FixHealthCarePolicy

Americans Believe Government Does Too Much Already

Proving once again that despite the results of the 2008 presidential election, Americans still believe in limited government principles, Gallup released a survey today showing that 57% of Americans say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to businesses and individuals. Gallup notes:

The 57% level of public concern about big government in this survey is, among other things, coincident with an extensively increased government involvement in the economy, and the extensive focus on a large-scale government effort to reform health care that was underway as this survey was being conducted.

Gallup also found that 45% of Americans say there is too much government regulation of business compared to just 24% of Americans who say there is too little. Gallup adds: (more…)

Fact Checking the White House: Millions Will Lose Their Private Coverage

The White House’s assertion that you’ll be able to keep your health insurance if you like it is wrong given the incentives built into the House and Senate bills (i.e., employer mandates and creation of a government-run health plan). Companies will find it easier to pay a tax or fine and dump their employees out of their existing private coverage and onto a public plan or other alternatives. And it won’t just be the health insurance options that are limited.

Under current legislation, the government would have the authority to determine the benefit packages that Americans get, from medical treatments and procedures to drugs and devices. These decisions would be determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and an advisory committee on benefits. At the end of the day, Americans will get what the government decides they can receive in terms of health benefits.

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Tags: private coverage

Fact Checking the White House: Two Major Reforms Conservatives Support

America’s health care system is one-sixth of the entire economy—larger than Britain’s. Restructuring something that large and complex in one massive bill rammed through Congress is a fool’s errand. There are bound to be major problems. Instead, we must incrementally reform health care in stages, by letting the 50 states act as laboratories for solutions. Let’s find out what works and doesn’t. Two major reforms already have broad support and can move us forward.

1) Give states more freedom from federal rules to experiment with reform measures, like medical malpractice reform and allowing people to buy insurance across state lines.

2) Fix the tax treatment of health insurance in a budget-neutral way so that people can buy it outside of their workplace. That way, you would no longer lose your health coverage if you change or lose your job, just as you wouldn’t lose your car or life insurance.

View our other videos fact checking the White House.

Tags: Britain, medical malpractice, portable insurance, state health reform

Americans Worry Obama Health Plan Will Increase Costs

CNN reports this week that a new national poll it conducted “indicates that most people are worried that their health care costs would go up if the administration’s proposals are passed.” According to the poll, ”only one in five think that their families would be better off under the Obama plan.”

Tags: CNN, health care costs

Family Savings for Health Care

When examining estimates based on President Barack Obama’s health plan, only 10.7 percent of American families would actually enjoy the promised $2,500 in annual health care savings.

The Cost of Obama’s Health Proposal

Experts believe the actual cost of President Barack Obama’s health care plan could reach well into $1.6 trillion over 10 years. This is in addition to the trillions of dollars Obama already has spent on health care this year through the stimulus package and SCHIP expansion.

America’s Health Care Spending

The United States spends more than $2.6 trillion on health care, which is equivalent to roughly one-sixth of the entire economy.

Government Control of Health Care

The U.S. government already controls nearly half of all health care spending. Proposals to expand public programs would put the government in charge of a majority of the available health care dollars.

Public Plan Diminishes Employer Coverage

Of the estimated 154.7 million people with private employer-sponsored health insurance, the introduction of a public health plan would make it difficult for up to 107.6 million of them able to keep their current plan — even if they liked it.

Health Care Costs Vary by Region

Health care costs vary significantly across the country. For example, the average cost for family health coverage in Massachusetts was estimated to be $16,897 in 2006-2007 while family coverage was only $3,259 in Utah.