The Health Care Debate

Isn't America great. No matter your opinion on any subject you can stand on the stump and shout it to the heavens. The problem I see are those bozos shouting over the top of those trying to have a civil discussion. I know, civil discussions are too boring. No one would watch it on the news. TV footage of people shouting at other people is much more compelling. Not productive, but compelling.

Okay, first of all, stop shouting! No opinion was ever shouted into change.

All right. I'm an average boy, here's what I see.

On my first day of school my mother held my hand and walked me to school. We barely had enough money for food and rent but I received a public education. I moved from Illinois to Arizona and drove the whole way on a free public highway. I have enjoyed public libraries all my life. Public parks, public lakes, public streets, public mail. Just because I've enjoyed public institutions doesn't mean I am a socialist.

I don't believe a single payer system is feasible. Not going to happen unless the insurance industry implodes much like the car industry. I don't see that happening. I believe all legal citizens of this great country should have access to quality health care. And no matter the source it should be affordable to their particular situation. The concept of insurance is to spread the risk. Okay, let's spread the risk and the cost to all insurance companies and their policyholders and to the remaining American citizens that have to rely on a government plan. Spread it equally. Strength in numbers is what it is all about. If independent insurance companies are the answer, fine. If a government plan is necessary for those uninsured or families that can't afford large premiums, fine. Whatever the solution will be it should be founded on equally sharing the risk. If the risk to any insurance company would be equal to the risk of any other company of its size and number of policyholders then its profitability would be more determined by the quality of its service and the competence of its management.

Here are some of the serious breaks in the current system that I feel should be addressed:

• Being uninsured because no company will take you because of pre-existing conditions.
• Network discounts. This is like my Fry's card when the checker tells me how much I saved today. Really? Saved? Make all doctors and all patients in the network then figure out what health care really costs.
• I had cataract surgery. The anesthesiologist stood beside me for less that two minutes. His bill was over $500.00. The nurse told me they had 35 procedures that day. By the way, the nurse was there the whole time. Wonder what she's paid? There were four homes sold in the Carefree area for over $2.5 million dollars each. Three of the four were bought by doctors. They deserve to be paid for their worth but really? Two different dermatologists performed the same procedure on two basil cell cancers I had one year apart. The procedure took less than fifteen minutes. One charged less than $400.00 the other for the same thing, $850.00. Doctors need to be well paid but why should they be filthy rich. Pursuing the dollar means cramming more patients through each day with the result of diminished health care. Reward doctors for improving health instead of paying them for unnecessary procedures.
• Here's a sticky one. Guaranteed issue. All citizens should have affordable insurance available but why should I buy it if I can wait until I have the problem and then buy it? I don't know if I have the answer to this one unless health care like education is an American right and available to everyone at birth.
• Make secure digitalized medical records easy to access when authorized. Doctor to doctor, patient to doctor, doctor to patient.
• We as a people must be accountable for our health and not overuse health plans. Having a $25.00 co-pay doesn't entitle you to visit the doctor each time you stub your toe.
• Not being able to afford health insurance doesn't mean you are poverty stricken. Sometimes there just simply isn't enough money for basic needs and insurance premiums. Spending money on a new SUV doesn't mean you can't afford health insurance it means you are a fool and need to learn accountability.
• Anyone that has a financial interest in seeing the outcome of the debate to culminate to their financial benefit should be required to declare that interest rather than entering the debate behind the guise of a citizens committee. Health care is a problem for our citizens and it should be private citizens that engage, not insurance companies and privileged groups.

I don't pretend to have all the answers but it is a serious problem that should be addressed by serious people. I am not for more government but our recent economic woes have shown that sometimes left to our own devises we allow greed to cloud our judgement. Sometimes the police are needed to keep us inside the lines.

Don't worry, all my blogs won't be this serious.