Everyone knows our American health care system is broken. And there’s no mystery about why. Solid middle-class families are being squeezed. How can people afford to purchase insurance when it is $12,000 a year? They simply don’t have the money. That’s why our top domestic priority must be to guarantee universal access to affordable care for every citizen. And here’s how:
First, OPENLY DISCLOSE ALL PRICES, so the real price is always visible and openly disclosed – just like at the corner gas station. That way, we’ll know the price of a pill before we swallow it.
Second, CHARGE EVERY PATIENT THE SAME PRICE, so we can all pay the same price for the same medical service or product – just as we do when ordering from a menu at a restaurant. Show us the price, and charge every customer the same price.
Third, FORM A SINGLE RISK POOL nationwide - 300 million strong - with absolutely no discrimination against any citizen due to any pre-existing medical condition. Simply put, if you’re a citizen, then you’re in.
When we openly disclose the real price, bill everyone the same and build the largest health insurance risk pool possible – we will leverage down prices for all of us.
Fourth, RENEW OUR COMMITMENT to care for those in need, so all our nation’s children and all citizens in need have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. A nation is truly measured by the condition of those in need.
And finally, we need to establish a standard insurance policy, one that covers you from your head to toe - a basic policy that all companies must offer to every citizen without any discrimination. We have federal standards for everything in America except for the one thing we value most – our health. When all insurance companies are forced to sell the same standard policy, we will finally be able to compare them based upon the quality of their service and their price – just as we do when we visit competing auto dealers.
There is a better way of doing things in America. Universal access to affordable health care is our shared goal, but we need your help right now to get the job done. Join us! Contribute today and sign this DECLARATION OF HEALTH. By working together, we will build a better nation for all of us.
Steve Kagen, M.D.
Member of Congress
