Health Reform and This Progressive's Response
by Tex Norman(121)
As we approach the Health Reform Moment of Truth, those against changing the American Medical System are ratcheting up the fear rhetoric. Those that want to maintain the status quo are pulling out the same tired arguments used in the past to fight National Health Care, and any other health reform ideas.
Perhaps the most touted argument against health care for all is the right winger argument that national health care puts government between you and your doctor. That is supposedly a bad thing because government is that mean ole creepy Uncle Sam who hates us and will happily make us wait for months before we can get our bypass surgery. This argument works because most people have been to the DMV and they just extrapolate. They look around at the hundreds of people waiting to take a written test, or a driving test, or to get their license, or provide proof of car insurance and they see the tired, frustrated, weary people in line, and the casual yawning government worker behind the counter saying things like, “Please sir, step back behind that line or I’ll have to have you escorted out of the building,” and they think, Oh my God, my doctor’s office could look like this!
This Progressive’s Response:
1. We don’t have to wait for government to get between us and our medical care causing crowded waiting rooms. About 50 million people have no health insurance in this country right now, and so when they get so sick they can no longer postpone seeking medical care they go to the ER, where they have to treat the critically ill even if they have no insurance, and go to a crowded ER in almost any inner city hospital and you will see something that does resemble the DMV. ERs have way too many customers. LACK of health insurance gives us the DMV style medical care for those without insurance.
2. Those who object to the government standing between them and their doctors, need to stop and remember that there already is an entity that stands between the medically insured and their doctors, and that entity is the health insurance industry. The for profit health industry, HMOs, for-profit hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and an army of health industry lobbyists already stand between you and your doctor. Does it occur to anyone that insurance companies might not be benevolent non-profits that exist only to see that you are healthy? What some movies for god’s sake. I know they are just movies but really, watch The Rainmaker that has laced throughout the story a lawyer Rudy Baylor fighting an insurance company denied life-saving treatments for leukemia by powerful insurance companies. Think, think, think of all the stories of insurance companies that automatically deny claims they know the policies cover, but they know a percent of the denied people won’t challenge the denial, and if they do the company can run the clock out until the policy holder dies. Yes they might be sued, but the insurance companies hire people to figure out if it costs more to treat or to pay out a few lost or settled law suits. If it is cheaper to let the policy holder die, then guess what the for profit insurance industry will pick. We're always hearing horror stories of an insurance company that refuses to approve a major and necessary surgery.
3. Out of Pocket Expenses stand between you and your doctor. Most anti health reform people have not seen the movie Sicko and so they think it is a movie about the uninsured and National Health Care. It’s not. Sicko is a movie about people who have insurance and they still get screwed. There are interviews with a guy who accidentally cut off a couple of fingers and had to choose which finger to have reattached because his insurance would not pay to reattach all of them. Sometimes the insurance is there but the co-pays are huge and even a working middle class person can be forced into bankruptcy by out of pocket costs.
4. Let’s not forget pre-existing conditions that can cause you to be denied insurance, or that drive the price up to a point where you just can’t pay it and deny yourself health insurance.
Fear of Unfair Government Competition
There is fear that a public option included in health reform will just drive the other insurance companies out of business and then everyone will be forced to go to the government health insurance program.
This Progressive’s Response
Do the conservative right wingers believe in free market completion or not? The conservatives say the government can’t run anything. I disagree, but if they really believe the government can’t run an effective public option then what are they afraid of?
This Progressive’s Misgivings
The way this health reform seems to be working out is going to be a little like car insurance. In most states, perhaps all states, anyone who drives a car is required to have insurance on that care. It just makes sense that if you drive you are highly likely to have a car accident. Maybe it won’t be your fault, but it is almost impossible to drive a life time and not have times when you need car insurance coverage. The same can be said for health insurance. If you live long enough you are going to get sick, or break something. Just as cars are required to have health insurance people will, under this health reform plan, be required to have health insurance for yourself and your family. Now here is the rub: Even at a modest cost many families in the lower middle class income brackets are going to have trouble paying for their government required health insurance.
My concern is that what is being created is more like required car insurance, and when you require health insurance at a cost there are going to be families in deep debt already who just don’t have the extra dollars they will need to pay for it.
