And Again.....Healthcare.....

I got 2 responses in the comments from Abraham and Wildflower. I love these 2 - we are probably as different as different can be but we agree that America is on the wrong course and its the Government's fault....Wildflower would probably throw in Large Corporations and I probably wouldnt disagree on some of her points....anywhooo - they made 2 comments that I want to address.


Abraham asked if I liked the Government taking monies from private citizens to give to private citizens to buy healthcare. When you state it like that - of course not.... I am tired of the Government taking and taking and either flushing the funds or giving them to corrupt individuals and organizations.





HOWEVER.....I believe that if you put the insurance industry back into private hands, many things will happen. First - people are enterprising and places will start to pop up where you could get yourself checked out dirt cheap. I dont doubt that Walmart would jump on this in their mega stores along with their cheap prescriptions. Cant you just see it being staffed by mostly PA's along with an overseeing MD/DO with just a flat fee of $15 to $20 and thats it. They will see you for all that common crap that clogs the system - it clogs doctors' offices - it clogs ERs.




I can take a butter knife and a flashlight and tell you whether or not one of my kids has strep throat. HOWEVER - I have to call and make an appointment, drive across town WHENEVER THEY CAN SEE ME, sit there while they try to work me in in order to get a prescription and then drive to a pharmacy and wait in order to finally get this sick kid home. How efficient is that? How much easier to have it all in 1 place close to where EVERYONE lives because you know those mega stores are within throwing distance of every single American.....



This type of situation will do several things - it brings down costs. It also makes it not necessary to have an all encompassing health insurance - but just a catastrophic plan. That also means that since I pay out of pocket - I negotiate - I shop around - I am catered to and not at the insurance companies' whim. It also puts more people able to afford reasonable care.



This type of situation will also unclog some of the Insurance Company hassle. Less policies, but more people actually are covered - love that paradox. More people being seen in appropriate places for the piddly stuff - ERs for emergencies and Insurance Companies lower the cost of Administration which brings down their costs and in a competitive climate, they will HAVE to bring down prices.




Something else I TOTALLY AGREE WITH ABRAHAM on is that there should be a standard form....it would make life easier and think about how many trees you would save - thats for you tree huggers ;)




Now - honestly, I dont like the giving the Government a dime - who does? But I mind it LESS when the person who gets the dime has to put in their dime too. It royally hacks me off when I give my dime and the person getting the dime doesnt even have to say "Thanks" much less contribute, work, go to school or even pee in a cup. With the above scenario, there would be less people that couldnt afford insurance and therefore those getting help would go down. Its a small consolation, but it makes me feel better.....




This kind of system could also be easier to divorce from business, which was another of Abraham's concerns. It is a misnomer that businesses just want to screw over their workers. Most of business in this Nation is small business. We are small business owners. There is nothing that gives us more pride than to have those that work for us happy. To know they like to come to work and are appreciative is a great feeling. It also keeps turn over low and that saves us money. To kick in a little is doable in most situations. Even in difficult times, most businesses do not like to hurt their employees. What they DO NOT LIKE is being threatened, hated because they make money or bent over like a Union wants to do.




So that leads me to Ms. Wildflower's comment. I dont know when profits became evil. Profit and Money are amoral. It can be used for good and it can be used for evil and just because someone has money doesnt make them one way or the other. An evil rich person would be an evil poor person. My husband works hard and I dont apologize for what he makes. Because someone has made a ton of money - it gives me the incentive, the opportunity, the proof that there is the possibility I could make it too. Wealth Envy is insidious - it quickly turns into someone thinking they are "owed" something which isnt the case.




If People really had choice in regards to their healthcare, the cost of it would necessarily go down due to competition and therefore you can assume (possibly) these "evil profits" will come down also....




However - I couldnt give a rat's behind about profits or what someone makes....why? Because there isnt a person on this planet that I want to tell ME how much I can make. Do you think the Government would do a good with that? People want to better themselves - at least most do....Most will work hard - take extra jobs - get creative and efficient with their work..... Some, when the opportunity isnt there - like in Medicaid and Medicare, they will cheat.... Take it personal - do you think you are worth what you make? What if someone decides you arent..... If that doesnt just smack of being unAmerican - antiFreedom and just plain WRONG, I dont know what does....





I will end with Abraham....Lincoln, that is ;)





“Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.”