Showing posts with label transparency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transparency. Show all posts

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Protect & Improve Health Coverage: Supermajorities, Transparency & Value-Based Care

 

Safeguarding Affordable, High-Quality Health Care

American health coverage must be protected—no backsliding, no neglect. Here's how we can ensure healthcare remains affordable, comprehensive, and resilient:


🛡️ 1. Require Supermajority for Health-Related Bills

To prevent quick rollback of critical healthcare protections, any legislation affecting health insurance, patient rights, pre-existing conditions, or coverage standards would require a supermajority (60%) in Congress to pass—ensuring bipartisan support and safeguarding public trust.


💊 2. Reinforce ACA Protections

The Affordable Care Act guarantees essential benefits and prevents insurers from denying treatment due to pre-existing conditions myjournalcourier.com+1newyorker.com+1. We’ll codify these protections permanently and restore premium subsidies to prevent millions from losing coverage .


📈 3. Expand Value-Based Insurance Design

Encourage plans that reduce costs and improve outcomes by covering high-value care with minimal out-of-pocket expenses—while avoiding low-value services sanders.senate.gov+15en.wikipedia.org+15obamawhitehouse.archives.gov+15. This model boosts quality and affordability for patients.


📋 4. Enhance Transparency & Simplify Claims

Major insurers have pledged to reform prior-authorization processes cms.gov+4sfchronicle.com+4washingtonpost.com+4. We’ll turn that into law—requiring faster approvals, clearer communications, and standardized appeals. We’ll also mandate transparency in billing, so Americans understand their costs before receiving care.


🤝 5. Protect Medicaid, CHIP, Rural Hospitals

Support the Senate’s $25 billion stabilization fund for rural hospitals cms.gov+3sfchronicle.com+3kff.org+3politico.com and prevent cuts to Medicaid and CHIP. Federal audits and block grants will modernize and protect these lifelines .


Why This Matters for District 1

  • Nobody gets left behind—coverage won’t vanish with the next political shift.

  • Affordable care is real—value-based plans and transparency reduce costs.

  • Small towns saved—rural health systems and Medicaid funding remain strong.

  • Health care stays focused on people—supermajority ensures broad support.

Friday, June 6, 2025

The Future of America Act of 2025

 

H. R. [XXXX]

To restore fiscal responsibility, modernize education, create equitable taxation, reduce national debt, and ensure a stronger, future-ready American workforce.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the “Future of America Act of 2025.”


SECTION 2. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Act is to:

  1. Reduce the national deficit while preserving critical services;

  2. Modernize America’s educational system to meet 21st-century demands;

  3. Establish a fair and scalable tax policy that supports innovation and small businesses;

  4. Implement strategic spending cuts based on efficiency metrics;

  5. Reform healthcare delivery while preserving individual freedoms;

  6. Improve transparency in federal spending through digital innovation;

  7. Establish workforce alignment programs with industry-specific job training.


SECTION 3. TAX REFORM AND EQUITY STRUCTURE

(a) Corporate Tax Brackets

  • Corporations with gross revenues:

    • <$1M: 5%

    • $1M–$50M: 10%

    • $50M–$500M: 15%

    • $500M: 18%

(b) Small Business Deductions

  • Eligible businesses may deduct up to 35% of reinvested profits into workforce development or U.S.-based infrastructure.

(c) Individual Tax Reform

  • Establish a four-tier income tax model:

    • <$50K: 0%

    • $50K–$200K: 10%

    • $200K–$1M: 18%

    • $1M: 24%

  • Capital gains held longer than 10 years: taxed at 8% flat rate.


SECTION 4. STRATEGIC BUDGET REDUCTION

(a) Performance-Based Cuts

  • Departments failing to meet KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for two consecutive years will have budgets reduced by 5% annually.

(b) Exemptions

  • No cuts shall apply to:

    • Veterans Affairs

    • Social Security

    • Emergency Disaster Relief

    • Public Health Infrastructure

(c) Federal Spending Dashboard

  • A Public Federal Transparency Portal will be created to show all government spending updated monthly.


SECTION 5. MODERNIZED EDUCATION FRAMEWORK

(a) K–12 Modernization

  • Mandated core education in:

    • Digital literacy and basic programming by grade 5

    • Financial literacy by grade 8

    • Career-based learning tracks in high school

(b) Apprenticeships and Industry Partnerships

  • A $10B/year incentive fund for schools offering certified trades and apprenticeships in high school.

  • Federal grants available for schools collaborating with private industry to offer dual-track diplomas.

(c) College Revamp

  • Promote modular certification systems where students earn credentials for every skill tier achieved.

  • Student loans available for approved short-term and job-aligned programs.


SECTION 6. HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AND PROTECTION

(a) Affordable Hybrid Model

  • Expand funding for community healthcare centers and telemedicine for underserved areas.

(b) Medical Choice Protections

  • Americans may choose their providers, plans, or opt-out of government programs without penalty.

(c) Medical Oversight Board

  • Create an independent agency to audit health insurance premium practices and control price gouging.


SECTION 7. TECHNOLOGY AND AI FOR TRANSPARENCY

(a) Real-Time Budget Monitoring

  • A Blockchain-backed public ledger will track all federal contracts, budgets, and grant usage.

(b) Fraud Detection

  • AI-powered systems will flag duplicate payments, corruption, and spending inefficiencies across all departments.


SECTION 8. NATIONAL DEBT REDUCTION PLAN

(a) Balanced Budget Goal

  • Within 10 years, discretionary spending must not exceed 95% of revenue projections annually.

(b) Surplus Allocation

  • Any federal surplus shall be used as follows:

    • 40% to debt repayment

    • 30% to emergency reserve

    • 30% to infrastructure & innovation investments


SECTION 9. WORKFORCE ALIGNMENT INITIATIVES

(a) National Skills Accelerator Program (NSAP)

  • Provides funding to retrain adults in AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and energy sectors.

(b) Trade School Boost

  • Offers $5,000 tuition credits for students entering trade schools or certification academies.

(c) Career Readiness Index

  • Requires states to measure workforce readiness in high schools and publish data publicly.


SECTION 10. INTERNATIONAL ALIGNMENT AND BEST PRACTICES

(a) Comparative Study Board

  • Establish a committee to study education, workforce, and budget practices in top-performing OECD nations and report actionable insights every 2 years.

(b) Foreign Investment Review

  • Tighten scrutiny on foreign investments in critical infrastructure while offering tax credits to U.S.-based manufacturers.


SECTION 11. IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW

(a) Timeline

  • All departments must begin compliance within 180 days of enactment.

(b) Oversight

  • An independent Oversight Council shall be created to assess compliance and provide quarterly updates to Congress.

(c) Annual Reporting

  • The President shall submit an annual "State of Progress" report to Congress evaluating:

    • Education alignment

    • Budget efficiency

    • Debt reduction

    • Workforce readiness


SECTION 12. BENEFITS OVER CURRENT SYSTEM

  • Education: Students learn skills directly aligned with workforce needs, reducing wasted time and debt.

  • Transparency: Public access to federal spending and debt builds trust and reduces fraud.

  • Healthcare: Ensures freedom and access while auditing big corporations.

  • Economic Growth: Supports small business innovation, manufacturing, and modern industry.

  • Debt Control: Sets the U.S. on a clear path to financial solvency.

  • Equity: Fairer taxation and opportunity for all—rural, urban, rich, and poor.