Fixing Healthcare -Patient Driven Reform -- "When it's your own money you're a lot more careful how you spend it."

Allow the People to have Tax Free Health Savings Accounts (HSA, also called FSAs), with Rollover provisions and no government involvement. We the People can contribute our own money to our own Health Savings accounts. We would then pay no taxes on that money. The HSA’s can only be used to pay health care costs. We can use it to purchase health insurance, pay medical bills, pay for prescriptions, etc.   Many private FSA plans already have the structure in place to administer this, so there would be no new government bureaucracy needed, and no need for the government to be involved.

We the People can then buy the health insurance that best suits our needs. For instance, young couples with no kids would probably opt for high deductibles and pay their routine care out of pocket, saving on insurance premiums. Older citizens might want a lower deductible and would pay a higher premium for it. Things they currently expect the government or the insurance company to pay for them, they will pay for themselves and get a tax cut in the bargain! And, most importantly, the HSA always rolls over and is inheritable!

My daughter in law said many younger people can't afford to put any money away in an HSA. I told her -- it's not finding extra money to save; it's money you're already spending. What you've been paying for health insurance by payroll deduction would go in your HSA instead. Your employer's share too. Estimate what you currently spend on prescriptions and doctor visits annually,and include it in your HSA deduction. It's still the same money, just coming from different pockets, one of which is tax free.

And keep the government out of it.  No manipulating who gets the benefits and who doesn't.  This is why the Obamacare law is so long and  unwieldy - It's full of political goodies for various favored groups.   Just KEEP THE GOVT. OUT!