Many of you know I like to follow politics. I just like to know what is going on, who is doing what, and what decisions are being made. Lately I've been completely engrossed in the Health Insurance Reform Debate. I'm curious to know what others have learned, their personal experiences with the insurance companies and care providers, and what some of your ideas are for reform.
This is what I know. The cost of health care is too expensive. This can be blamed on all of us, but care providers truly do take the brunt of the blame. Some ideas for lowering costs are cap malpractice suit settlements, pay doctors a salary rather then per procedure, make health records electronic so that all your doctors can share test results rather then duplicating procedures, increase access to preventative care so that more costly illnesses can be detected early or avoided all together, allow hospitals to be able to verify citizenship before non-emergency care is administered, and create a panel, much like the ones that exist for defense and the economy, that tracks medical procedures and medicines and eliminates those that just don't work very well.
Personally, I think all of these are good ideas and should be included in any reform. If we want to slow down how quickly costs are going up, then we need to eliminate a lot of waste.
What I also know is that insurance companies have had too much power and not enough competition to keep costs low. Instead of offering us lower premiums by becoming more efficient, they lower costs by offering less coverage (my insurance just went up $500 a year for less coverage, my parents plan they offer the employees at Pioneer Pit Stop has been eliminated and they get to choose from small list of more expensive, less coverage plans), and denying coverage to someone because of a pre-existing condition. Pre-existing conditions can include pregnancy (some states have laws against this), cancer, disability, chronic problems such as heart defects. Also, many plans have lifetime caps on what the insurance company will pay. So if you become gravely ill, you could be cut from your plan because your care is costing them too much.
In the final reform bill, there needs to be clearly defined rules against the above mentioned health insurance practices.
Our federal and state governments are already facing deficits, and those will continue to increase as the baby boomers come closer to retirement. Lowering health care costs is just one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important piece as Medicare is a key part of American's retirement. It is also the job of the government to promote our "General Welfare". I believe that ensuring that all of us can receive medical attention when needed is a part of our General Welfare.
What has been so upsetting about this whole debate, is how amazingly stupid many of our so called journalists and politicians are. Thank goodness Sarah Palin resigned, she has no place in politics. Her comments about her son with Down's syndrome having to face a death panel if reform is passed is not only completely untrue, but does nothing to help reform take place. She may be against parts of the propossed plans, but to lie is completely immoral. I know for a fact that the largest provider of services for people with disabilities, Easter Seals, endorses the presidents reform ideas and have been actively participating in writing legislation specifically for people with disabilities. And then there's Rush, Fox News, Lou Dobbs, and a whole host of talking heads who continue to try to scare us from any reform at all. Oh and our gem of a House Minority Leader John Boehner (R) who is only interested in saving the insurance companies from the big bad government. But, who am I to assume that elected officials are supposed to look out for the people. Ah, and the wonderful Senator from Montana, Mr. Baucus (D). That man has so much money in him from the insurance companies its no wonder the plan out of the Senate Finance Commiittee is little more then a slap on the wrist and does not do enough to slow the rising costs of care.
I don't want the comments to be about the president. We can agree to disagree because I know most of you did not vote for him. However, common sense leads us to believe that reform in the health care field is vital as our country recovers from a major financial meltdown. Let's put politics aside and discuss health care reform.
Note: I did not mention the public option because I do not believe it will be in the final bill that passes the house and the senate. I do not see the point in discussing an option that most likely won't happen. The senate does not have 60 votes for a plan that includes a public option, and this bill will not pass with a simple majority in the senate.
6 comments:
I agree with you that something needs to be done....I have worked for employers who don't even offer any kind of medical benefits and I'm not the only one there. My sister is working full time right now to get herself through college and while they finally approved dental for her after four years of her working there they won't approve any kind of medical benefits. There aren't any good options either Basic Health is wonderful but they have a waiting list a mile long private insurance you pay entirely yourself is expensive even before you pay for your care and CHAS clinics are packed because it's the only way someone can get any kind of care outside of the emergency room. I can understand people's concerns that they are worried about a centralized health care system because it's so different from what we have had but all I know is that there is a big population of working people who have had to take any job they can get to get by who can't afford any kind of medical care.
