By Laura Dolan
As the Senate gets ready to resume debate on a sweeping health care reform bill, many critics complain the bill lacks any serious cost cutting measures.
We found one business owner in Florida who decided to do it himself. His name is Harry Rosen.
Fed up with rising costs, this owner of seven hotels in Orlando ditched conventional health insurance eighteen years ago and created his own health care plan for everyone who works for him. Now, his staff of 28 cares for over 4,000 patients, including the families of his employees.
He says he covers his employees for less than half of what most employers pay to provide insurance. But there’s a catch.
“If you smoke Jim, you can’t work for me.”
You must do it the “Rosen” way, which means employees must use the clinic and follow doctor’s orders, especially if they have a chronic condition like diabetes. If they don’t comply, its three strikes and you’re out.
Though the primary care is restrictive, Rosen contracts without specialists and area hospitals for those who need it. There are critics who see conflicts of interest, including Jeffrey Bloom, a trial attorney in New York who specializes in medical mistakes. His concern is privacy.
“Why is an employee going to feel comfortable telling a doctor the most intimate details of their personal life, their family’s life,” says Bloom. “And if you're the employer, where is the protection that the doctor isn't going to share with the employer, 'Gee, this person has a medical problem you need to be aware of.'"
“There is a bit of big brother looking over to make sure that you’re following the regimen,” Rosen added.
Rosen is more concerned with Congress than his critics. Under the current bills before Congress, he says he would save money by shutting down his clinic because the penalties in place are a fraction of his current costs. He’d like a waiver of some sort so he can keep his plan going.