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Fixing a broken system
Congress should act swiftly to pass health care reforms sought by President Obama
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 | 2:07 a.m.
An Illinois man who was undergoing chemotherapy lost more than his health care coverage when his insurer discovered that he hadn’t reported gallstones that he didn’t know about. The delay in treatment cost him his life.
A woman in Texas preparing for a double mastectomy suddenly was prevented from going through with the surgical procedure because she forgot to tell her insurer about a case of acne. Her insurance was reinstated but not before her breast cancer had doubled in size.
These tragedies represent what is really going on in America on a daily basis, the result of a broken health care system that has been neglected by Congress for far too long. It is why President Barack Obama, in a stirring speech delivered Wednesday night before a joint session of Congress, cited those two examples as reasons why lawmakers must act swiftly to enact much-needed health care reform.
Obama made an impressive case for reform, offering a detailed and achievable plan that represents a stark contrast to the empty scare tactics and lies from Republican naysayers who have no interest in fixing what is broken.
There won’t be any death panels for seniors, coverage for illegal immigrants, communistic government takeovers, federally funded abortions or runaway deficit spending, as Republicans have suckered too many of their constituents into believing. There never were.
There is no reason for anyone to lose his cool, as Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., did when he shouted “You lie!” after Obama denied that his plan would cover illegal immigrants. Wilson apologized to Obama shortly thereafter — and the president accepted — but we believe other Republicans should apologize as well for intentionally misleading Americans in an attempt to score cheap political points.
They owe it not only to the more than 46 million Americans who are without health insurance, but also to tens of millions of others who have inadequate coverage or are at risk of losing their insurance because of a new job or trip to the unemployment line.
What is not to like about the fact that Obama’s plan would allow Americans to keep their existing health coverage? What is not to like about the fact that Americans could get insurance despite preexisting conditions? How could anyone argue against the benefits of allowing Americans to retain their coverage even if they change or lose their jobs? How could anyone oppose a plan designed to trim the nation’s budget deficit by $4 trillion by reducing wasteful spending?
There is nothing that promotes the spirit of capitalism more than good old-fashioned competition, the kind envisioned by Obama in his proposal to establish an insurance exchange to help individuals and small businesses shop for affordable health care coverage at competitive prices. As the president aptly stated, the bargaining leverage that participants in the exchange would have as one big group would be the same as that enjoyed by large corporations and government employees.
It was also a good idea for Obama to propose that all Americans carry at least basic health insurance, drawing a reasonable parallel to laws that require motorists to have auto insurance.
By also incorporating ideas from Republicans — including Sen. John McCain, his general election foe last year — the Democratic president has shown a willingness to reach across the aisle when confronted with opposition party proposals that make sense. These include McCain’s idea to provide low-cost coverage to protect individuals from financial ruin if they become seriously ill, and a plan to reduce the health care costs associated with defensive medicine as practiced by physicians who are fearful of malpractice lawsuits.
“But know this,” Obama told Congress, “I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than to approve it. I won’t stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what’s in this plan, we will call you out ... And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.”
Republicans, are you listening?
We certainly hope so. By failing to enact these reforms, Congress would be sending a terrible message to the American people. Congress, in effect, would be saying that it is OK that insurance premium costs have risen three times faster than wages and that there is nothing wrong with forcing insured individuals to pay $1,000 per year on average to defray the costs of emergency care for the uninsured.
Congress has a fiscal responsibility to rein in runaway health care costs, as well as a moral obligation to ensure that all Americans are afforded the right to receive adequate medical care so they can live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
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There won't be any death panels for seniors, coverage for illegal immigrants, communistic government takeovers, federally funded abortions or runaway deficit spending, as Republicans have suckered too many of their constituents into believing. There never were.
There won't be any death panels for seniors, coverage for illegal immigrants, communistic government takeovers, federally funded abortions or runaway deficit spending, as Republicans have suckered too many of their constituents into believing. There never were.
