Edonia Part 4 - Healthcare

While your beloved Emperor was walking back to his hotel he noticed an ambulance loading up an accident victim and taking him to a local hospital. Several people were standing around and watching the activity as the man had been struck by an automobile. The victim was not badly injured but had sustained some minor scrapes and bruises and was a little shaken up. I remarked to the people standing there that he would probably regret taking an ambulance because emergency services were so expensive. With minor injuries it was better to walk to the hospital or have a friend take you in a car.

One of the bystanders remarked that it was usually not expensive for Edonian citizens to get medical help as most purchased insurance at an early age when the premiums were cheap and then maintained it for life. Since it was illegal for private businesses to provide insurance in lieu of pay in Edonia, they didn't have the problem associated with people losing their jobs or the business shutting down and people thus losing their health insurance coverage. I asked why they just didn't make business provided insurance portable so people who changed jobs could take their insurance with them. They said no because that would make businesses less likely to hire people who they think might have health problems and would trap people in whatever business they started with. With no deductions in salary for health care coverage, people were expected to buy their own insurance independent of the business.

All Edonians had the option of whether or not they wanted to buy health insurance. No one was forced to buy insurance, however, most did because it is affordable. The Edonian government made sure that their were no regional monopolies for health insurance. There were at least three health insurance providers in each region and competition between them was fierce. However, people who practiced risky lifestyles were subjected to higher premiums and if it was determined that they had lied on their applications, their coverage could be legally dropped or the applicant could be required to pay a corrective premium to make up for the difference.

Most Edonians paid for routine medical expenses out of pocket and only used insurance for big expenses due to accidents or bad illnesses. Most medical fees were worked out between the patient and the doctor which helped to keep costs down and gave doctors the flexibility of helping those who did not have much money. Likewise, malpractice claims were limited to cases where doctors were clearly negligent. A doctor couldn't be sued for accidents unless he was clearly not following proper medical procedures. Cash awards in malpractice cases were determined by a judge and limited to reasonable costs associated with the harm done such as loss of income. One could not win a jackpot judgement from an Edonian jury for emotional suffering.

There was no government health coverage for the elderly as it was believed that citizens were responsible for their own health care and each citizen had an entire lifetime to save money for health care in old age. It was also considered better not to have government involvement in something so personal as health care, particularly at the end of a persons lifespan. Each citizen was permitted to maintain a tax-free medical savings account and could use it at any time to pay medical expenses without penalty. Medical tests were usually paid for out of pocket or through insurance so that doctors and patients were not in the habit of ordering lots of unnecessary tests "just in case."

The Edonian poor, about four percent of the population, could apply for assistance for medical bills through charitable organizations. However, charities were somewhat discriminatory depending on the lifestyle of the applicant. Drug addicts, alcoholics, smokers, and the obese were not necessarily helped with associated health problems regardless of how poor they were. Assistance was primarily given to those who were poor because they could not physically work and who suffered from health problems that were not caused by their own personal choices in life. Each Edonian citizen had to accept his own fate if he did not maintain a healthy lifestyle. A man who dropped out of school, began taking illegal drugs, and turned to a life of crime would usually not qualify for assistance unless it came from a prison.

As a general rule, Edonians are very healthy and do not usually suffer from problems associated with bad lifestyle choices unless they could pay for them themselves. The overall medical system is characterized by excellent availability, high quality, and affordable costs.

Edonia Part 3 - Taxes

While your beloved Emperor was having lunch one day in the beautiful nation of Edonia, he couldn't help notice a man next to him a the lunch counter filling out a tax form. The form was a single page and had little writing on it--very similar to the 1040-EZ form used in our own nation. I asked the man, who was middle aged, if I could ask him questions about Edonian tax policy. He said he'd be happy too so I began by asking him what tax bracket he was in as he obviously had a simple form. He replied that there was only one bracket for all citizens of Edonia. All Edonians are taxed at a flat rate of 15% regardless of how much income they made. He said there were only one tax deduction that could be made and that was through charitable giving. The government would send out a list of approved charities that tax payers could select to receive up to 5% of their tax money. The charities had to have an overhead of no greater than 10% and they had to help poor citizens with living expenses or medical expenses. By doing this, they were able to eliminate government welfare programs entirely. They also found that this system provided a surplus of money that was held by the charities in special funds that could be used in times of war or disaster. The remaining 10% of the tax revenue went to pay for national defense, law enforcement, legal system, and the administrative costs of government. The cost of local government services were funded by sales taxes, property taxes, and fees for services. There were no additional local income taxes. I asked him how long it typically took him to fill out his income tax form each year. He said it took only a few minutes and that he had completed this year's form while we were talking.

