If Obamacare was repealed, what would your plan be to fix the healthcare / health insurance system?

Obamacare. Republicans and conservatives actually like the protocols under Obamacare. They just hate that Obama and the Democrats were the ones who actually reformed health care and get the credit for it. If Republicans take over the federal government and repealed Obamacare, they would likely then implement a new system for health care that is almost identical to Obamacare. The individual mandate, after all, had been a Republican-championed idea for health care reform for two decades before Obama was elected. They just never cared about average Americans enough to actually fix the system themselves.

There is no problem with the healthcare system that we have. We have the best doctors, the best hospitals, the most technology; I don't know about you but every single time I have ever had to be treated for anything at all, I have been amazed at the efficiency and the ability of the system that we have. From patient care to electronic and mechanical devices, to communication with family to data delivery, our system is awesome and second to none.

People say that the fact that the lifespan of the average American is shorter than those in other industrialized nations who have universal healthcare is an indictment of our system - that because Sweden's average lifespan is 81 years and the US is only 78, and Sweden has Socialized medicine, then that means our system is not as good. Bull.

The two biggest killers in the US are diabetes and heart disease - both are behavioral problems that can be almost entirely controlled by diet and exercise. Medical science has told us what we need to do, our doctors tell us what to do over and over and over and over again - yet we are the NINTH fattest country in the world, with 75% of our population overweight. (30% is morbidly obese). And we blame our healthcare system for that. Unbeleivable. Both diseases can be eradicated if we would only listen A LITTLE to what our doctors are telling us. I know plenty of people who DO have healthcare who do not go to the doctor. It's not the $20 copay that keeps them away - it's that they know what their doctor is going to tell them and they don't want to hear it. It's that they know they haven't cut back on the fatty meats and jelly doughnuts and they know their cholesterol is 300 and they don't want to get yelled at.

I would let people have choices, and not tell people what needs to be covered and not covered. I think that if a person wants to have a catastrophic plan with a $10,000 deductible and combine that with a tax-deferred savings plan that is tax free if used for healthcare, that is an excellent solution for millions of Americans.

I think that checkups and preventive care should NOT be covered at 100%, in fact, I don't think checkups should be covered at ALL. HOWEVER, I think that if you DO have an annual checkup, the price of that checkup should be refunded to you. i think that premium costs should be discounted for healthy behavior. I think that if a person takes the time to visit their doctor, listen to their doctor, maintain a healthy weight and get a little exercise, that person should be rewarded with a lower premium.

People should not be forced to buy medical insurance, but they should be 100% responsible for their medical bills. If they go to the hospital and cannot or will not pay the bill, the hospital should be able to sell the debt to the government; let the IRS deal with it.

If someone like me, with a decent job and a decent living, is not able to pay - then I should be subject to a tax lien by the IRS. That's enough incentive for people to own health insurance without a mandate, without a tax, without enforcement by the IRS for those who would be in compliance. When hospitals have to cover all the charity care they provide, that's when aspirins are $10 and a five day stay is $20,000.

Of course, for those who really NEED the charity care, then THEY can be placed on Medicaid or Medicare, or counseled into finding some kind of government program that will work for them.

Malpractice insurance premiums are through the roof. There is no way they do not lead to high medical costs. I say get rid of "punitive damages" and leave the rehabilitative and "pain and suffering" awards alone.

If the government is going to offer low-cost and no-cost loans for doctors going into medical school, they should get something in return. I have been to many doctors only to be referred to a PA for treatment - colds, flu, sprains, strains, minor injuries, even bone breaks can now be treated by PAs or RNs; I think that if the government wants to keep people out of ERs and keep costs down, there should be some funding for clinics that are staffed by qualified people who are overseen by a licensed physician who is paying back his medical school tuition.

