The Chicago Tribune says the health insurance industry has a plan.

[America's Health Insurance Plans] called on the federal government to spend an additional $300 billion over 10 years to expand public health programs for poor Americans, offer subsidies to working families to buy medical coverage, and support state health reform efforts. But there are no specifics on how the proposals would be financed or provisions for taming rapidly escalating costs.

Sounds more like a plea than a plan, doesn’t it? I have what I think is a better idea, which I’ve already sent to my congressman. What do you think?

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To: The Hon. Danny Davis

Health insurance will be one of the first issues addressed by the new Congress, and I think my idea for how to structure it has a good chance of appealing to some Republicans and perhaps, even, a newly (at least seemingly) chastened George Bush.

My idea will make health insurance more affordable without cutting out insurance companies altogether, which seems to be a step too few politicians are willing to make. I prefer a universal system, but since entrenched powerful interests are dead set against that, here's a possible compromise.

Insurance companies have made it perfectly clear that they don't want to cover people with catastrophic illnesses. So let's take those illnesses out of their hands altogether. Let's come up with a list of diseases to be covered by a standard package, maybe the list that the state of Oregon developed for its universal coverage. Insurance companies could bid on this package, with additional features (but not illnesses), and individuals and employers could choose the company that suits their needs the best.

This idea should bring down the cost of the basic package to an affordable level for most people. Those who can not afford it, however, should be covered by a combination of federal and state government contributions, as Medicaid is now. The same federal agency that provides free coverage for those who can not afford the insurance should allow individuals and businesses to participate by paying a monthly fee. In other words, that agency could act as an insurance company for those who want to obtain their health insurance in that way. If that provision is impossible to pass, then at least let those of us over the age of 60 buy in. We have a terrible time finding any insurance at all, and when we do it's prohibitively expensive.

Above the basic plan there could be a superinsurance fund. All who are covered (by their company, by themselves, or by the government) would pay into the super fund to cover catastrophic illnesses. This plan could be administered by an insurance company or by a government agency. The per-participant premium for this insurance would very likely be quite low if it were a nationwide program.

Members of Congress would gain a huge amount of good will from the public if they agreed to be covered by exactly the same plan as the rest of us, especially if you were to pay the premiums out of your salaries.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com