National Health Debate - Starting Point Missing

As the Obama Administration, Congress and nation continue to spar regarding health coverage for U.S. Citizens, and the 40+ million who are uninsured; a material item is missing from the debate: a $ dollar starting point.

None of the various "plans " address participant costs. The cart has been placed before the horse, and debates, without financial foundation, will drowned in rhetoric. Until there is agreement on feasible participant premiums there will be limited progress in resolving the U.S. national health disgrace.

The horse needs to be put back in the lead, before, and not after, the cart. Until the "masters of the universe" in Washington, D.C., can agree on participant premiums, a dollar starting point, meaningful discussion will remain vacuous. There is no need to re-invent the wheel. Medicare, on an income adjusted scale, pegs $96.40 a month per person, as the average participant premium. Any National
( U.S.A. ) plan should peg participant premiums be it $96.40 per month per person or $250.00 per month for a family of four, some dollar starting point needs to be agreed on before meaningful discussion can go forward.

Once a dollar participant premium is established,the debate can meaningfully move forward to determine what coverage can be purchased for the participant premium;what type of coverage will $96.40 a month buy ? There hundreds of HMO's and Health Insurers that can provide data addressing coverage given a participant premium amount. Caps are needed, including caps to Medicare payouts: e.g., no more then $200,000.00( two-hundred thousand dollars, drugs included ) in services to any participant or family during any one year, with a million dollar lifetime cap. For any "plan" to become law, there must be limitations and caps, a carte blanche system, or expanded Medicare, will bankrupt this Nation.

IF and it's a BIG IF, congress focuses on who will be included in any plan ( should be limited to U.S. citizens over 18 ), and can agree on a monthly dollar participant premium, there may be a chance debates over coverage can be resolved within financially feasible parameters, providing coverage through existing HMO's and Insurance Carriers with limited government participation. The U.S. government should limit it's direct participation to mandating uniform records keeping, billing, claims, dispute resolution and service classification standards; and publishing plan and coverage comparisons available in each State, similar to what Medicare publishes each year for Medicare Advantage plans.