By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Contraception for Techno-Doctors
    July 13, 2011
    ACP Ethics Manual on Social Media, Catastrophes, and More
    January 13, 2012
    Hippocratic Oath, Then and Now
    August 23, 2012
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The Devin Nunes Nonsense Health Plan
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > The Devin Nunes Nonsense Health Plan
Policy & Law

The Devin Nunes Nonsense Health Plan

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

I’ve been complaining for some time that Republicans have been big on the “repeal” part of “repeal and replace” but light on the “replace” side. So I’m reluctant to be too harsh in my criticism of the Choice in Healthcare Act introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and described in the Wall Street Journal and the Nunes website. Therefore I’ll start with the two things that are good about it: it starts soon and it addresses Medicare and Medicaid.

I’ve been complaining for some time that Republicans have been big on the “repeal” part of “repeal and replace” but light on the “replace” side. So I’m reluctant to be too harsh in my criticism of the Choice in Healthcare Act introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and described in the Wall Street Journal and the Nunes website. Therefore I’ll start with the two things that are good about it: it starts soon and it addresses Medicare and Medicaid.

The substance of the plan is naive and simplistic. Here’s how Nunes describes it:

[T]he Choice in Healthcare Act… will create a voluntary, 10-year pilot program for a new health-care delivery system, beginning in June 2013.

More Read

When Patients Complain
Person-Centered HealthCare: Using Medical Education to Drive Adoption of High-Value Care
A Whole New Way To Look At Medicine And Healthcare Innovation
Most Breast Cancer Patients May Not Be Getting Enough Exercise
NHS Draws Ire of Public Over Cancer Drug Rationing

Geared toward low-income individuals and seniors, this simple plan will replace participants’ Medicare and Medicaid benefits with roughly equivalent funds put on a debit-style “Medi-choice” card. Participants can then use their card to buy the health insurance of their choice on the open market and to pay for out-of-pocket expenses such as co-payments and deductibles. In succeeding years the card’s funding level will be adjusted for inflation, and any unused funds will roll over to the next year.

This plan will streamline health-care delivery by replacing hospital insurance, Medigap, prescription-drug programs, Medicare and Medicaid with a simple debit card. Instead of dealing with the notorious restrictions, exclusions and red tape of government-provided health care, participants will be empowered to control their own health care and force insurers and providers to compete for their business. Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries will be freed from these failing, regimented programs, and they will gain the same access and choice in health care enjoyed by other Americans.

He goes on from there to describe how great it is and how simple, and how the ripple effects will be profound.

Here are a few questions right off the bat:

  • The plan is voluntary. Won’t that lead to adverse selection?
  • It’s a 10-year pilot. Why 10 years? Does that mean it will be 2023 or later before we have something we can scale up?
  • Why does a Medicaid recipient need a debit card to buy health insurance? Does Nunes realize that historically co-payments and deductibles for Medicaid have been trivial or non-existent? Is part of his “choice” a way to add these expenses and complexities into the mix? Does it really simplify matters to go from no co-pay to a co-pay paid by the feds and state and put it all on a debit card?
  • What if the “open market” doesn’t want to insure one of Nunes’ constituents due to a pre-existing condition?
  • If choice is so important and a mandate to buy insurance so bad, why not just let the recipient cash the card in for real money?
  • How will these poor people “force insurers and providers to compete for their business?” Will these consumers really have more negotiating power with managed care than the federal government or the State of California? Somehow I doubt WellPoint and Kaiser are quaking in their boots at the thought of facing off against individual debit card holders!
  • Won’t the removal of “restrictions, exclusions and red tape” and introduction of the “same access and choice in health care enjoyed by other Americans” drive costs up rather than down?
And my final question:
  • Why did Nunes propose such a ridiculous plan in the first place?

 


TAGGED:Devin Nunes
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Hospitals May Not Be Ready for ICD-10

October 8, 2013

More On Wellness Programs To Improve Health and Reduce Costs

January 25, 2012

Are You Providing Value to Patients?

June 12, 2013

The Doctor’s Not In. You’ll Have to See a Nurse.

April 4, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?