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A New National Health Care Plan

March 17th, 2007 Posted by Mark

For those of us employers who are fearful of the end of the employer based health care benefits system—and I know there are a few of us out there because I have spoken with a few, actually many—here is a new national health care reform plan that we should all keep an eye out for. It is not from a certain Democrat Senator from New York, wife of a former president and presidential candidate herself, and no, this new health care reform plan is not emanating from the White House. Both of those parties have already put their health care reform proposals on the table.

This new health care reform proposal comes from a new source, and a credible source, which makes it all the more necessary and important that use employers pay close attention to it. Any plan that makes sense on the federal level is not guaranteed to get passed, or still make sense after it is passed, but we should always be aware and ready of what the future could hold for our employer based health care benefits system.

Who is this new mystery man with his new mystery health care plan? His name is Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon. What could make Wyden’s plan have such an impact in Washington and in the overall debate over health care plan is because his plan does not cut corners or take its time. His plan calls for comprehensive health care reform now, all at once.

His point is that the health care system is so complex and intricate that fixing it piece by piece cannot do. He also does not believe on building on the system that already exists—read here, the employer based employee health care benefits system. He does not agree with the plan, for instance, that is taking place in Massachusetts, which is building on top of the private and public insurance systems that are already in existence.