Gingrich Outlines Proposal To Address Health Care Costs

Gingrich Outlines Proposal To Address Health Care Costs
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report
Jun 16, 2008

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on Wednesday in Omaha, Neb., outlined a proposal to help reduce health care costs that includes a health insurance mandate for U.S. residents with annual incomes more than $75,000, the AP/Lincoln Journal Star reports.

During a visit to Alegent Health to discuss health care information technology, Gingrich, founder of the Center for Health Transformation, criticized higher-income residents who do not purchase health insurance and seek care in emergency departments. He said that higher-income residents who do not purchase health insurance should have to post bonds to cover the cost of care they might require in the future.

In addition, Gingrich said that he supports federal tax credits to help low-income residents purchase private health insurance. Gingrich also cited the need to encourage residents to seek preventive care to help reduce health care costs. According to Gingrich, adoption of health care IT also can help reduce costs and improve quality of care.

Learn more at the Center for Health Transformation

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By claus @ Saturday, June 28, 2008 2:46 PM

I live in Houston County, GA. Unfortunately, I was twice in an emergency room. At that time I felt that since I have insurance and I'm a paying customer they should take care of me first :) Emergency rooms treat unpaying customers all day for minor injuries. These are already welfare people who have free benefits, but avoid going e.g. dental check-ups with their children. In fact, we have children in elementary schools with infected teeth. Their single mothers, on welfare, are able to afford pedicures and cellphones, but don't have the time to call a social worker who would take the children for medical check-ups. Let's address the rock bottom problem: welfare people do not take care of their children. My solution is sterilization of these people. We give them $10,000 for a sterilization after their first child. That will still be cheaper than the government paying for a second child.

By clgannon @ Sunday, June 22, 2008 4:26 PM

Generally I am against federal mandates, however as a physician, I grow increasingly tired of treating medicaid (in my state it is called TennCare) because most of them have no business on medicaid. Case in point, I have a 13 y/o patient who sits in my office talking on his brand new $600 iphone which has a monthly plan costing $150. I'm thinking, I pay taxes so this kid can have "insurance" while his parents think it is more important for him to have an iphone than health insurance? I have hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical school debt. I cannot afford a new cell phone and this kid talks on his iphone while I perform a medical procedure on him that I will be reimbursed at less than 30% on the dollar. This child is not the exception, he is the rule. Most people I see on medicaid simply chose to budget their money based on wants, not needs. At $75,000 per annum, people can pay for health insurance.

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