked. All American Citizens must, upon application to an insurer of their choice, be accepted and covered. The Contract between the two is limited to one page. Premiums, co-pays, and out-of-pocket expenses for individuals and families cannot exceed 10% of the individual or family adjusted annual income. Any fines levied against an insurer will be deposited into The Medicare for All Trust Fund.

Section II – Medicare for All

All American citizens are mandated to have a Health Care Plan and are free to choose from all options. Upon the enactment of this Bill, all qualify for enrollment in Medicare for All, a new and separate branch of the present Medicare. Medicare for All will operate in the same manner as Medicare; however, employers’ and individuals’ premium payments will go into The Medicare For All Trust Fund, charged with paying medical expenses for all under age 65. Health Care Costs means all costs including premium contributions. The annual cost for individuals and families insured by employers shall not exceed 10% of adjusted gross income (after tax). The cost for individuals and families self-insured will not exceed 15% of adjusted gross income, and if the individual or family earns less than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level, health care will be subsidized by the Medicare for All Trust Fund. The Medicare for All Trust Fund cannot distribute any funds to any/all private insurers including any/all subsidiaries of any/all private insurers.

FAIL TAX. A new tax of 5% will be levied on all foods and beverages high in fats, sugars, and chemicals, to include BPA. This tax will be used specifically to subsidize the availability of fresh, healthy produce in every community in America. A Fresh Foods for All Trust will be established to receive this tax from the IRS, charged with depositing the revenue into the FFfAT. The funds can be distributed for local gardening projects or fresh produce distribution services. Environmental polluters will be levied a tax of 2% of net income. These funds will be received by State Fresh Foods for All Trusts, to be used to help those directly affected by the polluters in their area improve health outcomes caused from the pollution.

Section III – Providers

Providers of any/all health care services will be paid the same rates as presently determined under Medicare rules; however, such costs will be determined reasonable according to comparisons for same/similar services in other developed nations. If globalization is good for capitalism in general, then surely it will be good for the health care industry. No longer will providers in the United States be able to charge rates in excess of rates considered reasonable throughout the industrialized nations. Cost containment will ultimately improve health care issues for all. The payment cuts for those services presently higher than is reasonable will be offset by the increase in volume of insureds.

Providers will expand to include preventative and alternative health care provider services licensed and approved under both Federal and State standards, and deemed helpful in improving overall health and preventing disease.

All providers are mandated to serve all American Citizens, regardless of their health insurance coverage plan.

Section IV – Public Option – Additional Private Insurance Policies

Individuals, families, and employers can opt to purchase additional insurance designed and offered by private insurers, for whatever purpose from the private insurance industry, provided such insurance is approved by the State in which the individuals, families, and/or employers reside. Providers of care are free to contract their services in agreement between the provider of service and the Public Option Insurance Providers.

*Teeth I want there to be REAL biting teeth, each and every time they are late, and by teeth, I mean, if Insurers fail to pay, within 30 days, they owe the insured claimant, an extra 2%, per day, for every day late, this includes weekends, with a minimum mandatory $35, you know, like those overdraft fees the bank charges. Yeah, I want it to hurt. I want it to REALLY hurt them, so that the Insured are taken care of … PERIOD. Because that money is needed by people. It is their’s and they damn well deserve it on time. (thank you ArthurPoet for this idea)

The End of Bill

There is no reason The Health Care Reform Act can’t be short and simple.

For instance, here are some really important Bills/Acts of the past. There were simply written, broadly based on principle(s).

The Social Security Act of 1935 was only about 11 pages:
http://www.nationalcenter.org/SocialSecurityAct.html

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was only 8 pages:

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/#documents

The US Constitution is brilliantly concise, too. Do we need a 1,000 page health care bill? Only for confusion to provide cover to the people rip off and the Bailout Windfall for the Insurers of the present legislation.

In another idea, perhaps we need one Bill and one Amendment to the Social Security Act?

1. A Health Insurers’ Reform Bill to regulate health insurers simply written like Section I, above.

2. A Medicare Option Amendment to Social Security Act.

Keep It Simple Statesmen/women

WARNING: The GOP and the industry smell our deluded need to pass SOMETHING. If you read the Bills, you will find plans to SunSet SChip and weaken Medicare, two burs under the GOP/Insurer’s saddles and bailout/subsidize the private insurance industry. Is this what we are willing to risk?

No, SOMETHING isn’t always better than NOTHING. Ask the Katrina victims whose children breathed toxic air in their toxic, federally provided trailers, as an example. Hell, ask New Orleans if their Something Levi’s were better than nothing! The Levi’s were nothing, very expensive nothing!