Nor do I think this is something that should just be for "the poor" - I had a pretty serious knee injury last year and I couldn't get an appointment with my orthopedist - I saw his PA who gave me a Cortisone injection and prescribed an anti-inflammatory for me and I was good as new.

why do people think we need a 'plan' for everything? look, nothing is ever perfect, but the insurance industry was doing a very good job for most people out here for two reasons. first, it is already a highly regulated industry, moreso than almost anything else. second, it has been a very competitive industry because people have always had choices when buying insurance. yes, there have been limitations in ways, and some of that could probably be eased for the customer...such as making it possible for us to buy coverage from firms out-of-state since not all companies have their insurance available in all states. of course, anyone doing this would then come under the rules for the state in which they buy their coverage, etc. but putting government in charge of anything always means less 'bang for your buck', higher costs to all of us, lessening services, etc. personally, I'm for simply telling the government to get out of our lives and let the market run.

I am just answering the other people who answered you.

1. You cannot have price controls in a market economy except in a crisis.

2. Buying insurance in California and using it in Georgia makes no sense since each state has different costs, different rules, different plans and thats how insurers want it.

3. Reducing jury malpractice awards does not reduce individual health insurance premiums

4. Insurance companies dont want too much competition and are immune to anti-trust law.

5. Each state oversees its own insurance practices.

6. Congress did not pass Medicare for those 55-64 during the 2009 debate. They would not pass a single-payer for the whole country and bypass insurers? Thats funny since insurance lobbyists write the legislation.

The recent Republican health plan mentions these two solutions plus outlawing elective abortion. Very forward-looking dont you think?

D regulate the insurance companies and make them compete with each other for customers . Since nobody can be turned away from a emergency room without treatment and that is if they don't have a way of paying for it . If you have insurance the hospital just overcharges you to pay for the ones that don't pay . that is what we have today . Now my thoughts are who is going to go without health care . Used to be only the rich had healthcare and you took care of your own bills but that was a day when the doctor drove a lincoln or cadilac not a ford escort .. Yes it needs fixing but not what they have done .. You figure out you pay over a grand a month for healthcare service and then you have a twelve thousand dollar deductable . What that means you are going to have to be really sick to collect one dime of the healthcare and if you do get that sick you will owe over twenty five grand by the end of the year ... Affordable health care ????

I pay for my health care. You pay for yours. Simple. It's what was once known as "personal responsibility". It gets the government out of the way so the doctor can do his job.

Finally a decent question!

I like this plan though. It was mostly done for the benefit of the insurance companies but in the end it hold each citizens responsible for their own insurance.

Medicare for all. I don't know how much more explanation is needed than to compare our insistence on maintaining a for-profit health care system to the various national healthcare systems in the civilized world. We pay many multiple of times what it costs them for care for a myriad of reasons.

And the fallacious claims that "buying insurance across state lines" would help ignores the whole reason why there are companies that sell in one state and not in another - that some states have more regulations requiring companies to actually pay their customers bills. If you want a cheaper policy from another state, you'll end up with poor results. We already have 75% of medical bankruptcies in the US being filed by people who were insured. Nor will "health care spending accounts" help anyone who has no extra income to save, let alone enough to save up for any major medical expense at the rate we pay. "Tort reform" saves money for no one but the insurers, as can be seen by its total lack of effect on the cost of health care in Texas.

Any bandaid you try to apply to a for-profit system is never going to work and is always going to leave some people in the lurch.

Tort law reform. Lawsuits are a big part of increasing health care costs. Other than that, the market can sort problems out without government intrusion.

- Tort reform

- End State restrictions (i.e. allow sales over state lines)

- End individual taxation on corporate-supplied health insurance.

- Give corporations tax benefits to allow their contributions to go directly to their employees' private health insurance policies.

- Enforce the "truth in advertising" laws to require providers to list their costs and services.

- Rather than having Medicaid, give the funds directly to private insurers for policies which the poor select for themselves.

- Allow for third party suits in cases of Medicare fraud.

- Reestablish the ban on legal and drug advertisements.