Fiscal Responsibility Summit Report

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iii.

Medicaid, which provides health care services to low-income parents, children, elderly, and people with disabilities, is co-financed by both the states and federal governments.

iv.

The Wyden-Bennett plan, which aims at universal health care coverage, would require almost all Americans to enroll in a private insurance plan made available through state-level “purchasing pools,� with each state-level pool offering at least two private insurance plans from which to choose. Further, the plan would offer subsidies for low- to middle-income individuals to help pay for insurance premiums, and the system would be financed, in part, by replacing the current tax exclusion for employer-sponsored insurance with a new, less costly standard income tax deduction. v.

Single payer systems generally offer insurance to the entire population through a government-sponsored plan. Such countries as Canada and the United Kingdom feature forms of single-payer systems. vi.

Health saving accounts allow enrollees in high-deductible insurance plans to contribute, on a tax favored basis, to saving accounts in order to pay for future health care expenses. Similarly, flexible spending accounts allow people to set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for health expenses. vii. The community health center program funds centers that are located in communities that are federally designated as medically underserved areas. The centers are designed to provide primary and preventative care to the community.

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