Thursday, May 7, 2009

HEALTH CARE REFORM - WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

I don’t trust the government (Congress/Senate) or private health insurance companies to help design quality, affordable universal health care.

I’m suspicious
that, no matter what they do, the average worker will not be able to afford health care.

Why?

The President is trying to create balance in the system, but Congress/Senate, Big Business and Health Insurance companies are creating road blocks.

As long as you have greedy management, greedy Wall Street, laws that allow businesses to pollute the air/water/earth, to screw the employee and not give them a fair wage, the average working American will still not be able to afford health care.

I’ve covered the fair wage topic in previous posts. I talked a lot about housing costs. I don’t need to even go into grocery, auto/home insurance, transportation costs, because housing costs will bankrupt you alone. Without credit cards and refinance [crush the life out of you/never get out of] debt, the average middle working individual/family cannot afford to live, much less afford health care. Period!

Congress/Senate must fight for higher wages, lower cost, clean renewable energy, low rent/lower interest rate mortgages, and if you have to have a few credit cards, make them fight for lower finance charges on those cards. In addition, businesses should not be able to lobby to influence legislation that impacts negatively on the average American [such as lobbying against the Employee Free Choice Act].

What are we finding? We are finding collusion between Big Business/Health Insurance companies and Congress/Senate.

In other words, the average American will not get quality, affordable universal health care. What you will see is some watered-down hybrid health care system that makes health insurance companies (management, stockholders) richer; as well as those people who designed the system.

You can forget Republican support for a fair system, because they’re out to make themselves and private insurers richer off the backs of the average American.

If we’re using tax payer money, design a single-payer government health care system. Make sure pre-existing conditions will be allowed and rates should be on a sliding scale, based on income minus housing costs (up to a maximum). Get rid of collusion and corruption by putting safeguards in place, and designing regulation that prevents abuses by business and officials in government.

I want to add one more issue. Republicans consistently use the following talking point to scare people regarding public health insurance:
They say government will be in your business, trying to tell you what procedures you can and cannot have, and using your private information for some nefarious plot. BULL!

There is more denial of treatment and non-payment for procedures from health insurance companies than government sponsored health insurance. Private insurers can also raise your rates whenever they want; and the people who administer and make the decisions regarding purchase of insurance and claims can share information even though it is private information. For instance when you go to purchase life or health insurance, that information is shared with the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) which acts as an information exchange on behalf of its members. If you apply to another Member company for life or health insurance coverage, or a claim for benefits is submitted to such a company, the MIB, upon request will supply such company with information it its files.

Please write your representatives to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, Cap and Trade (so people don’t get sicker), significant minimum wage increases, and support the President’s plan to overhaul the tax system (especially for wealthy individuals and Big Businesses that pay no or almost no tax because of tax havens and loopholes).

Punish the representatives who oppose the above by not re-electing them. That means especially watching almost all the Republican Senators and between 7-11 Democratic (blue dog type) Senators on how they vote on issues and legislation. Also watch what issues they bring up, legislation they propose and amendments they try to slip in.
-

-

Medical Insurance Bureau
-

Stand With Dr. Dean - Emergency Briefing, May 4, 2009

WORDS DESIGNED TO KILL HEALTH CARE REFORM
-
KEY TO AFFORDABLE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IS MEDICARE-FOR-ALL SAYS INSURANCE EXPERT
-
FROM A PHYSICIAN WHO IS NOW A LONG TERM PATIENT (in answer to a question from a Brit)
-
Another Dissatisfied Worker
-

No comments: