Revisiting Healthcare for All: Solutions

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With everything going on in this country, it comes as no surprise that the whole Universal Healthcare debate is rearing its ugly head again, especially with the Biden administration’s open-border policies dumping millions of illegal aliens into the mix, handing them free healthcare, plane tickets, money, and God knows what else as a pat on the back for breaking the law. Sounds nuts, right? But it’s happening, and California’s Governor Newsom is doubling down with his own handouts to undocumented folks in his state— sarcasm fully intended when I say his voters must love it.

I wrote the original three-part series on this back in 2019, revisited it in January of 2024 and damn if it doesn’t hold up. But with all that’s changed— COVID backlogs, skyrocketing costs, and more people gaming the system— it’s time for an update and a viable solution. I’ll weave in what I’ve learned since, including fresh data and some refinements to my solutions, to show why my catastrophic-only insurance model isn’t just viable; it’s the best way to go for Americans, hands down. Better than universal pipe dreams, public options, or the status quo mess that’s bleeding us dry.

Before I dive in, a quick reminder: I’ve been blessed with good health my whole life and yes, I still have that hunk of wood to knock on. Grew up in a “Leave it to Beaver” world, did all the dumb teen stuff, survived unscathed except for a chipped tooth at 16 (fixed at 18 and to this day, you’d never know). Vaccines? Just the basics back then— polio, DPT, smallpox. Mumps hit me hard, maybe measles or chicken pox, but who remembers? Point is, I’ve seen a doctor maybe five times as an adult, always for bronchitis needing a script. Since telehealth (used twice, again, for bronchitis), I haven’t walked into a doctor’s office in probably 40 years. Never raced to one for every ache. So when I hear all this talk about Medicare for All or free healthcare, I have to ask— is America really THAT sick?

The media sure makes it seem like it— everyone popping pills daily or doctor-hopping weekly. (For more on that, see my article “Just Ask Your Doctor.“) But politicians promise “healthcare for all” like it’s a free lunch. Access? We already have it— urgent cares, walk-ins, hospitals, free clinics everywhere. So it’s not access; it’s coverage they’re pushing, conflating “healthcare” and “health insurance” like they’re the same. They’re not. And “free”? Ha! It’ll cost us through taxes, mandates, or some hidden fee. Promises, promises— politicians love them, but they rarely deliver without Congress’s stamp. (Rhetorical: With today’s gridlock, what’s the chance? Unless they pass it to find out what’s in it, ring a bell?)

Revisiting The Scenario: Universal Healthcare as the Titanic

Let’s play it out. Say Universal Healthcare passes— single-payer, Medicare for All, whatever they call it. Private insurance? Gone. Everyone enrolls in the government’s benevolent plan, touted as better than Mom’s apple pie. The poor (legal or not) get it near-free; everyone else pays up. Proponents scream savings, but costs? Who knows— they throw out numbers that sound good. They won’t be accurate, but they’ll sound good.

It starts great, but visits quadruple (or more). The poor treat it as free, racing in for every sniffle. Middle class thinks, “I’m paying, might as well use it.” Wealthy? Less so, but enough to overwhelm. Doctors churn patients like an assembly line; Big Pharma sells more pills, even at lower prices. Boom—the system collapses under skyrocketing costs.

Fixes? Ration care, limit procedures, change coverage, raise prices— or all three. We saw it with Obamacare: Premiums and deductibles soared, forcing a small fortune in out-of-pocket deductibles before benefits kicked in. Healthy young folks spent hundreds monthly for nothing. On the contrary, in my last 40 years, I’ve shelled out under $300.00 total—prescriptions, tests, everything. (Knock on wood.) Universal? You’d pay whether you use it or not because you’ll have no choice.

Now, with millions more illegal aliens factored in (estimates ~14M as of 2023), the overload worsens. They get emergency care under EMTALA ($7B/year), but expand to full coverage? Catastrophe amplified.

And here’s the really crazy part. With full knowledge that Obamacare was an absolute failure, Schumer demands more federal subsidies to keep this complete clusterfuck alive.

Why Other Systems Fail for the US

Comparing us to other countries? Apples and oranges. England’s NHS is buckling—6-12 month waits for electives, 6.7M backlog, staffing shortages (100,000 vacancies), satisfaction at 24%. Germany’s multi-payer? Better access (1-2 month waits), but costs rising (12% GDP, $7,300/person) with steep payroll taxes (7.3% each for workers/employers). Both spend less per capita than our $12,700, but scale to 340M? Disaster. We’d see worse waits, fraud ($150-500B/year now).

