Where’s Archie Bunker when you need him.

Well it’s done. The House has passed health care reform and by Tuesday it will be the law of the land. Even though a majority of Americans do not approve, even though it’s taken more than a year, even though special deals were cut at the outrage of the American public- 30 million new people will have to be absorbed into the current health care system. My first question is where will all the doctors and nurses come from to handle this influx? Many say these people are already seen in our emergency rooms. Which is true. However, they will now be seen in our primary care system which will not be able to cope.  Now let’s move on. The states will be saddled with the burden of having to pay for an expanded Medicaid system that many of these 30 million will be absorbed into. The feds will pay initially but slowly state participation will be required by law. The states can barely pay for their current share of Medicaid with the people already in it. How are they to pay for all these future enrollees?

Next we’ll discuss the health care companies. They have been battered and bruised in this debate. Are they virtuous companies above reproach? No, but they do a mostly good job and employ thousands of Americans. Moreover, health care company profits make up 2% of the costs of health care in this country. After this billed is signed they will effectively become utilities. Yes utilities. You know, those companies who give you heat, gas, water and electricity. The same companies who have annual rate hikes (which our state and local gov’t's always promise to get under control but never do), long phone wait times, poor customer service (and that’s generous) and service interruptions. Well that is what is in store for us in future. You think it takes long to get a general doctor appt? HAAA!! Just wait. In Canada, the average wait time for an appt is 8 months.

Now my favorite part. The part in the bill that says I HAVE to buy insurance. Why? To pay for everyone else? To pay for those who make unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking and eating badly and then become a burden on our health care system? The basic answer is yes. Well that is crap. I’m young and healthy and make relatively smart choices when it comes to what I put in my body. If I don’t want to buy health care I shouldn’t have to. I’ll certainly ensure I have health insurance when I’m older and my body becomes more run down but the federal government (nor state or local) have the right to force me to buy anything. Now some people say well you have to buy car insurance. Well yes, a car has the potential to be a deadly machine that can run over people and cause property damage. Therefore, we have car insurance. You operate heavy machinery you have insurance. But forcing me to buy health insurance or slap me with a fine? Outrageous. You know what Obama and company? After rent, car insurance, car payment, electric bill, gas bill, cable bill, internet bill, cell phone bill, grocery bill, filling up my gas tank, buying clothes to wear, and if I’m lucky going out with friends from time to time there is no money left to buy health insurance. And giving me a $2,000 subsidy for something that will cost me $6-7,000 is of no help whatsoever. So take your mandated coverage rule and shove it.

Finally, this bill stinks. We can’t afford it. We simply don’t have the money. Are changes needed to our health care system? ABSOLUTELY. But just b/c the cake tasted slightly off doesn’t mean you throw out the whole recipe. You make small changes to make improvements. What was needed was a smaller, smarter and more efficient bill with benchmarks to measure progress. Meaningful tort reform that will ultimately lower the malpractice insurance burden to medical professionals, providing more federal educational grants instead of loans to allow more students to enter the medical profession, allowing inter-state competition to increase choice and lower cost, allowing pick and choose policies (what a 25yr old needs will be drastically different from a 50yr old father of 4), providing incentives to the industry to digitize records, promoting and increasing research and development to ensure the latest technologies are made into reality to increase quality and lower costs, making it worthwhile for business, individuals and health care providers to promote and practice wellness living to improve quality of life and lower costs and finally facilitating the  creation of public/private partnerships on a state and local level to bring health care to those without and stimulate market forces to bring about choice, lower costs and increased quality of care.

In conclusion, it will take years for the full effects of this legislation to be felt. Ask the citizens of TN and MA who already tried universal health care and are now seeing higher premiums, increased costs and business/economic development stifled. But when we do feel the effects it will be federal health care: pentagon prices, post office efficiency and IRS customer service.

(Or we could just triple the tax rate for all Obama/Pelosi/Reid voters and let them pay for this and leave the rest of us the hell alone!)

Tagged with: democrats • economy • health care • health care companies • healthcare • insurance • insurance companies • obama • pelosi • reid • republicans

Filed under: Guest

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