Patient-Centered Insurance Reforms:

Any third party payer system, whether insurance companies or a government-run plan, strips patients and physicians of both autonomy and responsibility. This creates one of the most difficult challenges facing healthcare reform. How do we design a system that protects individuals from devastating medical expenses if they suffer a serious illness or injury, but still encourages the wise use of resources?

The reforms proposed by Physicians for Reform do not undercut any system currently in place. In fact, because these reforms control the skyrocketing cost of healthcare they serve to strengthen employer-based insurance. However, as opposed to a system that transfers more power to Washington, these reforms shift power and responsibility toward patients and physicians.

Reform #1: Let businesses and individuals purchase health insurance across state lines.

A healthy 25-year-old man in New Jersey pays nearly six times what he would pay in Kentucky. If a New Jersey business could purchase insurance from an insurance company in Kentucky, that business could significantly lower its cost of doing business.

The money saved on healthcare costs could be spent raising salaries, hiring new workers, or investing in equipment. This essentially serves as an economic stimulus without spending a dime of federal money.

Choice and competition drive innovation and efficiency. Allowing 50 different congressional bodies to compete against one another in their attempt to craft the most efficient and effective healthcare policies solves multiple problems:

• With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Washington gain unprecedented power. Letting businesses and individuals purchase health insurance across state lines respects the concept of Federalism and returns power to the individual states.
•  Each state has the incentive to craft policies that protect its citizens, yet keep costs low to attract commerce to their state.
• Letting businesses and individuals purchase health insurance across state lines instantly promotes choice and competition without adding cumbersome Federal regulation. It will also empower them to purchase policies that best fit their needs.
•  Returning power to the individual states and allowing them to compete will lessen the influence of special interests and help drive down costs.

Reform #2: Encourage lower cost / higher deductable policies combined with Health Savings Accounts.