It's more important for Congress to act intelligently and with integrity than to act swiftly. Whatever it finally does is going to affect millions for years, decades. If reform is poorly thought out, or done mostly with the idea of keeping big pharma and insurance company profits right where they are while giving lip service to "change," we'll have a nightmare. Don't think that things can't be worse. With this Congress at the helm, they can.
Yes, sure, do as the Sun wants. Pass this health-care scheme quickly -- before you even have a chance to read the bill.
I'm sure the Democrats will pass something, and there will be a Rose Garden ceremony to sign the Ted Kennedy Watered-Down Health Care Act of 2009.
Tip to Obama: During the ceremony, you can't vote Present. You have to actually sign it.
The Kaiser Family Foundation states that 18,000 people die every year from conditions that could be easily treated if they had health insurance.
14,000 people nationwide lose their health insurance coverage every day. At the moment in Nevada, COBRA payments for insurance for a family of four costs approximately 125% of a person's monthly unemployment payments. The Kaiser Family Foundation projects that within the next 10 years the average annual insurance premium will double.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan just increased their monthly premiums by 22% (negotiated down from a demanded 56% premium hike). Other insurance companies are considering similar increases while simultaneously reducing what they are covering and steadfastly refusing to change the way they operate.
Emergency Rooms are overloaded with uninsured and underinsured people, forcing even more costs on the insured when they skip out on their bills.
So tell me - how long should we wait?
How long should we wait? I vote for forever. I've got mine. Get yours. And don't take a nickel out of my pocket to do so.
300 million insured Americans and they find the most agregious two cases to highlight. How many horror stories have we heard from VA ( HIV and hepC infections), from Medicare and Medicaid.
There will always be people who mess up and do things wrong with horrible results, but remember there are millions of procedures done every day that saved lives and improved health.
The debate in politics is never rational as each side highlights the exceptions. I just simply don't want any more federal government. It is way too big already.
"I vote for forever. I've got mine. Get yours."
I can't, you moron. Pre-existing condition.
So you basically have just told me to die.
Thanks ever so much.
keep calling that little maggot joe wilson @ (202) 225-2452...
phone still busy...
web site still down...
what a coward that little maggot is...
and most importantly...
make sure you send a little check to his next opponent...
here is the link to donate to the next representative from that pathetic state known as south carolina...
contribute now!!!
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraiser......
More anecdotes that don't paint the real picture. The fact is Americans are more likely to get many costly treatments here than in other universal health care countries. You are more likely to survive cancer, heart attacks and receive dialysis treatment in America than many universal health care countries.
Reform is needed, but not Obama care.
We need to stop taxing insurance policies and income used to purchase insurance.
We need to eliminate mandates on insurance policies. Each mandate drives up the cost.
We need to lift restrictions on health insurance competition. Nevada prohibits individuals and small businesses from buying out of state policies. For example, an individual policy in California is $480 a year cheaper than in Nevada (because the risk pool in California is much larger).
Contrary to the Obama administration's repeated assurances, millions of Americans who are happy with their current health insurance will not be able to keep it. As many as 89.5 million people may be dumped into a government-run plan.
Some Americans may find themselves forced into a new insurance plan that no longer includes their current doctor.
Americans will pay more than $820 billion in additional taxes over the next 10 years, and could see their insurance premiums rise as much as 95 percent.
The current health care bills will increase the budget deficit by at least $239 billion over the next 10 years, and far more in the years beyond that. If the new health care entitlement were subject to the same 75-year actuarial standards as Social Security or Medicare, its unfunded liabilities would exceed $9.2 trillion.
While the bills contain no direct provisions for rationing care, they nonetheless increase the likelihood of government rationing and interference with how doctors practice medicine.
Contrary to assertions of some opponents, the bills contain no provision for euthanasia or mandatory end-of-life counseling. The bills' provisions on abortion coverage are far murkier.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_...
gmag/birdie/tweetie/heckleorjecklel: Joe Wilson's opponent appears to be a classic Blue Dog.
"Nevada prohibits individuals and small businesses from buying out of state policies."
