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John Munger: Blogging for Arizona's Future |
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Nov3Written by:John Munger
11/3/2010 12:57 PM  The elections are over. Now it is time to quit the talk and start walking the walk. There is so much to do to return Arizona to the fullness of everything it CAN be. ImagineArizona suggests the Governor and Legislature immediately support a proactive, pro-growth agenda of real reforms:
1. SPUR INVESTMENT AND NEW JOBS WITH REGULATORY REFORM-- Any investor/job creator will tell you that amongst Arizona's biggest job killers are our arcane and ambiguous regulatory schemes disincentivize investment and job growth. With the wonderful help of STATE REPRESENTATIVE TED VOGT (R-Dist. 30), we are introducing a key regulatory reform, which will require that ALL GOVERNMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS MUST BE WRITTEN CLEARLY. If government wants to regulate, it should be required to tell investors EXACTLY what is being regulated and exactly how. Lets finally make Government rules and regulations clear and straightforward so that job creators can navigate efficiently through our regulatory processes. Lets not lose any more investors/job creators because of our unfair regulatory system. Support us!
2. STIMULATE THOUSANDS OF JOBS IMMEDIATELY WITH A PRIVATIZED STIMULUS-- We will be asking the Governor to move immediately to begin letting major State and local infrastructural projects to private companies in order to immediately begin creating thousands of jobs paid by private enterprise rather than by government. Badly needed infrastructure like major highways, sewer systems, and water systems can be built IMMEDIATELY, AND WITHOUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING, by allowing private investors to build them. We can have the infrastructure NOW, without public cost, by allowing private investments to build out that infrastructure, and CREATE THOUSANDS OF BADLY NEEDED JOBS IMMEDIATELY. Join us!
3. CREATE MORE JOBS WITH THE "PORT OF ARIZONA" PLAN-- We will continue to push the Governor to help coordinate with Mexico and the Federal Government to implement the infrastructure necessary to be sure that the expanding deep-sea port in Guaymas, Sonora, can efficiently transport cargo to, and through, Arizona by rail, highway, and air, with efficient security systems, so that Arizona becomes a major center of international trade, shipping, and finance for the Southwestern United States. By taking advantage of the new Guaymas Port Project we can TURN ARIZONA INTO A MAJOR PLAYER IN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING, TRADE, AND COMMERCE---while CREATING THOUSANDS OF JOBS OVER THE NEXT DECADE.
4. EDUCATIONAL REFORM IS A MAJOR KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL AND PROSPEROUS ARIZONA-- Thanks, again, to the terrific help of State Rep. Ted Vogt (R--Dist 30), we will be introducing legislation this year to require ALL School Districts to finally begin reporting ALL of their income and ALL of their expenses on a UNIFORM ACCOUNTING SYSTEM which will allow the public to know exactly how much is being spent for what in each District. This is KEY REQUIREMENT for knowing how and where monies are spent and, therefore, what steps must be taken for further improvements in our Educational System. We hope all Arizonans will support this major step in Educational Reform.
5. GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR ELECTION PROCESSES-- We will place before the Legislature a fundamental election reform which will finally give NON-Clean Election candidates a fair chance to compete with Government Funded (i.e., "Clean Elections") candidates We can do this simply by increasing the contribution limits to "Traditionally funded" (NON-Clean Elections) campaigns to the long-standing Federal Contribution limits for Statewide candidates (and half that amount for legislative candidates. This will help eliminate the unfair advantage that so-called "Clean Elections" gives to Government Funded candidates.
Job creation, educational reform, and electoral reform are important keys to Arizona's future. Help us and support our efforts by calling YOUR legislator and telling them to watch for, and support, these important projects.Tags: |
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| Health care reform Arizona can tackle | By: John F. Munger
August 28, 2009 - 4:22PM
Regardless of federal actions, Arizona can be a national model for health care reform.
By simply fixing what needs to be fixed, and not creating huge bureaucracies, bankrupting the state, or intervening between doctors and patients, we can solve the principal problems of rising costs of care and accessibility of care for all.
First, to finally control costs we must reinvigorate consumer cost decision-making, which is the most fundamental pressure favoring lowering costs. Medical consumers make few cost decisions and simply pass the medical bill to their insurer. Yet, in medical procedures for which consumers are compelled to make cost decisions for medical care that is not generally covered by insurance, such as for corrective laser eye surgery or cosmetic surgery, costs have dropped drastically in the last 20 years because of competitive forces.
The first steps Arizona should empower consumer decision-making and competition in medicine. First, on the supply side we should allow Arizonans to competitively select any health insurance program available in any state, rather than limit Arizonans' choices to a few programs selected by our regulators. On the demand side, we should invigorate consumer decision-making by requiring that all medical and pharmaceutical providers quote their prices on a public Web site each month for public comparison.
Just as insurance companies give safe driving discounts and nonsmoking discounts, they will soon start to provide hot lines to help people select several reasonably priced alternatives for medical care or products as well as "good decision-making" discounts for insureds who act rationally in selecting reasonably priced care. Consumer choice will be enhanced. Prices will begin to decline.
In addition, Arizona should adopt a simple tort reform measure that, as with contract-related litigation today, requires that parties losing medical malpractice actions pay at least some reasonable portion of the winners' attorney's fees. Used by the English for centuries, this creates risk and causes all players to carefully analyze their case before they file, and would substantially reduce the number of frivolous medical malpractice actions, and medical costs, in Arizona.
Finally, Arizona could reduce medical costs by requiring that medical insurers give discounts to consumers who allow their medical records to be transmitted electronically via a secured system, thereby reducing costs of care. Again, no requirement - just a consumer option.
Reform the coverage
Adopting these three simple measures would drastically reduce medical costs. In turn, that would improve accessibility of medical care to more people. But we can easily do more.
Arizona should require that all insurance policies be portable and not tied to employment. We must allow individuals and associations to create groups in order to negotiate favorable health insurance not tied to employment.
We should require that all persons with pre-existing illnesses be accepted into medical insurance pools. Persons with pre-existing problems caused by their own lifestyles, such as obesity, smoking, dangerous activities or hobbies, or who repeatedly did not follow medical recommendations of their doctors, could be required to pay a limited additional premium for their lifestyle choices and the burden they cause to the health care system. But persons with pre-existing illnesses not based on lifestyle choices, and who follow reasonable medical directions, would not incur any additional premium.
Finally, we must assure that all those remaining who still cannot afford health insurance have easy access to our state Medicaid program and KidsCare for children. With both programs, the main problem is that people simply do not sign up until they need medical care - but, in reality, most do have coverage once they need it. But we must constantly re-evaluate our entry levels to assure fairness.
Arizona can solve the problems of rising health care costs and accessibility by simply fixing the problems that need to be fixed. Let's do it now!
John Munger of Tucson is the chairman of ImagineArizona.com, a public policy organization that promotes solutions to Arizona's public policy issues.
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More Ideas from ImagineArizona! |
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