What is the current health care plan? No one knows because the Democratic Party won't share it with anyone. Obama hasn't read the item, he just wants it passed, regardless of the $1.5 trillion it will cost that will no way be able to pay for itself. The transparency we were promised from this administration is as thick as mud and the constant attack on those who currently disagree as being Nazi loving Unamerican traitors to this country. The cloud of deception here is ready to flood this entire country into complete bankruptcy and destroy the nation. The PR firm for the DNC is the media unit that is trying to label these "organized protestors" at town hall meetings as paid propaganda promoters for those hickbilly Red State Republicans! What do we honestly need? Reform on lawsuits. Doctors will prescribe unnecessary things for two reasons: a. they are scared or b. they are greedy. I believe you could put 50% into both. Hense, the rise in medical costs because the gaudy lawyers like John Edwards who can talk to the spirits of his defendants to rattle the system for $15,000,000 settlements that he takes 40% of. First, start with a legal system that does not reward with punitive damages and then you will see a severe decline in healthcare costs. Second, make everyone pay. Make everyone have skin in the game. If you give a free ride, it will never be used as intended, but remain the same as it currently is. All healthcare programs should have options, high deductibles, limited coverage, etc., allow the buyer to decide exactly what they are going to buy.
What does the system currently call for? Who knows because the DNC won't tell us. They fill us full of guilt by saying that this is what everyone needs and it is best that we help each other out. A load of trash from Pelosi and Reid. Of course, the best thing would be to oust Obama, Reid and Pelosi and get real leadership in there.
Of course, I am disagreeing with the DNC and that would be completely unAmerican as Obama would be telling me right now. The Truth Squad (Brown Shirts or Gestapo) will be out to get me. Oh Well!
I am thankful for people like Sarah Palin who have the guts to say things that others are afraid of. The fact that Obamacare wants to put in place a "death panel" frightens the heck out of me. The best thing possible is to not put Obama in charge of healthcare. He's as unAmerican as I can think of. Let the grassroots voices be heard that Obama's plan is not the right plan. The day that the DNC finally silences the Republic, we should be frightened!
Brad, I think you should watch a little less Fox News.
As for the plan, all 5 currently approved by the different committees are available for the public to view.
As for reform, your little sister needs it pretty bad. Also, 2 or your siblings and 6 of your nieces and nephews are on basic health. They don't pay and its a good thing, they can't afford to right now. I'm happy to have my tax dollars go towards their health care.
Melissa, I haven't watched FOX News in about 6 years. I read. When a system calls for $1.5 Trillion dollars to pay for itself, where is that money coming from? Those who make $250,000 and more can't be the only ones. It will have to come from everyone. This administration is setting up the American People with a bill that will cause us to pay 90%, according to most economists, of our paycheck to the government. Regardless of how much you make, that will not suffice our system or our people. Mitt Romney made everyone pay and his system has turned out better than the system the Canadians have. Unfortunately, poor government leaders that have followed failed to run the system correctly and now they are in a failed system as well. Maybe you should stop reading Change.Org or stop watching MSNBC or pay attention to the fact that Obama has been wrong on every endorsement and every fact he has declared to the American People. If we are going to push blame for increased costs - lets blame the Democratic Party! Did you know when Washington State passed the Insurance Referendum allowing triple damages to wrongfully denied claims - they excluded the healthcare industry - that was pushed by the Democrats. Thanks to our Democrats here is Washington State and around the Country, we are failing economically in all areas. Free Healtcare is not where we should be starting. There are a lot of other variables at play here before we get to healthcare. A lot more variables.
I don't watch MSNBC or get my news from change.org. I read a variety of newspapers to get my info. You do know that there isn't a "plan" yet. There are 5 pieces of legislation passed by 5 committees, by the time the House and the Senate agree on one, they will be so radically different from where they are now. And I don't think anyone is talking about free health care. Even with basic health, you pay a premium, you just don't have to pay at your appoitments. My only point is costs have to been contained even to support growing Medicare, and that Americans shouldn't fear becoming sick because they cannot afford care. In my post you will see that I am all for every cost saving technique that has been proposed, including allowing hospitals to verify citizenship before administering non-emergent care. And like Massachusetts, a believe that having health care should be mandatory. But we have to lower the costs of insurance premiums so that Americans can afford them.
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