Is the Wyden-Bennett Plan a Viable Solution to the Uninsured Problem?
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Pros:
The Wyden-Bennett health plan would reform the current health system at no cost to the government, business, or individual and could erase the uninsured problem entirely. The New York Times reports that neither Obama's nor McCain's plan will cover 60 percent of the uninsured, and they will have an annual cost of $117 billion and $200 billion, respectively.
The basis of the proposed plan is to take the money an employer would have spent on their employee for medical benefits and give it as an income raise instead. Then, with companies no longer offering group coverage, the individual can choose their own health insurance from a selection of heavily-regulated policies.
Cons:
There would be offices set up to act as "help desks" for those struggling to choose their own individual health insurance plan, but it's not hard to imagine these offices overwhelmed by the masses.
The bill takes into account that many employees would adopt the "take the money and run" attitude and use the money for other things, so it makes the purchase of health insurance mandatory. This begs the question, what would the punishment be, a hefty fine or imprisonment?
The bill's sponsors stress that it is a "work in progress", but surely many Americans will be vexed by government intrusion into their health concerns. While sponsors and analysts believe this plan can be executed immediately, the fears and discomfort imposed by a government-run mandatory healthcare system would make implementation of this "idealistic" plan a bit problematic.