We live in a bundling society. Bundle your phone, Internet, and cable into one manageable package and bill. Bundle your insurance purchases and receive a discount. It’s everywhere.

We also receive bundling options during our elections.

Each candidate presents a bundle of positions and we can only choose one bundle. In the same way, each party bundles their positions and we have a difficult choice to make. All choices are nonnegotiable and nonrefundable.

This is true in our healthcare system, too. The state of the U.S. healthcare system has been a hot topic on the political campaign trail. The words “Obamacare” and “Romneycare” have become popular terms. But with such an important topic, what does it all mean and what are we getting with each candidate’s bundle?

Definition of the terms

First, we have Obamacare, the nickname for The Affordable Care Act passed in 2010. Obamacare has many provisions in its 2,400 pages. Obamacare was actually modeled partially after Romneycare, which is the healthcare plan Romney and the Massachusetts state Democrats passed in 2006. For our purposes, I’m going to call the Massachusetts plan MassCare.

It’s important to differentiate MassCare from Obamacare. MassCare in its current state is a state-level plan, not a federal plan. MassCare isn’t a proposed solution for the nation.

Meanwhile, despite all the hype in the press, Romney’s plan for the nation has almost nothing to do with MassCare. Romney’s federal plan, which I’ll nickname RomneyPlan, includes 15 proposals listed on his website. RomneyPlan from a high level includes the repeal of Obamacare and the reinstatement of a state-by-state system.

The real differences between Obamacare and RomneyPlan

If you’ve looked at either plan on the surface, they do have a few similarities. But let’s look at the differences between Obamacare and RomneyPlan.

Obamacare:

• The federal government is very involved and there is one set of rules for insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid.
• Businesses with 50 or more full-time employees are required to provide healthcare.
• It includes a “mandate” that all people must have health insurance.
• A penalty (i.e., fine) is assessed to those who don’t obtain health insurance.
• There is a committee that determines the type of care that must be covered under health insurance.
• Phasing out the prescription drug benefits on Medicare’s donut hole.

RomneyPlan:

• Health insurance is in the hands of each state and preference is given to private providers, empowering consumer choice of provider.
• Each state is very involved and there are 50 sets of rules for insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid.
• The non-poor can obtain healthcare at hospitals if they have no insurance. (Note: This isn’t an issue for Obamacare since everyone is covered.)
• More incentives are provided for people who use private insurance companies. For example, those who don’t use preventative women’s healthcare wouldn’t pay for those services under his plan.
• Funds from a personal, tax-sheltered, health savings account (HSA) may be used to pay for private insurance.

Both:

• If you live in a community on the border of two states, you will have access to insurance from the state that serves the community (local clinics and hospitals), even if you live in the bordering state.
• Financial assistance is provided to the poor to ensure they are covered by health insurance.
• Access to free annual wellness exams.
• There is a guarantee that the poor can obtain healthcare at hospitals.

Making a choice and having an input

With over 2,000 pages in Obamacare, it’s difficult to sift through and understand the impact his healthcare reform has on us in layman’s terms. On the flip side, Romney isn’t providing detailed specifics, with only bullet points listed on his website. And this discussion here today is only scratching the surface of each healthcare plan.

But do we have options beyond RomneyPlan and Obamacare? Yes, actually. With our efforts at PeopleCount.org, the American people will be able to vote for and share their preferences without any artificial bundles. When you complete your Healthcare Political Profile, it will include other choices that aren’t in the current bundles offered by our politicians.

For example, what about offering a nationwide healthcare provider, similar to the systems in Canada, England, and other European countries? This care might be paid for via our taxes or by our employers, instead of people paying health insurance premiums.  Or we could consider revising Obamacare to keep what’s working and revise what’s not.  We know all the noise the parties and special interests made about these, but what do we, the people, want?

Never forget there are other options. And with PeopleCount.org, we want to help you voice those options. So moving forward, when you decide who to vote for, make sure you know what is and what is not in the offered bundles.

What else can be done to improve our healthcare system that our candidates don’t mention?