Posted by
Cyc on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 7:44:18 PM
Seems to me that a perfectly good option for permamently reforming health care is staring Congress right between their beady little eyes. now I don't claim to be an expert in economics or health care. Im just an average person who wonders why the option Im about to present to you has never been offered up. And here it is.
The government is sitting on a virtual mountain of cash...the stimulus package. Of which I believe only 5% has been spent with the most of the remainder being saved for spending around 2012. Just in time for Obama to artificially bump up the economy to aid in his re-election. So why not use some of that money now, but use it productively.
The problem facing health care is not the number of uninsured. You could simply pay for their insurance and boom you're done. The problem is not enough doctors, nurses and facilities to accomodate the 15-30 million new people injected into the system needing care. So here's what you do.
In every state, in the most populate regions you use the stimulus to build 1 government hospital. Possibly 3 in california, New York and Texas. But a minimum 1 per state location based on population. For a 750000sq.ft. hospital @ $500per sq.ft. the building would be 350Million. Suppliment the hospital with a 100000sq ft clinic and your at 425 million. The building of these hospitals and clinics would instantly create new jobs. Construction is by definition a shovel ready job.
So you've now got 50+ nice new hospitals, but need doctors and nurses to staff them. Now here's what you do. You offer new medical students tuition if they agree to work full time at one of the hospitals once their education is done. while they are working at the govt hospital they will receive 50k a year tax free. For each year at the hospital the govt will forgive 50k from their student loans. If a student ammassed say 200k in student loans they would be required to work for 4 years at the govt hospital and clinic and then be free to go their own way. Since you need doctors before those students graduate you offer the same deal to any doctor. For student and current doctors there are two conditions: 1. you might not get the pick of govt hospital to serve at. 2. You must score above a 30 on your MCAT with no individual section being lower than a 9.
Small businesses would not be required to provide health insurance. Large businesses already supplying their employees with health care can not end their health care plan. If they do they will be required to pay the employee the portion of the plan that they pay. The employee would then be required to pay tax on that portion and then get insurance for themself.
Its not perfect and Im sure there are holes, but the point is for around 50-100billion dollars we can put people in every state to work immediately, invest in future doctors, help current doctor relieve their debt, and create a state of the art hospital and clinic in every state.