|
Anger Over
healthcare:
-
At first blush,
the anger from the right over giving all Americans health
care seems disproportionate for what is actually happening.
All Americans already have healthcare, we just have a really
sick system for paying for it. No hospital in the US
can legally decline services to a patient.
-
People on the
right typically believe one should work and be productive in
order to reap the rewards of American society which includes
some of the best healthcare in the world.
-
Therefore, the
expansion of healthcare to 40 million + Americans who it is
believed may not be the most productive members of our
society, is simply a massive expansion of WELFARE.
It's just disguised in "healthcare" clothing.
The Sad Side
of the Current Healthcare Reform Effort
-
We are missing a
great opportunity to really reform how healthcare is paid
for in this country.
Healthcare is
currently governed by each of the 50 states individually.
The Federal Government should regulate minimum insurance
standards nationwide.
Tort reform should
include excessive lawsuits and breach of contract by the
insurance companies.
Health
Care Reform vs. Insurance Reform
There is a
failure of the insurance system and the health care system.
Why I
don't like the current proposal:
it does nothing to reduce costs
it does nothing to make the health care system more
capitalistic
doctors get paid for more services, not less, regardless of
outcome
(health industry incented to perform more services.)
Bring capitalism
(e.g. free market) into the health care system for a uniquely American solution.
-
If I go to a
restaurant and I don't have to pay, I'm ordering steak and
lobster. If I have to pay myself, I'm ordering the
chicken. If the consumers of heal care services have no
financial obligation, the healthcare system will quickly
become bankrupt.
-
The insurance
companies are also highly collusive and use their political
connections to insure that they don't have to compete.
What's in it
for me?
-
I already pay for
Medicare although I won't receive any benefits for another 6
years.
-
My company and I
pay for a high deductible policy for which I virtually receive
no benefits.
-
I use an after tax
HSA to pay for healthcare services at rates double what they
should be because the healthcare providers have to make up for
patients that are unable to pay.
I'm screwed 3
ways and the proposed health care legislation does nothing
to reduce my cost. It is highly probable that with
passage of a health care bill, my costs will go up further and
quality of care reduced even further.
Possible
solutions:
-
Insurance
companies make all the payment decisions and if the insured
disagrees, he or she is forced into a very slow process of
forced arbitration. Since when did Americans sign away
their legal rights just to have health insurance. You
can't sell body parts and babies in the US, even under
contract, so you shouldn't have to sign your right to sue
away. A quick trip to small claims court might go a long
way to cleaning up the insurance company's act.
|