Healthcare Blogs And Their Liberal Point of View
I have been reading a lot of blogs today regarding the overall healthcare debate. Most of what I read on the Internet tends to be from a Liberal point of view. I think all views should be heard, but it is interesting that Liberals are so very angry over this topic, and seem to post in a disproportionate volume compared to Conservative views. Granted, that is just my anecdotal observation, but it does seem one sided. Also, these sites can’t seem to help themselves in throwing in comments about their anti Iraq war feelings on a healthcare post. I still have not figured that one out.
All of this reading has me thinking about my own employees and their various situations. Our employees pay a net of $31 a month for individual healthcare insurance from a major carrier. Every employer can afford the same type of insurance we offer if they choose to. Obviously some of them simply choose to not offer the benefit. In other cases, we have employees that just decide they don’t want healthcare insurance. That is their choice (at least for now). Either way, it really makes me wonder why the whole issue of the uninsured has to be so complicated.
I would like to see everyone have to buy insurance coverage. I just think it makes sense for the greater good of us all. By itself, that one factor would help control costs for all Americans. If any American can afford a cell phone and cable bill combined, they can buy health insurance. If they can’t afford both, then get rid of the cell phone and cable, the health insurance is more important. Also, I don’t have a problem with Employers being mandated to offer insurance to its employees, with help to small businesses from the government. Yet, I would prefer that employers pay into a pool based on employee size and all American’s purchase insurance on their own, just like they do car insurance.
I guess my bottom line here from reading all the post today is this. Too many people want the government to run healthcare. That is one major mistake if we go down that road. The people that tend to want this who post on the blogs believe incorrectly that all the problems in healthcare go away with government intervention. If only they had a larger thought capability and realized it would make things much much worse. So, keep the government out of my life as much as possible, but a proper role for government would be to help make sure that all Americans have access or help in purchasing private insurance.
My individual employees pay $31 net for great coverage. Can someone please fill me in on how an employer or employee can’t afford this?
November 12th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Like so many of the issues in this seasons political debates there are many approaches to resolving this issue. In general, I totally agree with you that the questions and problems of healthcare can be totally and effectively addressed from the perspective of the marketplace offering solutions. We need only look to WalMart to see that effective and affordable solutions can be put in place for routine medications. They offer over 300 medications at $4 per month! This solution was brought about through thoughtful corporations doing what was in the best interest of their employees and customers, and yet being able to be profitable in the process.
Personally, I go back to the Federalist Papers and the discussions our forefathers had regarding the role of the government in the lives of those governed. I tend to fall on the Federalist side of this argument. It is not the place of the Federal government to dictate to anyone that they should have healthcare or not. That is not the purpose of the Federal government. The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution clearly states that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” What does that mean in reality? That this issue should be addressed First by the PEOPLE (i.e. be responsible for your own health needs), and Secondly, by the States. Never should it be dealt with by the Federal Government.
Unfortunately, in the Liberal political environment we find ourselves in today too many look to the US Federal Government to answer all needs, and to solve all problems. This is not an area they should be involved in, and the people should demand that they stay out of the process.
The market has offered solutions for Millions, why not acknowledge that some people may choose not to exercise these options. Some may accept the risk. If the states want to mandate that they must share the risk (by having insurance) well so be it. But the peoples right to LIBERTY should be protected. That’s my opinion.
November 12th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
I entirely agree. The concept of a mandatory insurance offering by employers seems entirely fair to me. There are plenty of reasonably priced plans available, should employers dedicate a few thought cycles to researching the options. Further, if individuals choose to opt-out, that is their option, so noone says that a person would HAVE to have insurance, just be given the chance.
Well, you may say, that covers the employed, what of the unemployed and people of an age where purchasing healthcare insurance is simply not feasible? To that I would reply, if a person finds him/herself in this situation, the government DOES speak to this in the form of Medicare and Medicaid. Now, assuming that a person slips between the cracks, and finds themselves in a situation where these options cannot be exercised, at the very minimum almost any city in the US has a subsidized “Free Clinic.” While the particulars of these programs are off-topic here, I would just like the main point to be that there is an option for healthcare in almost any situation a person may find themselves in.
So, I wonder what would REALLY happen if the government took control of the healthcare industry? My guess is that as a first matter of business, they would impose strict limitations on charges, probably following the Medicare Fee Schedule (if not exactly that schedule, some other charge limiting schedule that would be very low). So, would that just mean that Doctors might have to give up their summer homes? No, I think it would cut a great deal deeper than that, economically speaking, the job wouldn’t pay as well as it used to, which in turn would probably cause an exodus of physicians to countries where their American medical education would glean them a premium for their services…assuming that doesn’t happen in full, I’m guessing that fewer people would even choose to pursue a medical degree that costs upwards of $100,000 only to be pigeonholed into, what would essentially become a moderately paying government job. Going further down this disastrous theoretical pathway, the with the quantity of medical students declining, most likely the quality of student would also decline, in turn leaving us with more second or third tier physicians than we currently have. So, there goes the quality of healthcare…at that point, I’d rather pay for the flight and go to india to have my specialized procedures performed, because at least there I wouldn’t have the feeling that I was left with a second-rate surgeon that doesn’t care as much about me because his paycheck isn’t going to alter by one cent whether I live or die.
All right, so that was very much a worst-case hypothetical, I’m sure it wouldn’t actually be that bad, but then, I would personally not prefer to gamble my life on it. Healthcare should stay privatized, after all, competition almost always brings the best of the best out.
As for people that choose to include this topic along with derrogatory statements for our military operations, mounting deficit, or whatever; they are clearly looking to give more credibility to their anger toward the government by including a topic that affects everyone, in their governmetn bashing sessions.
November 14th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I love a free market society and I love the fact that competition breeds more competition and success. As I read this discussion, I think there is great opportunity for all of us to improve our healthcare delivery system.
Our government taking over the reins of healthcare is not the answer. Let’s not abdicate our authority. Let’s all of us in the healthcare sector step up to the plate with ideas and solutions not gripes. Like it or not, we’re in this boat together.
I don’t know about you but I’m tired of rhetoric over reality that I hear and see streaming out of just about every media outlet their is. It seems to be fairly one sided. I want to hear all points of view but with a BALANCED approach to our topic of health care. Also, I’d like to hear from the providers themselves. What do they have to say on this subject?
November 15th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
This is great information but how can real people pay only $31 a month on health insurance? I am self-employed and have a family. Where is the best place to find an HSA and lowcost health insurance? The LAST thing I want is for the government to have control of healthcare.
November 15th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Lisa, HSAs are great tools to help control costs at lower expenses. However, they are still expensive if you purchase as an individual. There are many agents now exclusively focused on sellint to individuals.
One thing that may come from the current healthcare debate is to take healthcare out of employers hands and place in the hands of individuals. Several healthcare plans are proposing for employers to pay into pools, goverment tax money also goes into the pool, and then vouchers are given for all individuals to buy their health insurance. This would help make self-employed people much more likely to get affordable healthcare.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
[…] company offers an HSA plan to all of our Full –Time employees. As I have said on this blog before, a single employee only pays a net of $31 a month in premium, which of course is one of the […]
November 12th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
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