Topic: Health Care
Government Heath Care - NOT When people become dollar signs, everyone losesby Raven West, J.D.
(libertarian)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Once upon a time, the medical profession was one of high regard. Doctors actually made house-calls and knew their patients by their name. Those days are long gone. Now it's all an insurance game and one, like in Vegas, the house always wins.
Health insurance companies hold a strong monopoly which they will never release. Unlike auto insurance that you can purchase anywhere, only a select number of heath insurance companies are permitted to sell policies in any state. When there is no competition, there is no need to reduce costs. Or increase service. If anything thinks the government can reform the system, they created, their living in a fantasy.
We have a free clinic in Thousand Oaks where medical professionals volunteer their time to administer simple care to the uninsured . If they have an opening, it will be several months for you to make an appointment. The waiting room is packed, and you'll spend 3 hours or more waiting to see a doctor, or a nurse, who will take as little time as necessary to do a routine exam.
This is government health care.
The pharmaceutical companies spend millions on television ads for their prescriptions, with the tag line "ask your doctor". If your doctor needs YOU to ask him about a medication, you need to find another doctor. With the cost of prescription drugs going through the roof, you would think the drug companies could find better use of their profits then spending them on ads.
The health care debate has been going on since Richard Nixon. Like the weather, everyone has something to say, but there is very little that anyone can, or is able to do.
So why even bother?
There are some battles that are lost before they begin. The insurance companies will always control who gets care and how much as long as the medical profession demands payment for their service. Malpractice insurance premiums are through the roof. Human life is a commodity, not worth very much to the industry that is making billions off the misery of others.
To reform health care, you have to reform basic human greed and that is something that no one is capable of accomplishing.
Once upon a time, the medical profession was one of high regard. Doctors actually made house-calls and knew their patients by their name. Those days are long gone. Now it's all an insurance game and one, like in Vegas, the house always wins.
Health insurance companies hold a strong monopoly which they will never release. Unlike auto insurance that you can purchase anywhere, only a select number of heath insurance companies are permitted to sell policies in any state. When there is no competition, there is no need to reduce costs. Or increase service. If anything thinks the government can reform the system, they created, they're living in a fantasy.
We have a free clinic in Thousand Oaks where medical professionals volunteer their time to administer simple care to the uninsured . If they have an opening, it will be several months for you to make an appointment. The waiting room is packed, and you'll spend 3 hours or more waiting to see a doctor, or a nurse, who will take as little time as necessary to do a routine exam.
This is government health care.
The pharmaceutical companies spend millions on television ads for their prescriptions, with the tag line "ask your doctor". If your doctor needs YOU to ask him about a medication, you need to find another doctor. With the cost of prescription drugs going through the roof, you would think the drug companies could find better use of their profits then spending them on ads.
The health care debate has been going on since Richard Nixon. Like the weather, everyone has something to say, but there is very little that anyone can, or is able to do.
So why even bother?
There are some battles that are lost before they begin. The insurance companies will always control who gets care and how much as long as the medical profession demands payment for their service. Malpractice insurance premiums are through the roof. Human life is a commodity, not worth very much to the industry that is making billions off the misery of others.
To reform health care, you have to reform basic human greed and that is something that no one, not even a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is capable of accomplishing.
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article are those of Raven West, J.D. only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Raven West, J.D. is
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employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
I think there are some things that can be done. The MSM will not put the ideas out there because they are stumping for Obama.
Malpractice reform is one of the items being tossed around, but from what I've read, Democrats receive about 98% of contributions from these trial lawyers. So it won't be on the table. Tort reform is truly needed.
Opening competition across state lines is another, the problem here seems to be that different states have different laws. Hardly insurmountable. We can fix that.
Changing the present healthcare coverage from the "first dollar" covered system to a two tier insurance system would be huge. A system where one is covered for a yearly physical and perhaps routine medicines, then a deductable to about $2500 would be paid by the patient. This would give the consumer more control of their care and lead them to choose wisely, which doctor and how much does it cost. Todays insured never ask what the cost will be. They don't shop and they don't pay much attention.
Catastophic care would kick in after the deductable was paid out. All insurance companies would be required to pool the costs of this care and pre-existing conditions. There would be no reason for them not to insure if they had to pay their share anyway.
There are also ways (voucher ?) to cover the really poor.
This would be far cheaper than a government takeover, but the collectivists do not want to hear it. Their agenda goes far beyond healthcare, unfortunately.
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