Explain how you reconcile the fact that California insurance regulations and Nevada insurance regulations are different.
Or are you like Bill O'Reilly and think the Federal Government should usurp the state's power to regulate insurance industries within their own states?
Hey... Bill O'Reilly... name dropping. I wonder why his ratings have increased greatly the last few months.
The writer states: "Congress has a fiscal responsibility to rein in runaway health care costs..."
Hey, all right... Congress is finally going to do their job and rein in runaway health care costs.
Wait a minute... How about eliminating all the fraud they talk about in Medicare?
If Congress can't control the fraud in Medicare, how can they run a new health care system?
Doug,
California too, prohibits health insurance competition with out of state companies. This too is designed to benefit the instate cartel. But California has a larger risk pool which means they can lower the cost by sharing the risk. That is why its $479 cheaper in California. Small risk pools mean high costs and restrictions on competition mean larger profits.
This is why the left wing wants the public option. The public option can be subsidized allowing it to suck up more and more payers leaving a smaller and smaller risk pool, forcing the price of insurance up.
This is probably why leadership within the Democratic Party does NOT want to address the underlying issues with health care costs. If they can continue to make health care and health insurance expensive they can buy more support for their government managed plans.
Patrick:
Nice speech. But you failed to answer the question.
Because each state has regulations governing insurance, and because each's states regulation's are different, there will be a nightmare of legal issues if you were to allow the sale of health insurance policies across state lines.
Whose law will control? The laws of the state where the insured person lives or the laws of the state where the policy is issued? This could be important if the insured gets less protections under one of them.
Kicking and screaming into the 21st century! Germany has had national health care since 1870. Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland, etc. all have it, has it hurt their economies? Big companies are tired of the health care hassle, it is a done deal. It might not all be done at once, but its happening.
What I would like to know is who broke the system?
Was it me? Don't think so.
Was it you? Doubt it.
Was it the Doctors? Probably not.
How about the Hospitals? Probably not on intention, but they had to raise their costs several fold to cover those without insurance.
Was it Lawyers? They added to the costs of doing business.
It must have been the insurance companies. They are guaranteed to make a profit.
That brings us to the politicians. They refuse to enforce immigration laws. They made laws forcing hospitals to treat all comers with no rebate from the Federal Government. Politicians extort campaign money from insurance companies, drug companies and anyone else who have deep pockets. And the list goes on and on...
This responds to the editorial in the Las Vegas Sun headlined "Fixing a broken system" in regard to health care. The Sun grasps for scary stories gleaned from the President's speech on health care to support the Sun's groundless case for socializing and breaking into pieces the greatest health care system on earth. Both sides in this debate have used frightening stories of both the socialized and the American private models to demonstrate their positions on health care.
Like most things American, there is an element of the private market combined in certain degrees with government involvement. Health care is no exception. We have Medicare and Medicaid in the health care system combined with private market insurance and optional self insurance for those who choose it.
There is no argument here that the existing health care system in America is in need of reform. Nevertheless, there is no reason in my opinion to turn the existing system upside down to achieve these changes. What is required is for legislative actions that do the following: eliminate pre existing condition exclusions; make insurance policies portable;eliminate the dollar limitations in policies;open interstate competition for insurance policies;prohibit cancellation of insurance policies for illness experience; enact tort reform to prevent excessive damage awards; and provide for adequate health insurance for low income and the poor.
"make insurance policies portable"
"open interstate competition for insurance policies"
Again, how do you reconcile the various (and often contradictory) state regulations that deal with insurance?
Unless you use the Commerce Clause and move insurance regulation wholly to the federal government, which will piss off the Tenthers something fierce.
Doug,
Not true at all. You could either A) get rid of the mandates and not worry about other state regulations or B) just allow people to buy policies in other states where the policy keeps the old mandates.
This "how will we regulate" it nonsense is what the insurance insiders complain about to prevent the elimination of the regulation.
How can you buy a car made in Detroit, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Canada, or Sweeden and it not be such a big problem? Come on.
