by TheInsuranceFiles » Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:47 pm
According to a recent survey over 80 percent of Americans think that our current health system needs a big change or an entire overhaul. This includes the insurance portion of our health system. Costs for health insurance have DOUBLED since 1996 in America. I myself hadn't noticed since I am young and haven't been paying insurance for that long but that's almost as bad as gas prices when you think about it. It appears people want better communication between providers (that would help a lot) and also a better flow of information. I don't know how many times I have tried calling for help on something and I get forwarded 5-6 times and still no one seems to have any clue what I'm talking about.
I think the biggest problem lies in the amount of Americans that don't have insurance. I know in the last year or so we have eclipsed 300 million people, and about 1/6, or 50 million, are not properly insured. You know it's bad when presidential candidates are using health insurance reform as a major topic in their campaigns to get votes. There are a lot of help programs out there for people who can't afford or don't have access to insurance, but in my opinion the information for those programs isn't available and is usually only known about by people who don't need it. I tend to agree that we need to change the way our health insurance system works, basically what I would like to see is more information. I mean, if a company provides charity care, how come the service providers or charity company itself not advertise the service as being available?
Well, I'm sure some change is coming, starting in November, let's just see if the change is for the good and corrects the current problems.
I think the biggest problem lies in the amount of Americans that don't have insurance. I know in the last year or so we have eclipsed 300 million people, and about 1/6, or 50 million, are not properly insured. You know it's bad when presidential candidates are using health insurance reform as a major topic in their campaigns to get votes. There are a lot of help programs out there for people who can't afford or don't have access to insurance, but in my opinion the information for those programs isn't available and is usually only known about by people who don't need it. I tend to agree that we need to change the way our health insurance system works, basically what I would like to see is more information. I mean, if a company provides charity care, how come the service providers or charity company itself not advertise the service as being available?
Well, I'm sure some change is coming, starting in November, let's just see if the change is for the good and corrects the current problems.
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 04:15 am Post Subject:
I just saw the movie "Sicko." It gave me a different perspective on the health care debate.
I know that Michael Moore has an agenda. He doesn't try to hide his agenda so hopefully we can respect him regardless of whether or not we agree with him.
He was able to show that a nationalized healthcare system or socialized medicine isn't ruining the economies of the nations that offer these benefits to their citizens.
I agree that capitalism is a better system when compared to socialism. We should take care of ourselves and work hard to achieve if we want bigger homes more comfortable retirements or better vacations. However, there are things that a government can do more efficiently than the private sector. There are issues regarding economies of scale and reliability. We shouldn't privatize our military, post office, police force or the governmental agencies that keep businesses honest such as the weight and measures agencies and the FDA. I am starting to think that the government can deliver health care more efficiently than our present system.
We have too many people whose lives are impacted by high medical bills. These people often lose their homes when medical care is given to them that they cannot afford. They sometimes lose their lives when care is withheld because they do not have the means to pay for it.
I do believe that we are, or should be, or brother and sisters' keepers. However, if we cannot offer these people medical care for altruistic reasons, we should think about the impact our inaction has on our economy.
When a person cannot get the medical care that he or that she needs to get back to work we lose a tax payer and gain a tax eater. If that person is a parent of a minor or minors, we may lose that child or children as well. The child or children may not get the rearing that the need to be productive tax paying citizens if a parent is sick. Even if the sick person is a sibling, the parent's attention and monies will go to the sick child leaving the other children with less. A well thought out health care system can make this a better country with more productive tax paying citizens.
One other issue in regards to capitalism and innovation is that people who are afraid to leave their employers because they will lose their health benefits will not start their own companies and invent and innovate and grow our economy. "Socialized" medicine could be very good for capitalism.
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 06:05 pm Post Subject:
"The American health care system is in crisis. The costs of health care are skyrocketing. And too often, quality of care is inconsistent. Forty-six million Americans lack health insurance, and millions more have coverage that is inadequate and unaffordable. The current system is a strain on patients, doctors, nurses, hospitals, business owners, and the broader economy. The economic crisis on Wall Street and Main Street makes reform even more urgent, and demands that health care reform be at the top of the agenda."
Who's the best bet to help solve this problem?
McCain, my friends.
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