Re: An Alternative Approach to Universal Health Care  by Richard Brinkley 

Dear [Addressee]:

The Saddlebrooke Republican Club (SBRC), the largest Republican Club in Arizona and one of the largest in the United States, is appalled at the efforts of the Democratic Party to jam down the throats of the American people 2000 plus pages of irrational socialist legislation costing more than $2 trillion.

In response, building upon the conceptual House plan created by the “House GOP’s Solutions Group,” the SBRC is presenting an alternative plan based on the following principals:

• All health care is local.
• Health care is a private relationship between the patient and physician; as a result an intrusive government health plan is excluded.
• The Federal Employee Health Plan, consisting of private sector health plans,  is the basis of our alternative American Plan: if it is good enough for Congress it should suffice for all Americans.
• Spread the risk across a larger population by folding all federal health plans, e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, Tricare, etc., into the American Plan.
• Government is restricted to oversight.
• The SBRC alternative plan shall be scaled to not add to the deficit.
• Access to quality care shall be assured.
• Effective tort reform is a necessary part of health care efficiency.
• Affordable health care is achieved through competition and improved quality.
• Employer based health care ought to be converted into individual health care by the second to third year after implementation.
• Non-government provider groups shall determine and recommend best practices not government sponsored –government employed committees.
• Health plan metrics shall be public and transparent.

As a starting point, we recommend that the Congressional Budget Office score the SBRC alternative plan to establish a base cost, then adjust the plan accordingly. Members of the SBRC are available for questions and consulting. Careful review of the SBRC alternative plan should resolve many of the questions.

Our position paper is a contribution to the ongoing discussion regarding health care. It presumes that our health care system is not broken. It presumes that our physicians, nurses and hospitals are the best in the world. It also acknowledges we need to continually improve upon it.

Sincerely,

Saddlebrooke Republican Club

Encl: Position Paper – An Alternative Approach to Universal Health Care  

For a PDF version of the position paper,  click here.