Bernard DiFiore's blog

With next week’s health care summit between Republicans and President Obama, Republicans must show that they weren’t filibustering for the sake of holding party lines. This includes coming up with proposals on ways to reform health care in the United States.

Avalere Health, a Washington D.C. based strategic and analytic consulting firm dedicated to improving the healthcare system released a study today exploring the needs and challenges faced by the individual and small group markets in the purchase of health insurance.  Massachusetts and Maryland were the states reviewed as a comparison case study.

Both the Senate and House versions of the proposed health care bill include provisions that would require a majority of Americans to have health insurance or face a financial penalty. It would be the IRS’ job to enforce this legislation. They would require Americans to provide proof of their coverage on their federal tax returns. Those who don’t would face a monetary penalty. It would be the IRS’ job to go after those who decline health care coverage.

After back and forth negotiations, Senate Democrats came to a consensus on Tuesday and agreed to drop the government-run public option plan from the proposed health care bill. This came after five liberal and five moderate Democrats negotiated the terms of the bill behind closed doors over the past several days.

Something is missing from President Obama’s reform initiative. That something is really someone- you, the health care consumer. As individuals we have the power to create a reformed healthcare insurance system that doesn’t solely empower the government. If the current reform were to pass the following would happen: private insurance as we know it today would vanish, the government would be included in the doctor-patient relationship, the quality of care received would decrease and our deficit would be increased by over one trillion dollars over the next ten years.