A Classroom Discussion: Healthcare Reform

Dear Cynthia, Janice, Deborah, and Julie, you ladies are so kind and each of you collectively conveys the fears and mistrust of our Government. Rightly so with our house speaker, our press secretary, and our President who seems to have never left the campaign trail? Know that I voted for Barrack Obama and had great expectations and in some areas have met them with foreign policies, but our domestic climate is turning into pure frustration with what is becoming the majority of Americans.
This anger that is being repeated daily in town hall meetings is not just over healthcare reform it encompasses much more. No one wanted a bailout when Bush past the first one through congress. Then to add salt to the wound a much larger stimulus package was rammed through without most senators even reading the thousand page detailed report. Now it seems that they want to do the same with healthcare that has been in a flux of debate for 30 years with only a few hardened answers. This does not show transparency or compliance to the people’s wishes. We do not trust the Government because they have shown to be irresponsible by passing a stimulus that has far reaching changes that will be felt for generations to come basically without our say.
Papers, articles, and news stories say that the town hall meetings have not been productive because the people show up with their own opinions that cannot be changed and thus making it counterproductive. In my simple opinion it is very productive. We elect our senators to pour over complicated proposals, work out the details and come up with a plan that is best for the people none of which is happening. Instead it is becoming a culture clash on every level. Large and powerful social groups and their ideologies are trying to prevail in changing the American landscape in ways that conflict our constitution and the wisdom of our founding fathers. The motivation is big money and status quo.
Julie, I would also like to take politics out of healthcare but it is too late. Once Medicare was born it has been in the control and care of the Government. As it stands now with Medicare and Medicaid, the millions who show up at the ER that cannot pay, that cost is absorbed by the Government and is estimated that the Government is paying over 50% of healthcare cost at present time. This is contrast by large insurance executives still receiving millions in bonuses.
Our insurance system needs to be re-structured but this is hard to achieve because they have monopolized and holds all the cards. Not only money, they have created jobs for millions and each hand feeds the other. However a bold move could eradicate the monopoly by making all healthcares and insurance companies a non-profit organization. I believe any vocation that deals with life and death or the quality of life should focus on quality and value added not profit. Healthcare needs to be individualized and no longer offered through employment that coupling was to generate a large client base to offset the cost of those who where chronically ill and so the insurance company could make bigger profits. With the fall of GM mainly because of their healthcare commitments to their employees shows this concept to be a failure for companies while insurance companies still make a profit. Actuaries for insurance companies state that the only way preventative healthcare would be profitable for them is a portable insurance policies that stays with the insured person for life. As it stands now if you loose your job or change jobs, you get a new insurance plan and from a different company. So it is not cost productive to invest in a client’s preventative care, then that client changes insurance carriers.
I guess I am more of a socialist then a capitalist, I do not believe in monopolies the game we all have played only yields one winner. The Idea of redistribution of wealth by over taxing the rich as much as 60% for those who make over 2 million in the new healthcare plan is just crazy; the rich give our society jobs. Here is a more creative approach and it will generate money from every class. Simply a luxury tax; tax all non essential products and services at different tax brackets the higher the cost of the item. Along with that, change the tariff tax to stop run away over seas companies. This effectively distributes money without the feeling the Government is robbing you.
Tort law must be addressed with capitations and patient responsibility focus concerning compliance to your wellness plan. In the nature of law you should never be able to sue anyone for anything, it becomes let’s make a deal to thwart bad PR and we the people pay the cost.
Finally infuse competition with our monopolized pharmaceutical companies by allowing Medicare to purchase medication from the lowest bidder world wide. To compete they would have to lower their price that is inline with the world market not their monopolized one.
Well I felt like I have carried on long enough, but your responses compelled me to share.