Here is what I prefer. (Yes, I know it is not going to happen.) I would prefer National Health Insurance provided free of charge to all our citizens and legal residents. While I hate sales tax and understand it is more difficult for the poor to pay sales tax than for the rich to pay it, I still feel that part of the funding for health care should come from sales tax. My reason? Because if part of the funding of health care came from sales tax then everyone using the health care insurance would be paying something to support it. It won’t be enough alone, but part of the funding package should be sales tax because everyone should contribute something to pay for it.
Article submitted Saturday, July 18, 2009 & read 325 times.
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» left by robert melaccio sr (1 year 50 days ago.)
I'm one of the 50 million and I have been sick since May. $300.00 out of pocket and still sick. They have special prices for those that can;' pay, all higher. Yes and it took a month and three visits before they prescribed an anti biotic. Let is run its course. drink a lot of fluids. I now wonder what iIhave? Now the solution, pay or die and if you die and you owe will will track your family down until we get it all back. As an Israel doctor, who was an American who moved there stated. The problem in America is they think medical practice is about people when it is all about profit, You have to make money to stay a doctor. As for socialized medicine, it can work but you have to cut all the middle men, tests, redundent operations and paperwork out. Deliver home health as it should be not this facade they call home health. It woulod reduce costs significantly. No Tex, I'm afraid this version will benefit you know who, the haves and those who dream of helping others like yourself, well they really don;t care if your disapointed. You see you'll still voite for them, its a fact because you think they are different then the other guys. Sadly what thye do and don;t tells the tale. Good job, best wishes.
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» left by Anonymous (1 year 50 days ago.)
Dear Robert : I do understand that our health industry is just that, and industry. I'm getting some bad feelings in my guy about the health reform as I am hearing it articulated by law makers. In Sicko there is an interview with a doctor from a country that has socialized medicine. The purpose of the interview was to address the criticism that if we have socialized medicine that doctors will feel the profession because they can't get obsenely rich. This doctor said he had a great income as a doctor working for the government with socialized medicine. He was asked, "Is it enough?" His answer, If a big house is not enought then no. If you want 8 cars instead of 3 cars then no.
What is being proposed is not going to do what true progressives are wanting.
People in need are not going to be rescued.
I'm starting to get very sad.
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» left by Suzy from Midwest (1 year 50 days ago.)
I am seeing on Searchwarp/writing sites some excellent articles on the health-care reform and this is one of them. I have a question: will people who already have a particular type of insurance via their employers and/or other providers, be able to elect to keep said insurance with the new reform? I am thinking this is the fear of many Americans ~ they still want that freedom to pick and choose, especially in light of many people/retirees who have worked for upteen years qualifying for an excellent plan and it, perhaps, already being free or wll be free. If I have missed this particular view in your article, please forgive me as the whole matter of health reform is very complex. Thank you! SuzyRespond to this comment
» left by Anonymous (1 year 50 days ago.)
My understand of the proposed plans (there is more than one going around right now) is that YES you will be able to keep your employee based health insurance. There is no telling how the final plan will look. I feel pretty sure there will be no problem with people keeping their employee insurance because the plans all tend to be some form of mandatory (forced health insurance coverage). If you have insurance then the law won't apply to you. Maybe. Of course, if you get your insurance from a small business that employor may be on the brink of having to stop paying employee insurance, or stop suplimenting the employee health plans. When that happens, the workers are still going to be required to carry insurance, and so they will be required to buy a health insurance plan somewhere. If private companies can't provide low cost plans for the masses then there might be a government run public option, so that you can get your insurance from the government plan.
If you are poor enough and can't afford the insurance then there will be government assistance.
Here is my concern: the mandatory plans will probably be bare bones insurance -- in other words, not really great coverage. The cost is going to be reasonable in the eyes of upper middle class and upper class income folk, but for lower middle class people I fear it is going to be cost prohibitive. I'm preety sure all states have mandatory car insurance. And in I am also pretty sure that in all states lots of folks drive without insurance because they just can't afford to buy guys and feed their families and pay for this insurance.
I am a true liberal, so I would prefer a single payer government run health insurance for all. It is not going to happen, but that would be my preference. I guess it is a good think I'm never going to run for a political office. I'm sure I would be horrible to most Americans. I'm way too compassionate.
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