Health Card: a new reform plan.
Health Card is a new reform plan. Every household, regardless of employment of health status, would receive a government-issued health credit card to use at the doctor's office or hospital like MasterCard. Later, it would be billed a percentage of the provider's charge--a percentage scaled to its last income tax return; its annual burden would never exceed a designated percentage of its income. Health Card would simply and directly achieve universal coverage and equitable patient cost-sharing. Like MasterCard, government would pay bills, not regulate providers. Each household would choose its medical provider (fee-for-service or HMO), bearing a percentage of the charge. Provider competition for cost-sharing consumers would help contain health care costs.
College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware, Newark 19716, USA.
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D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000379:methods; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006291:Health Policy; D007183:Income Tax / Q000145:classification; D007343:Insurance Carriers; D009310:National Health Insurance, United States; D010355:Patient Identification Systems / Q000191:economics*; D010816:Physician Incentive Plans; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011057:Politics; D014481:United States