The Basics First
- An individual is interested in health care for the length of his or her life, not in yearly health insurance contracts. Hence, any workable solution needs to offer lifespan coverage.
- An individual is mostly concerned about major health failures. Hence, any workable solution needs to focus on catastrophic coverage.
- Young and healthy people tend to not buy health insurance. However, without their contributions no health insurance system can work. Hence, a workable solution needs to have provisions such that a majority of young and healthy Americans would buy health insurance of their own free will.
- Only after addressing the above issues, we can implement the free market mechanisms suggested in many proposals presented by opponents of the public option. In particular:
- Individual ownership of insurance policies. There is no reason that health insurance should be chosen and paid for by an employer.
- The freedom to buy health insurance across the state borders.
- Curbing frivolous lawsuits by reforming tort liability laws.
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