The Federal Government should Mandate Health Insurance
Richard Ta
Speech 6 CRN:10165
Project #2 Part 2
April 25, 2014
•According to Barack Obama’s “Organizing for Action”, health insurance companies could:
• Deny you health coverage for a pre-existing condition, such as having something as serious as cancer or something as minor as acne.
• You can be dropped from your health coverage as soon as you get sick.
• Set a “lifetime limit” on the amount of health coverage provided by the health insurance company.
In this presentation, I will:
• We need to fix this problem.• Therefore, we must
encourage the idea of mandated health insurance.
• Explain the harms of the status quo.
• Present a plan that could solve current problems.
• Explain the plan and its effectiveness.
• Explore additional benefits to a mandated health insurance.
Two major harms from the status quo is that:
• 2. Health insurance companies have too much power.
• 1. Citizens are discouraged from taking care of their health.
Harm #1: Citizens are discouraged from taking care of their health
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2013, nearly 15% of the uninsured had routine check-ups and nearly 30% of uninsured citizens used medical services.
• Uninsured citizens are forced to pay full prices for medical services.
• Citizens are discouraged from using medical services because of costs.
• Thus, will lead to more people with illnesses or health problems.
Harm #2: Health insurance companies have too much power.
• According to Tampa Bay Times, health insurance companies have the power to deny customers with pre-existing health conditions.
• This meant that not everyone had access to health insurance.
• Those with pre-existing conditions were forced to pay high prices for health coverage.
The Cause• (Structural Inherency)
There are little to no regulations on health insurance companies.
• Health insurance companies are able to manipulate their coverage and services for their customers.
• They have ultimate power on who receives health insurance.
Plan of Action• Agency: Congress• Mandates:
• Congress will pass a bill that mandates health insurance for all U.S. citizens.
• Congress will form a government-run health insurance company in order to low costs for low income citizens.
• In turn, this will allow for cheaper and more competitive
• Congress will include laws that will be implemented to all health insurance companies.
• Citizens with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied health coverage by any insurance company.
• Health insurance companies will not be able to deny coverage to current customers based on current or future conditions.
• Enforcement: Fines will be issued to citizens and companies who do not comply to the new plan.• Companies
• First offense: $50,000• Second offense: $100,000• Third offense: $500,000 and mandatory closure of company.
• Citizens• First offense: $1,000• Second offense: $5,000• Third offense: $10,000
• Funding and Staffing: New government-run health insurance company will hire approximately 1,000-2,000 workers in order to maintain an operational health insurance company.
• Timeline: To be effective on January 1, 2015.
Plan of Action (cont.)
• Harm #1: We mandate health insurance upon our citizens.• Mandating health insurance will provide affordable access
to medical services such as doctor visits, hospital use, etc.
• Harm #2: We pass a bill with new laws and regulations health insurance companies and citizens must abide by.• With laws that enforce a fair and equal opportunity to health
care coverage, nobody will be denied health insurance due to health conditions.
• Having a government-run health care insurance company will create competition in the health insurance market, thus decreasing prices to make it affordable for everyone.
Solvency
Additional Benefits
• Cheaper rates in the health care market will provide more competition.
• There will be more employment due to opportunities for new companies to arise.
• The quality of life in the U.S. will increase due to health insurance for all.
• Please consider ensuring equal opportunity for health insurance and protection.
•Mandate health insurance!
Conclusion