An Open Letter About Healthcare to Barack Obama

Dear Mr President,

   I have to admit I didn't vote for you, in fact I didn't even like you. Now that you have been elected as our chief executive I decided to keep an open mind. In watching what you have dealt with, done and are trying to do I must say I am impressed. The most important thing that this country needs straightened out is the healthcare mess. I, like a lot of people have the answer. My answer will work.

   Let's start with paying for it. It's gonna cost what it's gonna cost. A flat fee, a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product on each and every transaction. We will replace Medicare, Medical Assistance and health insurance. The government's function will be to collect the fee and pay the health insurance premiums for each and every American. No co-pays, no cost to the consumr. The health insurance companies will still administer the programs and keep all their employees working. The stockholders and CEOs can still make their profit. The insurance companies and the medical providers can continue to work out their differences. Employers will no longer have to offer health insurance, consumers will no longer have to buy their own. The people who spend the most money pay the highest premium, poor people spend less so they pay less. Big-ticket items will have a new incentive for buyers, they can offer rebates or cash advances to cover the healthcare fee. The economic growth created by people no longer having to pay for healthcare will far outweigh the healthcare fee. Like I said before it will cost what it costs, this way is a lot less painful and we will eventually be spending a lot less than we spend now. The government is the payer and money talks, insurance companies listen.

  Now let's talk about the facilities themselves. We take a page out of prime time TV, eg. "Undercover Boss". The government already has legions of inspectors, cosultants, etc. and they will go undercover as patients and healthcare workers at all levels , they will report their findings to a task force. In the TV show CEOs and COOs go undercover, I don't think that would work because I don't think the majority of healthcare CEOs care about anything more than the bottom dollar. There are a lot of very good people working in the healthcare industry and there are a lot of bad people. It will take work, it will take time and it will take money. It will be fixed because the spirit of the good Americans will prevail.

  In order to make this happen, you need to make an executive order ending all health insurance for Congress by a specific date. Good luck to you I believe you are really trying to make things better, and with enough tenacity - you can.

Sincerely,

Leo Lawler - editor@woodsnews.com