Disbursement of Revenue: Universal Health Care Funding

Disbursement of Federal Hemp/Cannabis Revenue

Section 3: Industrial and Economic

Part D: Universal Health Care Funding

25% of Total Disbursement

Purpose:      To establish a general fund from which all United States Citizens

receive 100% Universal Health Care;

A percentage of the total revenues acquired from the taxation of Hemp/Cannabis would be set aside with the intended goal of establishing Private Health Care Accounts for every U.S. Citizen. Citizens would have available to them $X amount per year to spend as they choose on medical procedures.  As an example, each citizen would receive a $100,000 credit account annually.  This amount would not accumulate but each year would reset at the base amount.  These funds would not be accessible to the Citizen either directly or as collateral, but only as credit for medical procedures. The assumption is that balanced between the majority who would not need their entire annual account amount, there will be enough funds available to allow for those who need more expensive treatment to receive such treatment in excess of their annual allotment without penalty to their Personal Medical Account or to the availability of funds for any other Personal Medical Account.

“Our health-care system is broken: expensive, inefficient, and poorly adapted to an economy no longer built on lifetime employment, a system that exposes Americans to insecurity and possible destitution. But year after year, ideology and political gamesmanship result in inaction, except for 2003, when we got a prescription drug bill that managed to combine the worst aspects of the public and private sectors--price gouging and confusion, gaps in coverage and an eye-popping bill for taxpayers.”

~ Barack Obama, “The Audacity of Hope”

Being that 25% of all Federally garnered revenue developed from a Hemp/Cannabis Tax would be allocated specifically to funding a Universal Health Care program inclusive of all U.S. Citizens, the opportunity for any and all ideas pertinent to this subject to be placed ‘upon the table’ exists as there will be ample funding for any such inclusive program.  The Author here, acknowledging a lack of expertise in this field, offers forth the basic outlines only of an idea on how such inclusion, being that ample funding will exist, should be brought forth.

With the existence of a large, continually growing pool of funds with which to work with, each U.S. Citizen should be able to have assigned to them an Personal and Private Health Care Account which is to be used exclusively for Health Care and Medical related expenses and cannot be accessed as collateral for personal loans or finance.  Being that the overall funds for this program will continue to grow without limits the more the U.S. Economy accepts and embraces Hemp/Cannabis as a viable economic resource, within a very short amount of time, the amount available in individual’s Private Health Care Accounts will be more than sufficient to cover the Health Care costs of the majority of U.S. Citizens and to allow for excess and unused portions to be able to assist those individuals with more cost expensive Health Care needs.

Purpose:      To allow each U.S. Citizen to access their Personal Medical Accounts

for medical procedures of their choice at medical facilities of

their choosing;

U.S. Citizens would have Choice in what Medical Procedures they need or desire. U.S. Citizens would have Choice in the Medical Facilities they visit.  U.S. Citizens would have Choice in what Medical Professionals they would see.  The goal of such Universal Choice would be to stimulate and encourage fair market competition in Medical Procedure pricing schedules.

“It is simply disgraceful that 43 million Americans can not afford health care coverage. We must expand medical savings accounts, offer flexible savings accounts, provide full tax deductibility for self-employed health insurance costs, and allow tax deductibility for long-term care expenses. We should provide more funding for our nation’s community health centers, which have instituted a sliding fee schedule which allows people to contribute what they can afford and still receive health benefits.”

~ John McCain, Senate statement, Jul 15, 1999

To allow for Market Competition in the Health Care Industry, U.S. Citizens should be allowed complete and free reign over their Choice in the Medical Facilities or Medical Professionals with whom they choose to see.  The Private Health Care Accounts of U.S. Citizens should be accessible only to billing by Licensed Medical Facilities and/or Medical Professionals.  To ensure Fair and Competitive pricing and to avoid unfair practices or fraudulency in billing Private Accounts, strong Federal Regulation needs to be established insofar as competitive and comparative pricing of services.

Purpose:      To assure continued opportunities for the Insurance Industry

within the health care community;

Being that no Industry has the right to exist beyond the market need for that Industry, the established Personal Medical Accounts will eliminate the need for Private Health Insurance.  The Insurance Industry, if it so chooses, may continue to offer that service regardless of consumer need.  The Insurance Industry will be encouraged to establish and offer as a service for sale the Management of Personal Medical Accounts at the Consumer's request.

“Well, we've had managed care, now, for about 35 years. It's not working, and nobody's happy with it. The doctors aren't happy. The patients aren't happy. Nobody seems to be happy--except the corporations, the drug companies and the HMOs.”

~ Ron Paul, 2007 GOP primary debate in Orlando, Florida Oct 21, 2007

Being that the Insurance Industry has no right to exist beyond the market need for their product, that Industry stands to lose a significant loss due to the infeasibility of selling a product for profit which is to be replaced by an agreed upon Universal Health Care program paid for by a Nationally shared and agreed upon Hemp/Cannabis Tax.  As compensation, it is recommended that the Insurance Industry offer their services as Account Managers for those Citizens who choose not to manage the minutiae of their Private Health Care Accounts.  This service should be voluntarily accepted by the Citizen Clients and the fees for such Account Management should exist under Federal oversight and regulation.