Health Care Bill Review Board
Volunteers from Team Sarah have provided analysis of the House Health Care Bill.
The following are findings made by the Team Sarah volunteers.
House of Representatives Health Care Bill Link:
PRIVACY
I read pages 70- 82 which mostly deals with a change to the Social Security Act regarding the electronic management of the process and data collection (page 76- line 17). Skirts around the major privacy issues to the individual of this massive, governmental data collection system, as if this is insignificant or usual and ordinary.
PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE WILL BE PHASED OUT
Summary: page 81 provides unequal treatment among health care providers regarding electronic admin transactions so all providers will not be on the same level playing field. Even provides incentive programs.
Page 83 - allows a "nonprofit entity" to aid in the development of all of the guides and operating rules. Gives tremendous authority to unnamed nonprofit entity. Also page 84 - Establishes a new Office of the National Healthcare Coordinator.
Page 89-90 Establishes categories of standards for the plans and then defines employer based, individual and group based plans as to enrollment. Page 91 which is not under my review then tells you that there will not be new enrollment allowed after day 1 of year 1. That is how they will eliminate private insurance.
HEALTH CHOICE ADMINISTRATOR
Pages 129-140
Page #: 133
Title II, SubTitle E, Sec.242.(b)(1)
Quality of Care (Government control of choices)
Remarks: Establishes new executive branch, “Health Choices Administration” headed by a “Health Choices Commissioner”. Gives Commissioner power over health insurance plans that are outside of the Health Insurance Exchange, as well as those that are in it. This provision invites harassment of plans specifically set up to provide timely and needed care not readily available through government’s exchange-controlled plans.
FINANCIAL
Paragraph #: Title II, SubTitle E, Sec.242.(b)(2)(A)-(B)
Page #: 133-134
Paragraph #: Title II, SubTitle E, Sec.242.(b)(2)(A)-(B)
Remarks: Commissioner has wide discretion to audit “qualified health benefits plans” and then bill the plan for the cost of the audit, regardless of whether there was any basis for the audit and regardless of whether the plan was found to have violated any regulation. This authority invites abuse to drive private plans out of business until only the government (socialized) medical plan is available to the consumer. This section of the document provides no protection from such abuse, since the abuse is legal.
COMPLETE GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF HEALTH CARE
Remarks: This entire bill is a bureaucratic monster that will totally control every aspect of health care in this country. I accidentally reviewed pages 150-160 before I realized I was to review 560-570 instead.
Sec. 262, starting on p. 150, extends the anti-trust laws to the health insurance industry and malpractice insurance industry. I believe this is to keep the insurers from creating monopolies or price fixes that they would probably need to survive competition from the "consumer option." It specifically mentions that these rules apply without regard to whether such business is carried on for profit.
Sec. 263, starting on p. 153, mandates a study conducted by the Secretary of potential methods to increase the use of electronic health records. The study will consider providing for higher rates of reimbursement for those providers who use EHR, promoting low-cost EHR software, training and education for use of EHR, and providing assistance to providers on implementation of EHR. Hidden costs? The report, including recommendations for legislation or administrative action, is due 12/31/2013. More hidden costs? Just a means to an end.
Title III, starting on p. 155, creates the Health Insurance Exchange, the giant bureaucratic monster of government takeover of the health care industry. The Commissioner sets all the benefits standards for insurance companies who join the exchange and is to "facilitate outreach and enrollment."
On p. 157, starting at line 16, it sets up a transition schedule: 2013 - individuals with no coverage and employers with less than 25 employees can enroll; 2014 - the previously allowed can still enroll plus employers with 50 or less employees; 2015: the previously allowed can still enroll plusemployers with 100 or fewer employees and employers with over 100 employees as permitted by the Commissioner.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL- GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE
On p. 160, line 15, they do make provisions for continuity of care, which is a good thing.
But I see that in section 202 (a) (which was referred to on p.159, line 9) they still have the grandfather clause that is only valid until 2013 and only if the insurer conforms to the requirements of the Health Insurance Exchange. And they still have the policy that after 2013, any health insurer not in the Exchange will no longer be able to adjust their premiums, coverage, or enroll new clients. Can the congress not see that this essentially puts those insurers out of business? And that the "consumer option" will eventually put the other insurers in the exchange out of business because they will no longer be able to make any profit? LIke Barney Frank said and President Obama reiterated in his speech to Congress, "Just a means to an end." This bill leads us down a path to a single-payer system
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