What health plan do you think would work best?

[rangerwickett]

I am not convinced that the primary plan being proposed by Congress is the best one, or even the best one that might get passed. I'm looking for other options, so that when I talk to my congressman I can say what I am [i]for[/i], not just what I am against.

Right now the two possibilities that are most compelling to me are:

1. Interstate

Comments

[melsmarsh]

I support the first one, however there are several things in there that are still not true. Employer based coverage cannot go out of state unless the company is national or otherwise pays for that. (My partner works for Seamless Technologies and the medical insurance offered by that company is state based and we are a thousand miles away from it so it's useless for us.) Also, you can deduct individual health insurance premiums on your taxes. That's what H&R Block has been doing with mine.

I am against the Medicare idea unless they really raise the payment rates to doctors and increase the number of primary care doctors, which there is a horrible shortage of. Even then I would still maintain private insurance. Many doctors are refusing to take Medicare patients because of the reimbursement rate. I don't know anyone who is on Medicare who is really happy with it particularly their drug benefits. My grandmother is 78 and is still working in order to have access to better health care through her company. At least with my insurance, I know I have access to my doctor when I need him, like I did on Tuesday. Of course it took me 7 months to be able to find a PCP who was taking patients, though I can't complain too much since I got my first choice doctor.