Well how very Christian of Gov. Scott Walker to want to kick poor people off their health insurance.
Defending his fellow Republican governors’ decision to block Medicaid expansion in their states, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Friday suggested that denying health coverage to additional low-income Americans helps more people “live the American Dream” because they won’t be “dependent on the American government.”
This is my really wild-a$$ guess about one of probably multiple factors influencing our Governor. Grebe, Wall Street, and the other elites are worried about Rand Paul. They’re positioning Walker to dilute some of his base in the GOP primaries.
He’s already cut food assistance, raised taxes us. Certainly investors at WPS cannot have their dividends cut, so double grid connection fees on the poor, the working poor and the elderly, as those with second homes and vacation cottages need our help to maintain the system. Dedicated to you Scooter, you ride that public financed jet, your security detail driving those SUV’s to meet you at the airport with your body guards and feed your face, cozy in a skybox today, insulated from reality.
Below is a robust example of “single-payer” health care. This isn’t “socialized medicine.” Physicians, hospitals, nurses, medical device makers, allied health professionals, still compete for patients.
“As a matter of economics and public purpose it is counter productive for health care to be a marginal cost of production.
No economist will disagree with this. Unless going to work makes one more prone to needing health care, making the cost
a marginal cost of production distorts the price structure and results in sub optimal outcomes.
Therefore government should fund at least 90% of health care costs paid for by businesses.
Long term vision subject to revised details:
Everyone gets a ‘medical debit card’ with perhaps $5000 in it to be used for qualifying medical expenses (including dental) for the year.
Expenses beyond that are covered by catastrophic insurance.
At the end of the year, the debit card holder gets a check for the unused balance on the card, up to $4,000, with the $1,000 to be spent on preventative measures not refundable.
The next year, the cards are renewed for an additional $5,000.
Advantages:
Doctor/patient time doubled as doctor/insurance company time is eliminated.
The doctor must discuss the diagnosis and options regarding drugs, treatments, and costs with the patient rather than an insurance company.
Individuals have a strong incentive to keep costs down.
Doubling the time doctors have available for patients increases capacity and service without increasing real costs.
Total nominal cost of approx. $1.5 trillion ($5,000×300 million people) is about 10% of GDP which is less than being spent today, so even when catastrophic costs are added the numbers are not financially disruptive and can easily be modified.
Eliminates medical costs from businesses, removing price distortions and medical legacy costs.
May obviate the need for Medicare and other current programs.
Eliminates issues regarding receivables and bad debt for hospitals and doctors.
Eliminates the majority of administrative costs for the nation as a whole for the current system.
Patients can ‘shop’ for medical services and prices as desired.”
http://moslereconomics.com/2009/03/02/mosler-health-care-proposal/
The above is an example of “socialized health insurance.” Cigna, Blue Cross/Well Point and the rest of the for-profit health insurers hate it, because they could no longer use the IRS to force people to buy LOUSY coverage.
Once you understand that “(Federal) Taxes For Revenue Are Obsolete” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-mosler/taxes-for-revenue-are-obs_b_542134.html this literally wouldn’t “cost” the federal taxpayers anything.