1201: IT'S A 10 POINT STARTIN' PLACE!

Are you as sick as me, about all this hoopla over national healthcare? The DC cats make it all so darn complicated, don't they? They do. They really do. You may have remembered when I talked about government phrases? One of their big ones is, "It's really more complicated than that." I love it when they do that. It really means that it's NOT "more complicated", but they don't have an answer for you and they want your question to GO AWAY. Or it means that they do have an answer, but it involves some unscrupulous deed(s) that they don't want the folks to know about. They're tricky folks! You gotta be on guard and know what to look for. A couple of other good ones is, "I'm calling for......" or "We are calling for.....". The first one really means that they want to sound really, really tough, but they are not going to do anything other than pacify the folks by continually and over and over again sayin', "We are still looking into it.", or "My team is still investigating." or "We will make a decision soon.", or "I have formed a committee". You know, kinda like the UN (United Numbnuts). If they say, "We are calling for...", well, they want to appear to bring you into the fold, as if they consider you part of the solution, but they really don't. It just sounds like they do. Watch out!

Anyway, back to this healthcare deal. Let's look at the players. First, you got the politicians. We gotta put them first because if we don't, they'll feel left out, so we'll put the little whiners first. Okay? You happy, Barney? Now I can go on. Then you have lawyers, insurance companies, hospitals, and, of course last, us folks. You and me. Now how you gonna come up with a program that will satisfy all of 'em? Start another NEW government program! Yeah, by all means, that'll work. Oh, and they can put a doctor that was convicted of malpractice in charge. You know, kinda the way they did Timmy G. Anyway, instead of startin' some dumb new government agency, why not just "grease up" one that you already have? Medicare. I mean, it ain't a bad program, if DC would've monitored the abuse better and kept certain "sticky" fingers outta the piggy bank, it would still be okay. So how do we do it, you might ask? Well, I'm gonna tell ya, but first, you gotta learn to keep things simple and that's HARD for a politician today, because they always have to get their fingers in it, without gettin' caught. Anyway here's my simple plan:

1) Find a very successful and very well managed insurance company and you pay them to manage Medicare. No not some DC cronies. They gotta be fresh and not connected to the DC gang.

       
2) Make Medicare mandatory on everyone, no waiting periods, no pre-existing conditions and guaranteed coverage!

3) "Load" the premiums on younger folks to help pay for the older folks. I mean, these folks raised most of us, so we owe 'em something right?

4) Set an income level. Anyone above it, has to pay the Medicare premium, anyone below it, doesn't.

5) Make all Medical facilities, doctors, and staff accept this new program.

6) Put very reasonable caps on malpractice rewards.

7) Set up a payment plan, with interest, for folks that, due to varying circumstances, could not meet the deductibles.
8) Everyone continues to operate as they do now, without government interference, except for illegal violators of the program.

9) Slowly introduce this in yearly stages, so the folks involved will have time to adjust. First year, ages 60 to 65, second year, ages 55 to 60, third year, ages 50 to 55, and so on.

10) Make the funds, collected under this program, through taxes, payment interest, and premiums, UNTOUCHABLE! You hear that DC? No "sticky fingers"!

Now, I'm not one of them big forehead guys with a HUGE brain, like ol' Timmy G., but I think, with just a little tweaking', they might be able to pull this off. Let's see, the insurance companies could still sell Medicare Supplements to folks that could afford them, just like they do now, only now a whole new market of younger folks would open up. The folks that qualify for Medicaid will still get it, just like they do now. The folks paying major medical premiums would now pay a lower premium because the new Medicare program would be more efficient, with less abuse and "sticky fingers". Oh, and lower malpractice rewards will result in lower premiums to doctors, which would lower medical costs, which, in turn, would help all involved. The hospitals would operate more efficiently because everyone would have the same Medicare card. Claims could be handled electronically. There should be no reason to fill out all those admittance forms, if they set up the electronic data correctly (finger print device). They will be able to simply print them out and have you sign them and/or sign digitally. Yes, the lawyers will still be able to lick their chops and sue, but for less now. Heck, we might even have a few less "ambulance chasers". That wouldn't be a bad thing, would it?

And now for the politicians. Well, they will probably fight this because there's not much of a way they could "skim" off the top, and that don't set well with 'em. You know it don't! Oh, but give 'em credit. Heck, they'll figure out some way to do it and take credit for helpin' th' folks too.

So there you have it, TH' DUMB OL' EAST TEXAS BOY'S TEN POINT HEALTHCARE PROGRAM. Of, course they'll probably shorten it to th' TPH 'cause them politicians love initials for new programs. "Hey Joe, you on that TPH yet?" "Heck yeah Ralph, just qualified for it today. That Obama guy did it. He got it for me just like he promised." "You know, I was payin' over nine hundred dollars a month for me an Ethel and that was with a thousand dollar deductible, but now I only pay six hundred and fifty and my deductible is 'bout the same. Oh, and I understand that they got enough of my premium left over so they can help pay for them poorer older folks." "Really? Man that's a great program. That DC bunch finally got one right for a change." Sounds good, huh? Yeah, probably too good for it to happen, but I just went ahead and threw it out there. Maybe they'll pick up on it and rattle it around a little. "

Gettin' everyone covered in America is not a bad deal, but we gotta find a way to make it simple and keep government out of it as much as possible. Their record ain't too good. Folks are getting tired of th' "phrases" and "false promises". You'd think, outta three hundred and fifty million folks, in the USA, we could find about six hundred good ones to put in Washington DC. Wouldn't you? We gotta start looking for 'em now. Got to start gettin' 'em ready. Gotta change things. Gotta move forward. They're out there. Find 'em folks and be sure and leave out politicians, lawyers, and any one financially connected to 'em. Keep that planted in your brain. Hear that Timmy G.? You dang right these are some of TH' DUMB OL' EAST TEXAS BOY'S opinions and I'm proud of 'em. Y'all go get 'em, okay?