The Worst Health Care Option
I read an interesting article in the AP this morning: Are lobbyists silver lining in health care system?
The crux of the argument was that lobbyists were actually keeping the debate around health care alive.
The article argues that the health care industry “sees a strategic opportunity.”
The questions I ask are: Why would they do this and what is this opportunity?
They are after 2 things:
- Mandated health insurance - If everyone has to have it, this increases their market
- Intermediary status - They want to be in a position to directly receive funds from the government in order to control how these funds are spent
If the insurance companies can act as the middlemen, they stand to make the most profit by taking as much as they can from the government and paying out as little as possible to the insured.
This is the option that no one in America should want.
Costs will be higher, coverage will be lower, and the people who benefit most are the insurance companies.
When I see the spin from all sides, I start to ask questions like, why are the lobbyists so interested in health care reform? Is it because they want to fix a broken system? Or, do they see a way to make further profits and make a bad situation worse?
Sometimes it seems that if we wrote policy according to what the lobbyists fight most against, the public would be best off.
For example, the so-called “public option.” The lobbyists hate this. The hospitals don’t like it because it could cut payments to them. The insurance companies don’t like it because it would cut out the middle man and be a more efficient form of insurance. Rather than the money going from government to insurance companies to insured, it would just go to the insured. No chance to make a profit if you never see the money. And everyone would have insurance.
But they hate it. It won’t profit them. So they send their public relations teams out to put fear into people. It will be “socialized medicine.” Do you want some government bureaucrat deciding how you get treated? Do you want to be like Canada?
Well, Canada isn’t in this crisis. They spend less per person on health care and get more for it. And I’d rather trust a government bureaucrat than a corporate bureaucrat - at least the government bureaucrat doesn’t get compensated based on how much he can NOT pay me.
akadjianTopics: Fiscal Responsibility, Honest and Effective Government |
July 26th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Thomas Paine)
We have the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed world. Conservative estimates are that over 120,000 of you dies each year in America from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. Rich, middle class, and poor a like. Insured and uninsured. Men, women, children, and babies. This is what being 37th in quality of healthcare means.
I know that many of you are angry and frustrated that REPUBLICANS! In congress are dragging their feet and trying to block TRUE healthcare reform. What republicans want is just a taxpayer bailout of the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance industry, and the DISGRACEFUL GREED DRIVEN PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare industry. A trillion dollar taxpayer funded private health insurance bailout is all you really get without a robust government-run public option available on day one.
YOU CANT HAVE AN INSURANCE MANDATE WITHOUT A ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION. MANDATEING PRIVATE FOR PROFIT HEALTH INSURANCE AS YOUR ONLY CHOICE WOULD BE UNETHICAL, CORRUPT, AND MORALLY REPUGNANT. AND PROBABLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AS WELL.
These industries have been slaughtering you and your loved ones like cattle for decades for profit. Including members of congress and their families. These REPUBLICANS are FOOLS!
Republicans and their traitorous allies have been trying to make it look like it’s President Obama’s fault for the delays, and foot dragging. But I think you all know better than that. President Obama inherited one of the worst government catastrophes in American history from these REPUBLICANS! And President Obama has done a brilliant job of turning things around, and working his heart out for all of us.
But Republicans think you are just a bunch of stupid, idiot, cash cows with short memories. Just like they did under the Bush administration when they helped Bush and Cheney rape America and the rest of the World.
But you don’t have to put up with that. And this is what you can do. The Republicans below will be up for reelection on November 2, 2010. Just a little over 13 months from now. And many of you will be able to vote early. So pick some names and tell their voters that their representatives (by name) are obstructing TRUE healthcare reform. And are sellouts to the insurance and medical lobbyist.
Ask them to contact their representatives and tell them that they are going to work to throw them out of office on November 2, 2010, if not before by impeachment, or recall elections. Doing this will give you something more to do to make things better in America. And it will help you feel better too.
There are many resources on the internet that can help you find people to call and contact. For example, many social networking sites can be searched by state, city, or University. Be inventive and creative. I can think of many ways to do this. But be nice. These are your neighbors. And most will want to help.
I know there are a few democrats that have been trying to obstruct TRUE healthcare reform too. But the main problem is the Bush Republicans. Removing them is the best thing tactically to do. On the other hand. If you can easily replace a democrat obstructionist with a supportive democrat, DO IT!
You have been AMAZING!!! my people. Don’t loose heart. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy saving the World.
God Bless You
jacksmith — Working Class
Republican Senators up for re-election in 2010.
* Richard Shelby of Alabama
* Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
* John McCain of Arizona
* Mel Martinez of Florida
* Johnny Isakson of Georgia
* Mike Crapo of Idaho
* Chuck Grassley of Iowa
* Sam Brownback of Kansas
* Jim Bunning of Kentucky
* David Vitter of Louisiana
* Kit Bond of Missouri
* Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
* Richard Burr of North Carolina
* George Voinovich of Ohio
* Tom Coburn of Oklahoma
* Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* John Thune of South Dakota
* Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas
* Bob Bennett of Utah
February 4th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Which countries have better healthcare than the US? Because for all the talk about how we pay less per-head for healthcare and get better value for it (I’ve read that), the NHS here in the UK is awful. People put up with it because it’s “free”. Most people use moderately cheap treatment and never encounter problems.
Those whose treatment is so expensive it gets refused, however, end up having to go to…wait for it…the US to get that treatment.
So please don’t think the UK’s healthcare is better than the US’.