Edonia Part 2 - Immigration

Intrigued by these wonderful people, I traveled to the border they share with the neighboring nation of Freedonia. Freedonia is a poor nation and poorly managed. The government is rife with corruption. Crime is out of control and there is virtually no middle class. People are either rich or they are poor and most of them are poor. Freedonians constantly try to flee the hell of their own nation by sneaking into Edonia.

The problem of illegal immigration had gotten so bad that the Edonians erected a huge wall the entire length of their 1,000 mile border with Freedonia. The wall is fully manned by their border security agency. The Edonians spent a lot of money on the wall and the security guards but they determined that the cost of millions of poorly educated and criminally minded Freedonians in their country was much more expensive than the cost of the wall.

I asked them why they didn't use their military forces to man the wall but they said that guarding the wall was not a good job for their military forces as it did not enhance their primary mission of fighting their nation's wars. A security agency with the authority and training to enforce law was a much better fit. I could not find fault with their logic.

I also asked them if they ever gave amnesty to the millions of illegal aliens who had crossed the border before the wall went up. They looked at me incredulously and explained that such a foolish act would be unfair to the people who had legally immigrated. They also explained that granting amnesty would only encourage more illegal immigrants to try to get into the country. They said it was fairly easy to find all the illegals and send them back to Freedonia. They merely required that anyone who applied for a job, voted, received public assistance, went to a public school, or was ever arrested for anything, provide proof of their citizenship. Again, I found no flaw in their thinking.

Edonia Part 1 - Political System

Your beloved Emperor apologizes for not writing for so long. Dismayed by the lapse of his Realm into socialism at the hands of the Order of the Donkeys, your Emperor decided to take a trip abroad to clear his mind. With no direction or plan in mind, your Emperor wandered into the beautiful land of Edonia. It is a land hidden away from the rest of the world and cannot be found via travel agencies or maps. One must seek it through spiritual means. It is a land populated by a content people who are strong in spirit and prosperous in their ways. Rich in resources, they are self sufficient, and live their lives in freedom and prosperity.

Arriving by chance in their mystical land, I engaged many of the citizens in discussions about the nation and their way of life. I first inquired about their political system and how they seemed to be so stable and content. I learned that their political system was similar to ours with a two party system and three branches of government. However, they had found a way to remove much of the corruption and mismanagement so endemic to our own system through the careful crafting of rules governing their political system.

First, they established a rule that prohibited anyone under the age of 45 from serving in public office. The intent was to ensure that all political leaders had lived at length as private citizens in some capacity prior to becoming politicians. This avoids much of the problems associated with politicians who take office with no practical experience in anything other than getting elected. Edonian politicians must live and prosper under the rules of society before they can serve in a capacity to that allows them to make rules themselves. This ensures they understand how well intentioned laws and regulations can adversely affect daily life before they impose them on others.

Second, candidates for public office can only take donations from individuals and the amount is capped at the equivalent of $200 per individual. All donors must be publicly identified. No organizations or businesses can donate to any political candidate. Any unused funds after the election is over must be turned over to the state.

Third, no candidate can use personal funds for their own campaign. All campaign funds must be raised from individual donors. This prevents the rich from buying an election.

Fourth, no politician or group of politicians can impose any law or regulation on anyone that they themselves are not subject to.

These four simple rules have created a very healthy political system that produces candidates who are truly representatives of the people. Most of the candidates are from the middle class and when they are finished with their political careers they return to the middle class. Your Emperor sees much wisdom in the Edonian political system. It is designed to produce elected leaders who want to help the people instead of leaders who wish to help themselves to the peoples wealth.