My Health Care Plan

Eliminate the Social Security payroll tax cap that is currently $106,800 (limit benefits cap instead).

Allow crossing of state lines for purchasing of insurance plans.

Search out states with best medical tort reform plans to create national model.

Encourage individual employees assumption of buying own health care insurance by:

• taxing employment provided health care benefits
• allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines
• increase tax deductions for actual health care costs not covered by insurance or Medicare
• prohibit pre-existing condition denials of insurance coverage
• prohibit $2 million ceiling caps of lifetime coverage
• allow low interest rate loans of medical costs not covered by insurance or Medicare.

Create a pool of revenue to pay for uninsured from:

• elimination of SS payroll cap,
  
• taxing of employee health care benefits, and
  
• small tax levied on insurance company profits.

Proposed Medicare Reductions

I'm concerned about the proposed cuts for Medicare recipients. Proponents talk about cost-saving cuts such as 40% reductions on reimbursement of echocardiograms, stress tests and cardiac catheterizations.

These are payment cuts not incentives to encourage hospitals and physicians to reduce their costs. Patients will need to pay the difference either directly or through supplemental insurance plans.

Many seniors have supplemental plans already, even AARP has a plan available for purchase, but I'm sure those plans won't assume these additional charges without raising their rates.

So seniors will face not only a two year freeze in social security benefits, but a hefty increase in medical costs.