Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act

This round is primarily arguments, so I shall lay mine out. I shall use the words CHCSA and legislative reforms interchangeably. C1. Improved Economic Efficiency Because the legislative package would grant seniors the freedom to choose their health insurance, we would see greater efficiency through the competitive marketplace. The legislation would devolve choice to the individual, and this component of individual choice is in addition to cost-sharing. These two components of individual choice and cost-sharing will produce lower health-care costs because – to quote Milton Friedman, “Nobody spends somebody else’s money as wisely as he spends his own”. The CHCSA’s market reforms would reduce the federal expenditures by $30.589 billion in 2015, which accumulates to over $1 trillion in savings over the following decade, and cuts Medicare’s unfunded liabilities in half [1] [2] [3]. These calculations were generated from the Senate Budget Committee. Also, the convoluted web of red tape which governs Medicare – a composure of thousands of pages of statutory and regulatory requirements – costs the American economy $150 billion through redundant paperwork [1]. Furthermore, the rate of waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program is plentiful. Indeed, Medicare’s fraudulent payment rate is 10 times the rate of private insurance plans. Devolving Medicare to the individual would lead to a drastic reduction in this type of wasteful, erroneous spending [8]. CII. Improved Health Care The CHCSA allows seniors to choose a health insurance plan from the FEHBP (a federal marketplace of insurance plans, essentially). The FEHBP is basically universally accepted by health care providers – a whopping 99% of physicians accept an FEHBP plan [4]. In contrast, the American Medical Association has reported that nearly one-third (31%) of physicians refuse to see Medicare patients (because of reduced copays) [5]. Medicare Advantage (supplemental private plans to Medicare) can convey how effective private plans are in contrast to Medicare. Empirical data from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) report that Medicare Advantage plans outperform traditional Medicare in “numerous quality measures” [6]. Also, consumer satisfaction is higher among those with an FEHBP plan, in contrast to traditional Medicare [7]. To summarize, the CHCSA would: - Enhance Health Care Access - Improve Health Care QualityAlso, any arguments that "seniors would be excluded" because of pre-existing conditions is moot, because the FEHBP has guaranteed issue (everybody is guaranteed acceptance to an insurance plan) [2]. CIII. Improves Retirement Security The senior’s average premiums today is approximately $3,500 annually (adding both Part B premiums and the average supplemental insurance plans) [10]. The average premium for seniors under this Medicare reform is estimated to be $1,900 annually [10] [1]. How is this possible? Through competition, raising the retirement age, scrapping the Medicare’s outdated red tape apparatus, and other reforms, we improve Medicare’s efficiency (through the CHCSA legislation). CIV. Expanded Personal Choice FEHBP enrollees typically have a choice between 12 and 20 insurance plans [9]. Therefore, seniors will have expanded personal choice. Subsequently, seniors will choose insurance plans that are crafted towards what their unique situation requires. For instance, a man with hypertension and high cholesterol may opt for a coverage plan that is focused on providing excellent cardiovascular health care. Seniors will have the freedom to choose their health insurance plan, which will lead to a specialization of the health insurance market, based upon the demands of tens of millions of seniors. Conclusions The CHCSA would go far lengths in improving health care for seniors. These are the primary benefits offered through this legislation: - Greater Access to Health Care - Improved Health Care - Improved Administrative Efficiency - Medicare Solvency - Reduced Federal Expenditures - Improved Retirement Security Those in favor of the current Medicare system are in favor of Medicare’s bankruptcy and demise. I for one believe that we should protect and strengthen Medicare for today and for future generations. The CHCSA is a package of true reforms that will not only save Medicare, but will improve the lives of millions of Americans around this nation. Sources [1] (. http://tinyurl.com...) [2] (. http://tinyurl.com...) [3] (. http://www.whitehouse.gov...) See Table 8.5, Medicare 2015 expenditures, subtract this figure from the CHCSA on page 95 of citation [2]. [4] (. http://tinyurl.com...) [5] (. http://tinyurl.com...) [6] (. http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com...) [7] (. http://tinyurl.com...) [8] (. http://tinyurl.com...) [9] (. http://tinyurl.com...)