Healthcare Reform

Friday afternoon at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City, the State Legislature heard arguments supporting an update to the State's healthcare program. Bascially, what I heard was that additional tax credits or incentives would be made available to those who are self-employed, or to those who need to buy their own health insurance. This was to help make the cost of insurance more equal with those who get some of their insurance costs covered by the groups or corporations that they work for. Secondly, the bill provided funding to cover additional studies and ideas to find health insurance alternatives for the many individuals, especially children, that are not insured.

The bill passed with zero no votes.

The bill was consumer incentivized. That means to me that the consumer would be able to choose the cost and the amount of services that would be covered by those costs.

The bill still begged the question, however, about those individuals who are trying to minimzize their healthcare insurance costs and about those individuals that are not insurable; those who may have pre-existing conditions. Since the risk of good or bad health is still uncertain, and since the need and the goal of the consumer is to minimize costs, then many consumers may still underinsure themselves, or health insurance companies may not be willing to insure them.

It was also interesting to read in one editorial about Hillary Clinton's healthcare proposal. I believe that I read that Hillary is proposing a mandated healthcare cost, whereby, if the consumer does not pay it, it will be enforced by such methods as garnishing wages. It was also indicated that Hillary would provide preventative medications for promiscuous behaviors, paid by the taxpayer if the consumer could not afford them.

It looks to me like there is still a lot of work to do. I applaud the Utah State Legislature for a step in the right direction.