Single Payer Health Plan for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvanians United for Single Payer Health Care have introduced model parameters for an innovative plan for universal health care in Pennsylvania. For more information, including a draft of the bill, go to http://www.pahcsc.org.

“ONE PAGER” - SUMMARY
MODEL BILL - 2005 BALANCED HEALTH CARE REFORM

I. Implementation January 1, 2007

II. Comprehensive universal health coverage, single payer, no deductibles or co-pays, and no caps. Covers all cost of hospitalization, physicians, prescription drugs, dental, mental, optical, emergency transport, addiction, transplants, durable medical equipment, hospice, long term care, etc. No coverage for purely cosmetic procedures. Replaces all private insurance, Medicaid, Adult Basic, PaCHIP, and all other government programs excepting Medicare and VA. The Plan plugs all holes in the Medicare and VA coverage. Parties to collective bargaining agreements with benefits at least as generous as the Balanced Plan may opt out. Private insurers may cover anything not covered by the Plan.

III. Replace the current malpractice system with a consumer choice between: (1) An administrative no-fault program providing a reasonable and immediate set of benefits to anyone injured by their medical care regardless of how careful the health care provider may have been, and (2) Retaining their traditional fault based remedies. The Plan will fund both the no-fault and fault approaches essentially eliminating malpractice insurance premiums for health care providers except for those who elect to purchase additional coverage to insure traditional claims exceeding the $3 million limit provided by the Plan.

IV $1000 per year tax rebates for active volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and rescue workers.

V. Medical error reduction through an aggressive and fully funded program to investigate all claims of errors, to order and enforce better practices to reduce avoidable health care related injuries, and to seek license revocation where appropriate.

VI. Cost containment through a certificate of need requirement to avoid wasteful and duplicative capital investment in medical equipment or services in over served areas while encouraging development in under served parts of the Commonwealth.

VII. Total commitment to establishing a culture of wellness through: (1) A fully funded K through 12 health education and physical fitness curriculum that is considered no less important than any other “core” subject, and (2) Identifying and eliminating environmental health risks.

VIII. Generous transitional assistance to employees displaced by the move to a single payer system. Adoption of this legislation will also create tens of thousands of excellent new jobs in health care, education, substance abuse treatment, and long term care.

IX. Preservation of the private health care system and the right of patients to choose their doctor.

X. Funding of a 21st Century digital medical record system that will be cost-efficient, eliminate redundant testing, and will reduce prescription and treatment errors.

XI. Dedicated funding of the program through a 10% Health Care Levy on payrolls (including the self-employed) plus a 3% Wellness Tax on all personal income. This becomes 1% each for employers and employees with a qualifying collective bargaining agreement.

XII. Exercising the collective purchasing power of 12 million Pennsylvanians to lower the cost of prescription drugs and durable medical equipment.