No. 47: U.S. Health Insurance Reform
November 1st 2009 23:55
Car sick
We all have our opinions. Some, like me, feel the need to express them. Others just remain silent. This is okay, but unless we get to the heart of the facts, we cannot make legitimate and informed decisions. We all should expose ourselves to facts and opinions from all sides. Just viewing and pondering reinforcements for our set positions will not help us learn and act.
One item getting much attention right now is "health care." Here is my opinion on it --
Insurance premiums have been rising much faster than inflation has in other areas-- including wages and earnings. This is completely unsustainable. We therefore, need some reforms. The very first one should be in semantics. We are not talking about "health care reform." WE ALL HAVE HEALTH CARE RIGHT NOW! When one needs it, one gets it. Paying for it is the problem. Calling all this, ruckus before our legislators in Washington, "Health care reform" IS WRONG, and should throw up a red flag to each of us. We have the best health care system in the world, but, once again, the problem is paying for it. NO REASONABLE PERSON WANTS SOMEONE bankrupted due to sickness.
Making a living on the battlefront, as an insurance agent, has helped form my opinions. I have railed against high premiums for twenty years, and have cried with people as they related their inability to pay bills since getting ill. Many times I have sat with people who could not even get insurance due to health issues. We NEED "health insurance" reforms.
One should applaud those who recognize this and are making attempts toward positive changes. While avoiding partisanship, we should not look too favorably, however, upon those who have not done this in the past. I feel reforms can be done step by step without throwing the "baby out with the wash." What some in Washington are doing is going to kill the "baby" either on impact or within four years. Once our present freedoms are confiscated, restoring them may be impossible.
So what should be done?
1) Tort reform. Doctors are skiddish. In order to avoid appearing before judge and jury unprepared, they order back-up data in the form of many unnecessary tests, even when they instinctively know their diagnoses are correct from the start. Often doctors also feel the need for other observers present at their every move. This is done for the same reasons. Both of these are running up the costs unnecessarily. If a physician is completely negligent, such as leaving a sponge inside a patient during surgery, there will always be recourse for those who are grossly affected. It is the punitive damages that are hurting everyone. Cap them at a reasonable level, plus reasonable attorneys' fees/expenses, and include patient loss reimbursements.
2) Portability. Allow consumers to purchase and retain medical insurance coverage across state lines.
3) Pre-existing condition rate-up and/or elimination clauses. Remove them! Allow everyone to buy coverage at the same rates per the same age level, with allowance for regional medical costs. Verifiable losses for this additional coverage could be reimbursed to the insurance companies from the taxpayer base. This would fix this problem with a fractional cost to taxpayers compared to what is being proposed by Congress and their bureaucratic minions.
4) Cap profitability. Since sicknesses are an unwelcome consequence of existing on this planet, this is justified. Most grocery store chains work on a less than 4% profit margin. There is no reason, insurance companies cannot do likewise. This is one of the only allowances I would make for this form of legislation. I dislike the option, but one can make an argument for it.
5) Prescription drugs should not cost more within the U.S. than they cost within other countries. Americans continue subsidizing the rest of the world long after we can afford it. Discourage, but not legislate, pharmaceutical firms from advertising their usage outside the medical community. This adds too much cost to the prescription.
There are people leading our nation who obviously want more than insurance reforms. They seek to attack capitalism and our freedoms, thereby setting the stage for weakening America and its positions in the world. One of the strongest approaches for advancing their position is to attack 1/6th of our economy. By controlling our health delivery system they can begin controlling more of our finances. After all, taking more from our earnings at the point of earning via taxation leaves less to spend on other items, like necessities, and other things.
Let us make it simple -- less money to spend after taxation, leaves less discretionary money to spend at other private enterprises. Non-essential-supply businesses will see their incomes dropping over time. More will go out of business and the downward spiral will continue until our nation is unrecognizable. Just ponder how each dollar not privately spent is withdrawn from the whole system and cannot reverberate and compound its effects. Former generations seemed to grasp this much better than today's generations. Perhaps this is why they were so willing to die to retain their freedoms.
Never in my life did I ever believe I would read comments espousing socialism as I do while reading articles today. These same people are spitting on the graves of many of our family and friends. It is our fault for allowing this ignorance to grow with insufficient challenges from us.
Please keep it between the lines.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Edward Allen
Sanity Road
This whole health insurance reform Why do they feel they need to take over and change the whole system, instead of addressing the problems at hand? This has many upset, and those voicing opposition are being labeled Nazis, Facists, unAmerican, and other worse and more ridiculous names.
The H.R. 3962 bill is just as outrageous as the H.R. 3200 that was shot down a while back.
It is not about improving health care in this nation. It is about power, control and manipulation. Once 1/6th of our economy, plus auto and financial sectors are overtaken, we can be reduced to poverty. We will not be able to afford our military and navy. Once this occurs, other nefarious people can take over, if they have not already started.
Australia and Britain -- pay close attention. We are just following your lead on this. Are you happy?
Comment by Edward Allen
Sanity Road