post from Flickr by Collabexchange

Fast tracking health care reform just might help us all financially before next years annual enrollment.  The time of price increases and higher deductibles.

Three ideas to consider.

1. Allow the FSA flexibility spending plans to be across two years.  The requirement of “use it or lose it” forces families to spend out to ensure costs incurred up to the amount in the account and not wait for insurance payments to know what is.  Thus, always spending out of pocket.  It further ensures that spending has to occur in order to be ensured that money does not revert.  I have noticed as a parent that my sons need a baseline of dollars for medical expenses.  However, I am prevented from creating a pool of tax free funds for emergency or planned medical care.  The policy of use or lose of Medical FSA funds is bad policy.
2. The inability of non-married individuals from being part of the others health care insurance needs to be changed to allow those committed to each other to have the ability to care for their loved ones.
3. Aged based insurance is discriminatory.  We made a comparison of several employees buying individual policies and found that group policies are better priced.  Individual health care premiums leave little option for individuals  not to go into debt, skip health care, scale back care, skip prescriptions and decrease benefits.