February 28, 2018

Let Medicaid and Medicare patients OWN their healthcare dollars!

This Downsize DC proposal may be the only way to prevent Medicare insolvency Retweet

This post is a copy of our newsletter, sent to 30,000 subscribers. Don’t miss an issue of the “Downsizer-Dispatch.” Be amongst the first to see it. Use the *Subscribe* form on this page.

First, some good news…

Downsize DC is growing!

Our Facebook advertising program is working! Over the last two weeks, we’ve recruited 274 people to push, with you, for what you want. We spent $1.09 for each person who joined. Help us fund more outreach if you possibly can.

Downsize DC is adding new tools!

  • Yesterday, we unveiled Jim Babka’s Post-statist Review podcast. Check it out!
  • Today and tomorrow, we’re launching two new healthcare campaigns (with more to come).

Today’s new campaign aims to lower healthcare costs, prevent U.S. insolvency, and improve overall healthcare. The hardwired message to Congress for this new campaign reads…

Incentivize the frugal use of medical services by creating Medicaid and Medicare HSAs.

Go to our site to send or revise the following letter to Congress…

Doctors and M&M patients (people on Medicaid and Medicare) tend to overuse healthcare services. Doctors order unnecessary procedures and patients make too many doctor visits. Doctors and patients do this because other people are paying the bills.

But this increased spending doesn’t produce better outcomes. Much M&M care is low-value or outright waste. Overuse expands demand without increasing supply. This causes soaring costs, threatening U.S. solvency.

Congress must give doctors and M&M patients a reason to economize. You can do this by letting M&M patients OWN some or all of the money they spend on healthcare. People are more frugal when they’re spending their own money. Create M&M HSAs (Health Savings Accounts).

Set a budget for each person’s healthcare, adjusted for net worth and health status. Give this money to M&M patients in an HSA. Let them manage their own spending. This will cause them to skip marginal care, ask for prices, and bargain for better deals. Doctors will adjust their own behavior accordingly. Costs will plummet, preventing U.S. insolvency. Healthcare outcomes may even improve!

— END OF SAMPLE LETTER–

Thanks for being an ACTIVE DC Downsizer,

Perry Willis & Jim Babka
Downsize DC

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