Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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.”

8 comments:

HermitJim said...

Wow...lots to think about in this post! Very good!

I'm glad we can all have these good discussions about the issues, and do so in a calm fashion without all the hollering and yelling I tend to run into locally.

Wildflower said...

Greed is evil. The love of money is evil. Even the Bible weighs in on this.

Jesus made a much ignored comment about a rich man having a hard a time getting into heaven as a camel crawling through the eye of a needle.

John also wrote something in Revelation about folks throwing their gold and silver in the streets.

My point isn't to go all self-righteous and religious, it's to point out the extreme greed that has taken over our country since the eighties.

There's nothing wrong with being a hard worker and taking pride in what you do--many who do that will make money.

But what escapes rightwingers is the ones who run and own health care companies who pay off the likes of our elected representives, Fox news, and Glenn Beck do not consider themselves like you and me.

They look down on people who work, who own small business, who are trying to make it. They are completely amoral.

These are who deserve your ire, but because of their propaganda and payoffs, they don't get it.

Look at our big business food industry, look at how our government runs. If we really look into it, we would be appalled.

The way big business handles health care is no different. It is ALL about profit, nothing about caring, Christian values, or anything good.

It's something I think the average American is going to learn too late.

I also appreciate the chance to put forward a different point of view without the name calling and temper tantrums.

I appreciate your point of view also, and it's one shared by many.

What I'm getting at is the status quo (and paid propaganda) put forward by big business (the conservative rightwing) needs to be investigated and questioned, not just simply accepted.

BTW, I think our entire political system, including the Democrats and Obama, are paid off. Unless a miracle happens, it is unlikely that we enjoy the healthcare safety net that the rest of the entire civilized world has.

Our tax dollars instead go to corporate welfare and the war machine (which profits big business also).

I drive my tractor in pearls... said...

I hate being put in the position of defending "right wingers"....I am not going to make excuses for evil behavior the same way I will not make excuses on the left for evil behavior - they should all be swept into fire.

However - there is not a state run medical system IN ANY COUNTRY that doesnt ration care, deny drugs (that are available here) or just not let their people get access to...

In France, people have to buy supplemental PRIVATE insurance....

In Canada - not everyone can get a primary care physician - if you cant get a doctor, how can you even get in the door to get treated?

In the UK - they deny treatment and drugs to those over a certain age...

Or we could go for the Chinese system and just kill people, make them abort babies or just kill the babies after they are born or we can harvest organs from convicts...

As rotten certain aspects of the USA health insurance is, it is better than anything else in the entire world....period. If there is a better system, I would love to hear it...

Also - having the option of buying insurance out of state would also make companies compete on a national level as well as allow small "mom and pop" companies access to local markets...

Wildflower said...

As rotten certain aspects of the USA health insurance is, it is better than anything else in the entire world....period.

Respectfully, this simply isn't true. Large US insurance corporations ration care in a scary way and often more than other universal care systems. The media often buries the stories, but haven't you heard instances of people with insurance cancelled once they get cancer or other serious diseases? This is very common. Oftentimes you can't get certain medications or treatment you need because the health insurance says so or deems it experimental.

Personal example, I was just diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and my doctor wants me on the biologicals. Big Pharma makes tons of money off these drugs and pushes the prices way up in the U.S. over what people in other countries have to pay. It will cost me $1500 a month just for my medication.

My insurance, Coventry, will only pay a percentage. I can't afford $500+ a month for just this one med. If I were Canadian, I'd have no problem. I'd have what I need and not be in pain.

Employees get bonuses for cancelling someone, even a child, thus saving the company while letting the person who paid their premiums die. The horror stories are legion. The big insurances companies are always in court and settling.

This sort of thing simply doesn't happen in countries where health care is not for profit and not run by soulless corporate entities.

Even Cuba has better health care than the US. It's true. I swear it.

We are always bragging we are the best, but sometimes it doesn't hold up to facts. Just do your research.

Abraham said...

I do like the neighborhood clinic idea. It's much better than having parents bring their kids to the ER for school vaccinations.

I fight with insurance companies almost everyday. I've have personally been denied coverage that I had to fight and battle to have my health issue eventually covered. The first three levels of my HMO said no instinctively and reflexively. They didn't even give my appeal fair consideration. If I was an old, poor, non-english speaking or uneducated person I may not have had the where with all to fight the insurance company and win.

Insurance companies are rationing care now. The cost of insurance is killing small business people. They deny coverage for preexisting conditions.

There is a more effective way of delivering healthcare than having insurance companies acting as the gatekeepers of our medical care.

In my eyes insurance companies are the wrench in the machine.

I did a little research and found an article that may be of interest.

"Through all entities in its public-private system, the U.S. spends more per capita than any other nation in the world,[11] but is the only wealthy industrialized country in the world that lacks some form of universal health care.[12]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_health_care_systems_compared

Mayberry said...

Pearls, you are my sister. Really... I think we were separated at birth!

And for once, I agree with Wildflower! Well said ma'am. Greed is definitely evil...

As it was so many years ago, the free market will find it's balance. Just leave it alone.... The best thing for the government to do is nothing at all. Get out of the way, and let the People set the course!

dee said...

WE are a franchise pharmacy, in other words our own boss for 17 years sorry Pearls but the us system is sooo broken. I also am a nurse and hve seen the anguish on former good-paying employees have had to put up with when the health insurance stops. I take arimifex as a cancer survivor, costs us $240/mos WHOLESALE. Our catastrophic policy cannot be improved upon because I am locked into the level Iam at , even tough now I can afford better. Fortunately, I had a supplemental policy that pad the $3500 oopocket expenses before BC kicked in. I lived in England for 11/2 years and the blokes Iwas friends with ere pretty content with their care. AND they can get investigative drugs ,it does take a little longer to comre down the pike BUT THEY GET IT. No system is perfect, but we should not lose our shirts, homes savings to cover a castostrophic illness and all this screamoing and hollering the Limbaugh types are doing at town halls is stupid, they don't listen they merely disrupt.

Anonymous said...

Greed is evil is it so???
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