health care and you..vegas voice article
The national health care system was ruled unconstitutional by a republican-appointed federal judge the other day because it required everyone to buy into the system but previously two other federal judges, both appointed by Clinton, ruled that it was constitutional so the eventually the decision will be made by the Supreme Court. We, the people, though need to really think this through and in this column today I am going to ask you to drop any preconceived ideas about it and read this with an open mind. Because it is such an important subject, this little screed may take two issues to complete but here is my main thrust and my reasoning behind it.
If we let the national health care program go down the costs to the country will be horrendous! Right now Americans pay more for health care than any other industrialized country and, by all measures such as obesity, child deaths, age expectancy etc, we get less. Not only that when the national inflation rate is practically nil, health care costs have gone up over 9% per year over the last four years and is expected to top 10% in 2010 when all the figures are in. Many people are covered by group health plans through their work but when the insurance companies raise the rates employers shift most, if not all, of the increase down to the workers. However since wages have been flat since George Bush took office in 2000 and continues so under Obama this increase to the workers is not balanced out by raises in wages so consequently these workers, instead of getting raises, are getting real money reductions in their pay checks so, logically speaking, they have less money to spend which hurts ALL other business and thus keeps the national economy from expanding at the rate we need. Not only that but the cost of health care for employees is factored into the cost of whatever product or service the company provides so that it becomes inflationary for the nation as a whole. Whenever you buy literally anything in America you are paying for some one else's health care plan and when you buy something big such as a car you are paying a dozen companies health care costs; the tire company provides health care, all of the suppliers such as batteries, cables, spark plugs, door handles, seats, dashboards etc etc etc all provide health care and each and EVERY one of them passes that cost onto the car company who then adds X percent to that and then includes their own health care outlay so the cost of the car goes up by hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Put in a NATIONAL health care plan and the cost of all things made in America goes down. Even the companies that outsource their manufacturing have to pay health care costs for the American companies that ship it, truck it, package it, stock it etc. And here, once again, you and I pay for it.
Under a NATIONAL health care plan we would be able to control costs much more efficiently at the doctor and hospital level. You must always remember this axiom: INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF PAYING CLAIMS, THEY ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF COLLECTING PREMIUMS! Every one of you reading this knows a horror story about an insurance company denying obvious legitimate claims or lowering what they will pay leaving the private person in deep financial straits. And here is a dirty little secret that most do not know, hospitals will not negotiate with private people over costs but have to negotiate these same costs if they are being paid by the insurance company so the hospitals and doctors don't get their full pay so what do they do? Why, guess what?, they pass those costs onto everybody else. Under a national health care plan costs would be negotiated and put into place for all people at all times. And if we put in some kind of tort reform, doctors would be freed from the ungodly costs of insurance against frivolous lawsuits thus being able to lower their costs to all of us. Not only that but hospitals are required by law to treat all people who come through their doors and this includes not only poor citizens but illegals as well and these people do NOT pay but payment is made by you and I. Having a requirement that ALL people have a national insurance card means that the hospitals will always be reimbursed for their costs and not have to pass them on to the general public.
Next month we will cover the tremendous cost of insurance fraud and how a national health care system will put a huge dent in that and we will cover how all the other industrialized countries handle their national health plans.
I leave you with this quote: "Let us put an end to the teachings and preaching of hate and evil and violence. Let us turn away from the fanatics of the far let and the far right, from the apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of law and those who pour venom into our nation's bloodstream." Lyndon Johnson.
If we let the national health care program go down the costs to the country will be horrendous! Right now Americans pay more for health care than any other industrialized country and, by all measures such as obesity, child deaths, age expectancy etc, we get less. Not only that when the national inflation rate is practically nil, health care costs have gone up over 9% per year over the last four years and is expected to top 10% in 2010 when all the figures are in. Many people are covered by group health plans through their work but when the insurance companies raise the rates employers shift most, if not all, of the increase down to the workers. However since wages have been flat since George Bush took office in 2000 and continues so under Obama this increase to the workers is not balanced out by raises in wages so consequently these workers, instead of getting raises, are getting real money reductions in their pay checks so, logically speaking, they have less money to spend which hurts ALL other business and thus keeps the national economy from expanding at the rate we need. Not only that but the cost of health care for employees is factored into the cost of whatever product or service the company provides so that it becomes inflationary for the nation as a whole. Whenever you buy literally anything in America you are paying for some one else's health care plan and when you buy something big such as a car you are paying a dozen companies health care costs; the tire company provides health care, all of the suppliers such as batteries, cables, spark plugs, door handles, seats, dashboards etc etc etc all provide health care and each and EVERY one of them passes that cost onto the car company who then adds X percent to that and then includes their own health care outlay so the cost of the car goes up by hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Put in a NATIONAL health care plan and the cost of all things made in America goes down. Even the companies that outsource their manufacturing have to pay health care costs for the American companies that ship it, truck it, package it, stock it etc. And here, once again, you and I pay for it.
Under a NATIONAL health care plan we would be able to control costs much more efficiently at the doctor and hospital level. You must always remember this axiom: INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF PAYING CLAIMS, THEY ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF COLLECTING PREMIUMS! Every one of you reading this knows a horror story about an insurance company denying obvious legitimate claims or lowering what they will pay leaving the private person in deep financial straits. And here is a dirty little secret that most do not know, hospitals will not negotiate with private people over costs but have to negotiate these same costs if they are being paid by the insurance company so the hospitals and doctors don't get their full pay so what do they do? Why, guess what?, they pass those costs onto everybody else. Under a national health care plan costs would be negotiated and put into place for all people at all times. And if we put in some kind of tort reform, doctors would be freed from the ungodly costs of insurance against frivolous lawsuits thus being able to lower their costs to all of us. Not only that but hospitals are required by law to treat all people who come through their doors and this includes not only poor citizens but illegals as well and these people do NOT pay but payment is made by you and I. Having a requirement that ALL people have a national insurance card means that the hospitals will always be reimbursed for their costs and not have to pass them on to the general public.
Next month we will cover the tremendous cost of insurance fraud and how a national health care system will put a huge dent in that and we will cover how all the other industrialized countries handle their national health plans.
I leave you with this quote: "Let us put an end to the teachings and preaching of hate and evil and violence. Let us turn away from the fanatics of the far let and the far right, from the apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of law and those who pour venom into our nation's bloodstream." Lyndon Johnson.
posted by Ron Shock | 11:48 AM
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