Ezekiel Emanuel in his own words. Since he is the source

[mmonk]

for all the fear, especially in regards to the elderly and medicare, and the rightwing as well as his ideas being opposed by the progressive movement, I thought it a good idea to present his ideas and let the reader be the judge.



The Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan proposes to repair the health care system by giving all Americans a voucher to select a standard benefits package offered by insurance company. In most areas, American will be able to choose between 5 and 8 insurance companies. And the insurance companies will be required to enroll anyone who wants and cannot exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions. The standard benefit package is based on what Congressman and Senators receive, and is more generous than what most Americans currently have through their employers or government program. Americans will also decide if they wanted to buy additional services, say wider selection of doctors and hospitals, more mental health benefits, or coverage for alternative medicines.

-snip-

No one receiving Medicare, Medicaid, or any other government program will not be forced out, but there will be no new enrollees. People who turn 65 will simply stay in the Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan. The special tax benefits related to employer based coverage will be eliminated and most employers will stop offering health insurance.

-snip-

Maybe the Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan sounds too good to be true. How much more will it cost? It will not cost any more than we are paying today. By using a standard benefits package open to all Americans, there will be huge savings from reduced administrative costs to insurance companies. The end of Medicaid, SCHIP, and coverage of state employees, will produce huge savings -- decreasing state budgets by about a third. Similarly, phasing out of Medicare reduces federal taxes. When employers stop providing health insurance, workers' wages will increase commensurately. Instead Americans would pay a dedicated Value Added Tax. "Dedicated" means it only goes to fund the Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan and is not diverted to defense or Social Security or highway construction. "Dedicated" also means that not other revenue will be used to pay for the Plan, requiring fiscal discipline and providing value for money -- giving patients interventions that work rather than just more and more tests and treatments.

-snip-

Under the Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan, Americans will have total freedom of choice, 100% portability, and complete security that if they lose their job, get sick, or some other calamity befalls them or their family, they will never be without health insurance. Furthermore, the Plan provides the incentives for higher quality care. Forcing insurance companies to provide a standard benefit package for a fixed price and report outcomes will drive them to integrate care, emphasize quality and prevention.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zeke-emanuel/sustainable-health-care-r_b_114788.html

"I think the universal part appeals to the Democrats. The voucher part appeals to Republicans. And I think it should make us one big happy family," Dr. Emanuel tells David Brancaccio in a web-exclusive interview.

-snip-

Our proposal is for universal healthcare vouchers. It's a plan where everybody in America gets a voucher to buy health insurance from an insurance company or health plan or a managed care organization. And they get a basic benefits package. If they want to buy more, they want—wider choice of doctors, they want better services, say, better eye glass services, or they want more mental health services, they can pay more and they can buy up.

-snip-

And there would be a reason for the insurance company not to cover them. We take care of that by what is called risk adjustment. That is the national health board, when they give money to the insurance company to cover a person, pays extra for sicker people, and less for healthy people. That eliminates the incentive for insurance companies to skim the cream, or drop the lemons.

-snip-

Well, if the states aren't paying Medicaid anymore, and employers aren't paying for insurance, we would have to find the money to pay for this. We wouldn't add more money, but we'd—you'd have to get basically—recoup somehow how employers are paying for it and how the states are paying for Medicaid. And that would be—we've proposed to finance this by a value added tax

http://www.pbs.org/now/news/315.html

Also read: Principles for allocation of scarce medical interventions

http://www.scribd.com/doc/18280675/Principles-for-Allocation-of-Scarce-Medical-Interventions

Have at it.

[newfie11]

1. OK I am on medicare already so nothing will change

But according to the above article no new people would be put on medicare. They would remain in the insurance they have. I have to wonder how much that will cost. The 100 a month I pay for medicare is great.

[mmonk]

2. I'm at that point where the costs of private insurance has become

a burden and have been counting down the days I could get on medicare. Obviously, the plan sucks to me.

[LaydeeBug]

3. phasing out medicare is a right wing agenda, plain and simple. nt

[HillbillyBob]

4. the damned right wing and the f ing vouchers

How did those school vouchers workout..sucking $ out of the public system which needs to be overhauled w/out input from nazis and jezuz fun-dementials.

[mmonk]

5. The whole thing could be written by a rightwing think tank.

But why use a think tank when the insurance and pharmaceutical companies could write it?

[mmonk]

6. Where are his defenders?

I would like to hear from them and what they think of his outlook on what should be done since he has much influence on the process.