With that considered, McCain does have a plan. His basic idea is to give control of health care decisions to the patients rather than the government, as he believes a universal health care project would wrongly do. His plan begins with an annual and direct refundable tax credit for each family or household of $2,500 per individual and $5,000 per family.
They will then be able to choose employer-based health insurance if available or insurance from any provider. The tax refund would be sent directly to the insurance company to be applied to any cost incurred. Any money leftover would be deposited in the person or family’s “health savings account” for other costs that may come from health care choices that are not covered under that plan.
McCain’s proposal allows for greater competition between health insurance companies, which he claims will result in lower prices and more choices for insurance seekers. They can even choose care from a provider in another state, as there will be no boundaries on that front.
In addition, McCain would like to allow citizens to keep the same insurance when moving from job to job, or when retiring or taking an extended leave from work. And for those who have difficulty obtaining insurance due to pre-existing conditions, he would like to establish a “guaranteed access plan” for each state to adopt if they so choose. Said plan would suggest the establishment of a non-profit corporation that would contract with insurers to give coverage to those denied it by insurance companies, and limits would be place on premiums and assistance given to those below a set income level.
Other aspects of the McCain health care plan include:
- In an effort to lower drug prices, greater competition is key, and safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs would help.
- To lower costs of care for those with chronic diseases, more federal research would be dedicated to care and cures, but the overall emphasis would be on prevention, early intervention, education, better treatment, and the use of information technology.
- More walk-in clinics, specifically in retail outlets, would provide greater access to the public.
- Using technology to allow doctors to practice across state lines might reduce costs of health care overall.
- Medicaid and Medicare should be reformed to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care, and those programs should not be responsible for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.
- Making available more smoking cessation programs would reduce the number of smokers and thus reduce chronic diseases resulting from the habit.
- More flexibility should be given to individual states to experiment with forms of access to health care, Medicaid payments, use of private insurance with Medicaid, and different insurance and licensing policies.
- Lawsuits directed at doctors who adhere to guidelines and safety measures should be eliminated. McCain believes there are too many frivolous medical lawsuits.
- Making public more information about treatment options and physician records would bring transparency to health care costs and seek to reduce them.
- Seniors that require long-term or home-based care would receive a monthly stipend to be used for home health care workers, and other necessary services and products. A program would be established to help those citizens with decisions and counseling.
McCain has also chosen to outline specific plans to deal with two health care issues: autism and cancer. With a concern about rising numbers of autism diagnoses, he believes that more research must be dedicated to causes of and treatments for the condition. He also feels that tremendous advances have been made in cancer research, but more needs to be done, as well as focusing on early detection and living with the disease.
More detailed information about Senator McCain’s health care platform can be found on his campaign website at www.johnmccain.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment