Values-based insurance is an essential tool for Americans to restore order to this country’s chaotic healthcare system and place the medical power back into the hands of the people.
The real promise of values-based insurance is best understood when viewed alongside the current American healthcare system. America is under a ‘socialized’ medical siege. The government and the big medicinal business elite – Big Insurance, Big Pharma, and Big Medicine monopolize money, medical resources and options, leaving the American people totally outside the loop.
Monopolizing the health industry is possible because the system is bolted down in government and big medicinal business laws, rules, regulations, and policy. This includes federal and state tax policies, federal and state regulations, and government and insurance benefit mandates.
“Among the 50 states, insurance providers are subject to at least 1,824 mandates for medical services, treatments, procedures, and providers.” (Marshner, 2007) As a result, Americans are forced to muster through miles of bureaucratic tape to secure medical services for their families.
Dethroning the insurance companies through values-based insurance is America’s first priority for making necessary changes and ending this medical tyranny.
Dr. Robert E. Moffit and Jennifer A. Marshall wrote: “Patients’ Freedom of Conscience: the Case for Values-Driven Health Plans” and may be viewed at www.heritage.org.
According to Moffit and Marshall, some of the benefits of values-based insurance include:
1. Individuals and groups could purchase insurance outside the workplace without facing tax-code discrimination.
2. Individual tax credits would allow individuals to purchase insurance of their choice, reflecting their personal values.
3. The employee would own his own insurance policy.
4. Employers also would continue to receive tax-credits to pay into the employee’s policy of choice.
5. Insurance providers could be faith-based or other organizations.
6. Hospitals and insurance companies would be forced to negotiate with the individual.
Government would not own and drive the healthcare system under values-based insurance because government would not pay for everything. The employers would contribute. The individual would contribute. The government would only assist, support, and subsidize from the back seat.
People would no longer have to worry about job loss and insurance loss being synonymous. Tax credits would increase as a person’s income decreased and the insurance would be kept intact until the next employment.
The freedom to buy values-based insurance would crush today’s known insurance dictators. Considering just two of America’s larger faith denominations, Southern Baptist and Catholic, there is the potential for an exodus of 48 million people from traditional insurance - 16 million Southern Baptists and 48 million Catholics.
This is just the beginning of the possibilities. There is limitless potential for organizational insurance providers. The giant insurance companies as we know them today would become obsolete.
Setting up the values-driven system is not difficult. According to Moffit and Marshal, congress must eliminate barriers to interstate insurance access, eliminate benefit mandates, remove regulatory penalties, and design and initiate individual tax credits.
However, the actual ignition key for the change process is in the hands of the American people. We must wake up, become alert, and demand congress answer our call for values-driven insurance. We must follow-up to make sure they take the necessary steps to make it possible.