Medicare for All? $2-3T/decade, 4-7% payroll taxes. Public options? Premiums still $1,200/month for families (that’s PER MONTH), deductibles unmet. Status quo? $24,000/year for families, 8-31% admin costs, 28M uninsured. None fix the game of premiums, copays, and illusions of savings.

My Solutions: Beginning with General Healthcare

Healthcare (actual care) and health coverage (insurance) intertwine, but bottom line? Your wallet. These proposals, in no particular order, keep government minimal, reward responsibility, and drive down costs.

• Ban ALL Prescription Drug Ads: Patients aren’t doctors. This cuts $20-30B/year in demand-driven costs, reducing unnecessary visits and prescriptions. Lower prices follow without Big Pharma’s marketing bloat.

• Pharmacist Approvals for Antibiotics: With liability waivers, pharmacists approve sales for common issues (primarily antibiotics). Saves $12-16B/year by bypassing doctors, no abuse if done right (as in other countries). Americans aren’t idiots—most won’t overuse, but safeguards absolve retailers.

• Cross-State Insurance: Treat health insurers like car insurers— sell across lines, subject to state rules. Boosts competition, cutting premiums 5-10%, making catastrophic plans affordable ($60-90/month individual, $200-350/family).

• Most important—1% Sales Tax on Retail (Excluding Food/Clothing/Healthcare Essentials): Regulated for two purposes only: (1) Grants for building/maintaining free clinics (per capita, adding to existing funds), (2) Grants to insurers offsetting catastrophic claims (based on insured numbers, not profit). Privately managed in a blockchain-tracked trust to prevent government “borrowing.” Raises $50-60B/year, regressive but minimal—won’t kill anyone if spent right (quit laughing).

Take it further: This model drives down Medicare/Medicaid costs by $257-486B/year (17-32% of $1.5T budgets) via reduced routine claims (20-30% drop from personal responsibility), fraud goes from 5-10% to 1% with AI audits/biometrics, and admin from 2-8% to 1-2% with streamlined systems. States save $30-60B on Medicaid; feds $227-426B. Clinics offload basics, while tweaks like drug ad bans ($20-30B saved) and pharmacist approvals ($12-16B) cut program spending, easing taxes without gutting safety nets.

If everyone went this personal route—no insurance for stubbed toes— premiums whittle to $60-90/month individuals, $200-350 families (20-40% cut from current levels). All with lower deductibles. Scale to 340M? Handles it by focusing on rare claims (1-2%) and clinics. Undocumented immigrants? Emergency care only ($7B/year), with biometric IDs stopping fraud.

Remember, the above is the main reason why people seek out doctors. They’re not looking for a new hip, knee, or any other major procedure like a quadruple heart bypass, which is why the average American sees a doctor four times per year. Antibiotics, a few stitches for a mishap, minor surgery, or a referral. For the most part, that’s pretty much it. Exceptions? Always… but they aren’t the rule.

Why This Is the Best Way— Above All Others

This isn’t pie-in-the-sky— it’s practical, rewarding folks like me who’ve stayed healthy without the system. (Knock on wood.) Universal? Iceberg ahead. Other tweaks? Band-Aids on a broken arm. The above alone saves $1-1.5T/decade, ensures fast care (same-day emergencies, <4-week clinics), locks down fraud at 1%, and fits our culture with out-of-pocket nudges ($5-10 copays like Singapore) to curb gaming. For low-users, it’s freedom; for families, real savings without illusions. Now, let’s get into the heart of the matter.

Catastrophic Healthcare— The Answer

They say (whoever “they” are) that outside of unforeseen circumstances, a healthy young person has no need to seek any form of health insurance until they reach the age of 36. Insurance companies are banking on that and from what I understand, it must be working because they’re banking billions. So, generally speaking, what you’ve just read above solves at least 90% of all healthcare needs costing a fraction of what’s being paid for today. So what’s left? It’s the really bad stuff that affects an equally small fraction of the American population. I call it catastrophic healthcare. It’s the kind of healthcare that lands someone in the hospital for days on end. It’s the treatments that cost a bloody fortune. It’s the weeks or months of costly rehab as a patient learns basic skills over again. How do we as a nation handle that?

