In light of DrSteveB's stupendous diary on single payer, I want to interject some vital points. Since last April I've been blogging on Daily Kos about single payer health care, talking about the features of Health Security America, a plan that has become obvious to me after 40 years as a physician and administrator. I'm not wedded to the plan; in fact, I believe that we must unite or lose.
DrSteveB does a great job explaining Conyers' bill and what we need to do, and he is right that "mechanisms and details do matter." I'm here to add more details, in the form of 5 non-negotiable criteria that will ensure a healthy single payer program. Make the jump—
First of all, the gap between my plan, Health Security America, and Conyers' HR 676 is not wide. The plans are essentially the same. But I proposed some important criteria in the form of self-funding and administration independent of government and thus of special interests. Conyers' bill puts the head of HHS in charge. If the lumbering, susceptible government bureaucracy is going to administer a health plan, I'm sorry, but we're sunk.
Here is my comparison of Health Security America and HR 676.
The list below has some of the main points that need to be compared and contrasted, with the aim of ensuring that every American finally gets a fair health plan, unadulterated by the concerns of special interests such as drugs and device manufacturers, hospital and professional associations.
The article compares key aspects of both plans side by side, and clarifies what we need to do to have a transparent, autonomous, efficient health care system unwarped by big money interests.
On to the non-negotiable criteria
Now I ask you to consider these points, arrived at by our Coalition for a Health-Secure America as worthy of inclusion in a national plan:
The coalition’s single payer universal health insurance criteria1number only five.
Any politician accepting help from our group would have to support the following rules:
- All citizens from birth to death will have basic, affordable quality health insurance.
- Any bill sponsored will have a form of citizen payment that guarantees no accumulation of debt from year to year (other than the initial start up costs amortized over time and paid back to the US Treasury).
- Citizens will specifically determine the coverage and health insurance premiums by an approval process transparent to all. Citizen governance will function totally independent of the presiding government administration. Congress will be required to include citizen governance in any bill proposed to assure total transparency. Citizens will be elected on a rotating basis throughout the country to accomplish this task.
- No credentialed provider will be disallowed from sending a bill to the "citizen insurance company" or like organization for the service performed. He may assign this billing task to someone else but may revoke this at anytime without any penalty. No non-compete clauses will encumber any provider. This same provider will have to follow all the rules and regulations of the single payer policy.
- Hospitals being providers as all others will ultimately have oversight by elected citizens through regional health planners effecting rules and regulations under which hospitals will receive payments for services provided.
Fred Bannister, MD
Director
The Coalition for a Health-Secure America
www.HealthSecurityAmerica.com
Chetek, Wisconsin
October 12, 2006
Notes:
- Mechanisms to accomplish the tasks are specifically spelled out in "Health Security America: Fixing the health care crisis" by Dr. Fred Bannister and is available via Amazon.com or through our website: http://www.healthsecurityamerica.com The purpose of this dissertation is not to impose a hard and fast mechanism to accomplish these tasks but let the legislators do it through a bill they would introduce. The book described is written as a citizens’ guide to health care reform. This author is open to any mechanisms that would accomplish the tasks described efficiently and with total transparency and accountability to the citizenry, but this is a must. The bound book is available for $15 with all profits going to The Coalition for a Health-Secure America. If the money is not available for the bound copy we will after receiving an email send you the text of Health Security America: Fixing the health care crisis. The studies are included. The purpose of the book is to get a single payer universal health insurance off dead center and if this helps please take advantage of this offer.