Health Care Insurance Disappearing

5 Responses to “Health Care Insurance Disappearing”

1. Health Care Insurance Disappearing | The Word « Employment Law Says:
   

   [...] S­ee mo­­re h­ere: He­alth Care­ I­n­s­uran­ce­ Di­s­ap­p­e&#173… [...]

   March 20th, 2009 at 8:34 am
2. The Wonder Pets Says:
   

   Obama administration’s “real health care reform” will involve the government. Can anyone tell me 1 federal agency or federal program that the government has that is better or more efficient than the private sector? The answer is NOT government. Not in health care, not in anything in your life. God help us all when the government gets its grip on individual health care.

   March 20th, 2009 at 9:21 am
3. John Phillips Says:
   

   Thanks for weighing in.

   Though most of us may have thought that the private sector has always performed better than the government in many areas, the private sector has fallen on hard times of late. Banking and automobile manufacturing are two “programs” that quickly come to mind where the private sector has run them in the ground.

   In any event, when it comes to health care, it’s often said that the federal government has the best health insurnace coverage there is and if all Americans had access to it, we wouldn’t have a health care crisis.

   I would also suggest that the federal government couldn’t have possibly created a bigger mess of a health care system than we have right now, which has been largely created and controlled by the private sector.

   Health care reform means different things to different people. To me, it means reforming the system so that everyone has access to health care. Even if one thinks that’s going too far, the problem we’re facing to a greater and greater extent is that health care is less and less affordable. Many employers are, therefore, dropping it altogether, and those who continue it are doing so only by increasing deductibles, increasing an employee’s share of the premium, and taking other measures that make it difficult for employees to participate in employer-sponsored plans or that cause employees to be underinsured.

   I don’t think the government will maintain health care in a perfect way, but it’s the only entity that has a shot at making it possible for all Americans to have it.

   March 21st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
4. The Wonder Pets Says:
   

   John,
   You are exactly right that health care reform means different things to different people. My biggest objection boils down to this: the government seizes more of my hard-earned money to redistribute it to cover health care costs of someone else. There’s better ways to get American’s without health insurance insured. Those ways do not involve the government exercising their infinite wisdom that they know how to spend MY money better than I do.

   And, not to pick a nit, but you say “it means reforming the system so that everyone has access to health care.” Everyone does have access. Everyone doesn’t have insurance. Some people have to pay full price, some don’t.

   Whatever the health care reform ends up being with our government involved, let’s hope it doesn’t turn out as bad for the citizens as the national health care has in other countries.

   March 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
5. John Phillips Says:
   

   Thanks again for your thoughts on this subject. As before, you make some good points. Although reasonable people can disagree on this subject, I think we can all agree that no one really knows or has the answer.

   The government’s lack of infinite wisdom is clearer today than ever before. However, there are some things that only the government can do, at least for the most part. National security and law enforcement protection come to mind. Social security and Medicare wouldn’t exist if it were not for the government. If we had privitized Social Security as some argued not that long ago, we’d be in serious trouble. The highway and road system in this country is something that only the government can pull off, at least in my opinion.

   I understand your point about some people having to pay full price and some not, but that’s not the full story. The people who can’t pay the full price because they have no insurance don’t get the same care. They get barely any preventive care, which arguably is the most important kind. Many people who’ve always had health insurance are finding out what it’s like to not have it. They’ve lost their jobs and their insurance. They can’t afford COBRA. They don’t go to the doctor when they need to, unless they are on death’s door. They don’t get the medication they’re supposed to be taking.

   I don’t think you can lump all national health care programs in other countries in the bad category. The governments and citizens of some countries will argue that they’re universal insurance works just as well as our patchwork system.

   I don’t know what the answer is, but I think it’s unrealistic to think that the doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and employers can together come up with a way to deal with such an enormous problem. In my opinion, it will take our less than perfect government.

   Thanks again for your analysis.

   John

   March 23rd, 2009 at 12:46 pm

Leave a Reply