Catastrophic-Only Coverage: The Only Plan That Doesn’t Screw You.

Forget the “healthcare for all” pipe dream—universal’s a $2-3T/decade train wreck, and the status quo’s a $24,000/year family rip-off. My catastrophic-only insurance, born in 2019 and sharper now, cuts the BS. It covers just the big hits— $50K+ heart surgeries, cancer treatments, car-crash disasters— while you handle sniffles or stubbed toes yourself or hit free clinics funded by a 1% sales tax. No doctors for every sneeze, no premiums bleeding you dry. Here’s the math to make you choke on your coffee.

Only 1-2% of Americans— 3.4 to 6.8M out of 340M—land in hospitals yearly for true catastrophes. That’s $80-150B in stays, peanuts compared to the $4.7T we blow on healthcare now. Why so low? My clinics, funded by a 1% sales tax ($50-60B/year), take 80-90% of routine stuff— colds, cuts, antibiotics— off hospitals’ plates. Personal responsibility, like me spending $300 in 40 years (knock on wood), slashes 20-30% of useless ER trips ($40B/year waste). Ban drug ads? Saves $20-30B in pill-pushing. Pharmacists greenlighting antibiotics? Cuts $12-16B by skipping doctors. Cross-state insurance? Drops premiums 5-10% by making insurers scrap for your buck.

Premiums? Brace yourself: $60-90/month for individuals, $200-350 for a family of four, with coverage kicking in at $10,000 and a $5,000-$8,000 deductible you can pay over 12-24 months—fair, not a gut-punch. Not a typo— $720-1,080/year for a guy like me, $2,400-4,200 for a family. Compare that to today’s $400-800/month for catastrophic plans or $1,200-$1,500 for comprehensive ones that don’t pay out because of sky-high deductibles. If everyone stops gaming the system— like shoplifters looting under California’s $950 rule— claims tank, and premiums could dip lower. That 1% tax covers grants for the poor, so insurers aren’t stuck, and AI audits plus biometric IDs keep fraud at 1%, not Medicare’s 5-10% ($150-500B/year).

Better yet, this saves Medicare and Medicaid $257-486B/year— 17-32% of their $1.5T budgets. How? Folks handle routine crap themselves (20-30% fewer claims, $150-300B saved), clinics lighten the load, fraud’s crushed with tech ($45-80B saved), and admin drops from 2-8% to 1-2% ($30-60B saved). States save $30-60B on Medicaid; feds $227-426B. Less taxes for you and me, no gutting safety nets.

This ain’t England’s NHS, limping with 6-12 month waits and 24% approval, or Germany’s 7.3% payroll taxes for 12% GDP. It’s built for our 340M mess, with ~14M illegals getting only emergency care ($7B/year, ID-checked to stop scams). It rewards guys like me— no doctor since the ‘80s—and families sick of paying for others’ stubbed toes. Universal? Public option? Status quo? Suckers’ bets. This is the real deal—cheap, fast, fraud-proof, and no government up your ass. (Knock on wood.)

How This Model Saves Medicare and Medicaid Money

Catastrophic-only insurance plan— paired with my tweaks (1% sales tax for clinics/grants, banning drug ads, pharmacist approvals, cross-state insurance)— reduces strain on Medicare and Medicaid by shifting routine care to private or out-of-pocket systems, cutting fraud, and streamlining administration. Here’s how it works:

Reduced Utilization and Overuse:

• Current Issue: Medicare and Medicaid cover 130M Americans (65M Medicare, 65M Medicaid), costing $1.5T/year (2025 estimate). Overuse is rampant— 30% of Medicare ER visits ($20B/year) are non-emergencies, and Medicaid sees similar patterns with 10-15% of visits for low-value care. My “personal responsibility” approach (handling stubbed toes without insurance) cuts this.

• Impact: By making routine care out-of-pocket or clinic-based (via my 1% tax, $50-60B/year), you reduce Medicare/Medicaid claims for minor issues. High-deductible plan data shows 20-30% fewer low-value visits when patients pay directly. If applied to Medicare/Medicaid, this could save $150-300B/year (10-20% of their budgets), as fewer claims mean less spending on non-essential care.

• State/Federal Savings: States fund ~40% of Medicaid ($320B/year); my model could cut their share by $30-60B annually. Federal savings (covering both programs) could hit $100-200B/year, easing budget pressures without gutting coverage.

