Page 2 - Lewin Group News Today

Many Americans these days keep chanting that Healthcare is a “right”, but lets really look at that. Have these Americans considered what "rights" will be taken away with a Government controlled Healthcare plan? Here’s a short list; NO “right” to treatment, the Government will decide if you get treatment, or you’re expendable. NO “right” to…

Senator John Kerry's health care plan would expand coverage butwould fall short in transforming health insurance markets andmaking patients the key decision makers in the system. In effect,it would reinforce the status quo, with (according to one estimate)nine of every 10 dollars spent going to employers, insurancecompanies, and state governments, not to individuals.

Panelists at the Value-Based Insurance Design Summit discussed research and reforms to address the high cost of medications and the impact it has on equitable access to treatment.

The President’s FEHBP proposal guarantees the politicization of prescription drug coverage for federal workers, retirees, and their dependents.

Congress should provide individuals with the ability to controltheir own health care decisions. The Tax Equity and AffordabilityAct, by giving individuals who do not fit into the current healthcare system an alternative way to secure private health carecoverage, embodies sound public policy and is based on free-marketprinciples that promote fairness, choice, and personalownership.

Health reform proposals recently introduced in Congress--such asthe Patients' Choice Act of 2009--seek to replace the currentincome tax exclusion with a fairer, flatter form of tax relief forall Americans regardless of job status.

Medicare reforms are needed to secure value for patients, enhance the program’s solvency, and reduce its burden on current and future taxpayers.

While the national health insurance exchange advocated by President Obama and congressional leaders is sometimes described as a nationwide pool of health insurance providers, its major functionwould be to provide a platform for a government-run public healthplan. The result would be a massive erosion of private healthinsurance and consolidation of federal control of the financing anddelivery of medical services.

A growing number of physicians believe that H.R. 3200 is likely tomake matters worse.

Medicare Part D has exceeded expectations with a stunning “bend in the cost curve” unique in the health sector of the economy.