Wednesday, May 20, 2009

health is not for profit

Passion Fruit Vine

"Bureaucracy" is a dirty word in today's health care discussion. "Government" another dirty word is perceived as a dysfunctional entity by many in the US.

But is it?

In the past i published a piece that outlined all the services government did well. Building and maintaining the interstate highway system for instance, Clean Water and Clean Air Dept. including sewage treatment plants. Our air and water is significantly cleaner than it was in the 60's and could be much better. Workplace safety cutting accidents and death by 40% since inception. The National Weather Service which alerts all of us including planes and ships to inclement weather. Food and Drug Safety and Science research. Did you know government pays for 80% of the basic science research in this country?

This list could go on much further. Other clearly effective programs and policies would include our National Parks, the Voting Rights Act, Social Security and Medicare, Rural Electrification, AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Cooperative Extension Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Crime Information Center, and of course all the Military. Again, these are just the accomplishments of government on the federal level – they don't count the thousands of other successful public sector endeavors on the state and local level.

Terminology is constantly used to refocus you away from things that could benefit you.

Government is bad remember that.

When you hear the word government....think "bad".

Programming your thinking is complete when you always think government is "bad" and doesn't function. When the programming is successful you are permanently entrenched in "bad" even though all over the country government is functioning more successfully than not.

Insurance companies are claiming that working with them to modify the health care land scape will save trillions over ten years but is this accurate? They say they will slow the rise of health care costs by one and half percent per year over the next ten years. They then go on to estimate a savings total of 2 trillion over ten years.

Please note that they say nothing of cutting costs. They are counting on their clever wording to disguise that what they are really offering is to merely decrease the rate of increase. They will still be making profits off your illness.

At that rate, in ten years we will be spending $2.5 trillion dollars on health care rather than the already outrageous $1.5 trillion we spend now. Assume their estimate of a 6.2% rise in costs each year and do the math. It is an offer without substance. The sick remain a vehicle for profit.

The players in this industry have for too long exploited us. Now is the time to return health care to the caring and end the industrialization by insurance companies.



The anti-trust laws need to be changed so doctors and hospitals are unshackled.

The argument goes that insurance companies take risks by insuring you. They pool the money just as a National Health Insurance Program would pool money. There is no difference except the profit motive is removed if we opt in to a public program. You are told your taxes will increase and yes that will happen. But the increase in taxes will be less than the premium you pay for insurance and those pre-existing conditions will now be covered.

Here is one proposal for a national health plan, i'm not necessarily endorsing it but at least it is there for the public to review. It covers everything and more than my insurance plan...how about yours?
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-703

Do Republicans have detailed plans to improve our health care access and coverage and could you send it to me to review?

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