Knowledge Base
Why is expanding private health insurance important?
Unlike government health insurance, private insurance provides a broad access to doctors and hospitals. In fact, the number of doctors who no longer accept new Medicare or Medicaid patients have increased in recent years.
Another benefit of private insurance is the superior quality of medical outcomes. Patients with private insurance have fewer in-hospital deaths, fewer complications from surgery, longer survivor rate post treatment, and shorter hospital stays than those with government health insurance.
To learn more, please read Blueprint for America – Chapter 4: Transformational Health Care Reform by Scott Atlas.
What kind of reforms are needed for a broader access and better affordability?
In order to increase access, affordability, and quality of health care, we need to expand private health insurance to all Americans. We also need to establish and liberalize universal Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), which allow individuals to set aside money tax-free for medical expenses, including routine care.
Furthermore, we need to instill appropriate incentives with rational tax treatment of health spending and modernize Medicare for the 21st century, which currently is highly inadequate in its benefits. We also need to overhaul Medicaid and transform it into a bridge program geared towards enrolling beneficiaries into affordable private insurance with the same access to doctors, specialists, and treatments as the general population. Finally, we need to strategically enhance the supply of medical care while ensuring innovation.
To learn more, please read Blueprint for America – Chapter 4: Transformational Health Care Reform by Scott Atlas.
What is a Health Savings Account?
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a type of savings account that allows you to set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. Currently though, they can only be used by those who have a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). Scott Atlas’ plan would make HSA eligibility universal, regardless of a consumer’s insurance plan.
Click here to learn more the health savings account.
What are the advantages of a high-deductible insurance plan?
A high-deductible health insurance plan (HDHP) increases the amount you have to pay out of pocket each year before the insurance company begins covering your care, but also lowers your monthly premiums. Moreover, HDHPs not only makes you eligible for health savings accounts, but also shift authority and control of the health-care dollar to the patient, eliminate the administrative burden from small claims, and reintroduce the patient as the customer—all positive steps toward improving our health-care system.
Click here to learn more.