I do wish that anyone in this current administration would stop with the obligatory “I inherited such a mess” introduction. Very seldom does anyone on the president’s team ever start any interview without saying something like this, as if anyone in the US does not know there were and remain many problems. To me it is kind of like trying to rebuild your marriage by slapping your wife in the face to start a conversation.
I watched the president’s speech the other night about Health Care Reform. All was going well and I agreed with most of what he was saying up to when he said he wanted a public option as part of the proposed insurance exchange. I wish someone would tell me how a public program no matter if it is not subsidized by the government, will not have an advantage over a private (for profit) insurance company.
You see the problem is that a private insurance company is a corporation and has stock holders and must make a profit to stay in business. A government plan would not need to make a profit and if it is anywhere near as good as the private coverage and is lower cost, it will drive the profit driven companies out of business. How can any profit driven business compete against a non profit entity? Why is this so hard to understand?
The President and others say over and over that the public option must support itself, but they neglect to mention that it will not have to make a profit and thus it is unfair to say things will be equal. Seems to me that those who are pushing for the public option do not care and would just as well drive those evil corporations out of business. Never mind that they probably work for a corporation and that our system is built on capitalism.
Another thing I find counter productive is to say that Republicans just want to say no and do not want health care reform. I think both parties want reform, but there are other ways to get the job done. I am absolutely against the public option. All the rest of the major points the President brought forth, I do agree with. BUT BUT BUT… Here is the big kicker.
I watched the president’s speech the other night about Health Care Reform. All was going well and I agreed with most of what he was saying up to when he said he wanted a public option as part of the proposed insurance exchange. I wish someone would tell me how a public program no matter if it is not subsidized by the government, will not have an advantage over a private (for profit) insurance company.
You see the problem is that a private insurance company is a corporation and has stock holders and must make a profit to stay in business. A government plan would not need to make a profit and if it is anywhere near as good as the private coverage and is lower cost, it will drive the profit driven companies out of business. How can any profit driven business compete against a non profit entity? Why is this so hard to understand?
The President and others say over and over that the public option must support itself, but they neglect to mention that it will not have to make a profit and thus it is unfair to say things will be equal. Seems to me that those who are pushing for the public option do not care and would just as well drive those evil corporations out of business. Never mind that they probably work for a corporation and that our system is built on capitalism.
Another thing I find counter productive is to say that Republicans just want to say no and do not want health care reform. I think both parties want reform, but there are other ways to get the job done. I am absolutely against the public option. All the rest of the major points the President brought forth, I do agree with. BUT BUT BUT… Here is the big kicker.
How are we going to pay for it? This is what I have heard is the President’s method to pay for the plan. Cut waste in Medicare and eliminate the Medicare Advantage program and charge insurance companies a fee for their luxury plans for the rich policy holders. My wife and I and millions of others on Medicare are in the Advantage program. It will cost us a lot more for comparable coverage if this program is eliminated. If there is waste and corruption in the current Medicare system, then stop it now and show us the saving for a few years and then go ahead with the changes.
Here is what Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel, a top advisor to the Obama Administration’s health reform efforts, wrote in the Feb. 27, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality of care are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change." I believe he is telling the truth and we should take him at his word.
The president says that he will not sign a bill that adversely affects the national debt. And if it does he will make cuts to adjust for the extra costs. More cuts to Medicare????? Medicare is in big trouble and in my opinion one of the behind the door advantages of the rush to change the health care system is to fix the Medicare mess on the backs of current and future Medicare recipients.
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