Health Care FAQ

If major health care reform is enacted, will I be able to keep my doctor? Yes, under every major proposal currently discussed in Congress, you will be able to continue current medical coverage if you are satisfied with it.

What is the “public option”? Exactly what it sounds like, a “public option” is a health care plan that would be provided by the government, not by a private insurance company. Membership in this plan would not be mandatory. The plan would have to accept anyone who wanted to join the plan, regardless of previous medical conditions.

Why should there be a “public option”? The theory behind the “public option” suggests that it would have two effects. The first would be that a public plan would compete with private plans at a lower cost (since it would be a not-for profit plan), and would force those plans to lower their significant overhead, and therefore reduce the cost of health care for all Americans. The second is that the public option could provide health care for any of the 47 million uninsured Americans by not weeding them out due to pre-existing conditions, and by providing health insurance to those who can’t afford it at extremely cheap prices. Finally the public plan would be designed to avoid forcing people into the confusing mass of paperwork that the current system displays.

What is single payer? Single payer would be a radical restructuring of the American health insurance system. It would work as follows: everyone would pay into a single government fund, through taxes, and then that fund would pay for everyone in the country’s health insurance. This would be mandatory and as such it would be difficult for private insurers to compete with. Currently single payer is not a part of any of the major plans being discussed in Congress.

What other measures are part of the plans to reduce the cost of health care? There are several measures in the plans that are being proposed, that would reduce the inefficiencies in the medical system. The most talked about proposal is that we digitalize medical records to reduce the cost and inefficiencies of hard paper. There are proposals designed to reduce the cost of oversight by attacking the price structure of entrenched bureaucrats. Additionally, there are several measures to assist in preventive care.

What is “preventive care”? “Preventive care” is the plan to assist Americans in locating problems in their early stages before they become too dangerous and expensive. There are also plans to assist Americans in just living healthier lives, by promoting good eating and good exercise habits. Many studies have found that obesity is a rising concern in America, and so these preventive treatments should hopefully reduce the cost to Americans.