Fraud Reduction:

• Current Issue: Medicare and Medicaid lose $60-100B/year to fraud (5-10% of budgets), via upcoding, phantom billing, and identity theft. DOJ’s 2025 takedown flagged $14.6B in false claims, much from these programs.

• Impact: My private-managed clinics and catastrophic grants use AI audits and biometric IDs, keeping fraud at 1% (like community health centers). If Medicare/Medicaid adopted similar controls (e.g., biometrics for claims, as piloted privately), fraud could drop to $15-20B/year, saving $45-80B annually. My focus on catastrophic claims (harder to fake) further limits fraud exposure.

Administrative Efficiency:

• Current Issue: Medicare’s admin costs are 2-3%, but Medicaid’s hit 5-8% due to state-level complexity, totaling $75-120B/year across both. Private insurers’ 8-31% admin costs show how fragmentation bloats spending.

• Impact: Private-managed system, with standardized catastrophic plans and clinic operations, mimics Japan’s 1-2% admin costs. If Medicare/Medicaid streamlined claims (e.g., via cross-state competition or electronic systems), admin could drop to 1-2%, saving $30-60B/year. My 1% tax clinics offload routine care, further cutting program overhead.

My Tweaks Amplify Savings:

• Drug Ad Ban: Cuts $20-30B/year in Medicare/Medicaid drug costs (e.g., reducing overprescribed meds like statins).

• Pharmacist Approvals: Saves $12-16B/year by bypassing doctor visits for antibiotics, reducing Medicare/Medicaid claims.

• Cross-State Insurance: Lowers private premiums 5-10%, reducing Medicaid’s need to cover gaps for low-income families.

Scale and Culture Fit:

• 340M Population: This model scales by focusing on rare catastrophic claims (1-2%) and clinics for basics, reducing Medicare/Medicaid’s routine care load. Undocumented immigrants (~14M) get only emergency care ($7B/year), no extra burden.

• Culture: Out-of-pocket routine care and $5-10 clinic copays (like Singapore) deter overuse. Saves Medicare/Medicaid from “stubbed toe” claims.

Total Savings for Medicare and Medicaid

My catastrophic-only plan doesn’t just save you cash— it’s a budget-saver for Medicare and Medicaid, cutting $257-486B/year (17-32% of their $1.5T budgets). How? Personal responsibility means 20-30% fewer “stubbed toe” claims ($150-300B saved), since folks like me (40 years, $300 spent, knock on wood) don’t run to the ER for sniffles. Fraud goes from 5-10% ($75-150B/year) to 1% ($15B) with AI audits and biometric IDs— no more fake claims like Medicare’s $60B/year scam fest. Admin costs drop from 2-8% ($75-120B) to 1-2% ($15-30B) with a lean, Japan-style system. States save $30-60B on Medicaid; feds pocket $227-426B. Clinics funded by that 1% sales tax ($50-60B/year) offload basic care, while banning drug ads ($20-30B saved) and pharmacist approvals ($12-16B) gut program spending. Less taxes, no gutted safety nets—screw universal’s $2-3T pipe dream.

These savings ease state/federal budgets, reduce taxes, and preserve Medicare/Medicaid for true needs.

The Only Way to Win the Healthcare Game

So here we are, folks— 340 million of us, plus ~14M illegals, drowning in a healthcare system that’s more scam than solution. Universal? A $2-3T/decade pipe dream with waits longer than an NHS knee replacement line. Status quo? $24,000/year for a family of four, and you’re still paying for every sniffle. My catastrophic-only plan’s the real deal: $80-150B/year for hospital stays (1-2% of you), premiums at $60-90/month for a guy like me, $200-350 for families, and $257-486B slashed off Medicare and Medicaid’s $1.5T tab. Clinics funded by a 1% sales tax handle the small stuff, AI and biometrics lock fraud at 1%, and $5-10 copays keep the “take a mile” crowd—like California’s shoplifting clowns—out of the ER.

Me? I’ve spent $300 on healthcare in 40 years, no doctor since the ‘80s, and I’m still bee-bopping at 70 (knock on wood). This plan lets you live like that—free, smart, no government leash. The rest? They’re selling you a bill of goods, and you’re the sucker footing the bill.

Choose my way, and tell them to shove their “free” healthcare where the sun don’t shine.