Right, there's the crap deregulation argument I expected from you, Patrick.
I wouldn't trust the insurance companies to tell me the sky is blue, but in your world all that matters is no one's telling them what to do or who to cover. And if people die as a result of poor management, it's okay because then other people won't buy the policies and the company will go out of business.
redm: the countries you reference do not have the social ills, caused largely by liberal permissiveness, that the U.S. has. These social problems contribute greatly to how the health care system is abused. Check out the emergency rooms along the border with Mexico during flu season and in the big cities on weekends.
"Obama made an impressive case for reform, offering a detailed and achievable plan that represents a stark contrast to the empty scare tactics and lies... There won't be any death panels for seniors, coverage for illegal immigrants, communistic government takeovers, federally funded abortions or runaway deficit spending"
I cannot remember anything that Obama said about healthcare last night. What I remember is his snarling smack down of his opposition.
Obama in his address to the nation call opposition positions (Harry called them evilmonger and Nancy called them un-American) on 5 issues "a lie, plain and simple"
He also used the address to very publicly rebuke those who do not trust him or believe him.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...
After declining for months to identify himself with the details of emerging legislation, the president for the first time embraced a set of ideas as "my plan." But the White House released scant specifics on legislation advertised as done. There is no plan.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/...
Republicans have drawn up 35 different health care proposals including HR 3400 this year, undermining President Obama's statements in recent weeks that opponents of his health care plan have no solutions.
------------------
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/...
Health care policy researchers are contradicting President Obama's claim that a government-run health insurance program would be self-sufficient and could rely on premiums, saying it's not possible to insure up to 30 million people with better coverage and reduce costs at the same time.
In his case to the joint session of Congress Wednesday night, Obama cited the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to contend that less than 5 percent of Americans would sign up for a so-called public option.
Future, all I see are the same tired ideas that Republicans have been trotting out since 1994 to "fix" health care.
In case you forgot, your side lost. And at this point if Obama and the Democrats have to ram it through with reconciliation and 51 votes (just like the Bush tax cuts), then that's just fine and dandy with me provided they use HR 676.
If you don't like it, the crying towels are down the hall. Next time run a better candidate.
Douglas Democrat - So you agree that Obama should continue to call people, who do not trust Obama or believe Obama, they are liars.
Got it
If they are lying (and anyone talking about "death panels", or illegals getting benefits, or rationing, or pulling the plug on grandma, or tax dollars paying for abortions is LYING), then they deserved to be mocked and called what they are.
If your side wants to shout, then we'll shout back.
"Future, all I see are the same tired ideas that Republicans have been trotting out since 1994 to "fix" health care."
The Republicans had huge majorities during their control of Congress, but things didn't get better for health care, they got much, much worse!
Future, President Obama called for an open and HONEST debate, and chastised those who are lying about what is in the bills. He did not say that anyone who opposed the bills are liars.
Where do I line up to watch Obama's heath care debate?
It is beginning to appear to me that the President does not have a health care bill or plan. It looks like he and Nancy will try to ram HR-3200 through the House. Big Mistake.
Douglas, you too need to look up the word irony before you start pointing fingers. To me it seems your only answer is "Government" to you, government can snap its fingers, click its heals and vote a problem away. So don't go sighing when I say deregulate.
ESPECIALLY when I point out the direct problems associated with the regulations.
So before you moan again and say "GOVERNMENT IS THE ONLY ANSWER" explain to me,
A) How prohibiting competition HAS NOT lead to increased prices
B) How taxing insurance policies, and income used to purchase insurance HAS NOT lead to more people becoming uninsured
C) How the 3rd party payer system the government has created through tax incentives HAS NOT lead to increased prices for health insurance
D) How insurance mandates DO NOT increase the price of insurance
Maybe once you have explained that we can start a rational debate over why we need MORE government. Until then you're just piling on more unworkable policies on top of other unworkable government policies. ObamaCare won't work because it doesn't address the root problems -- probably because you know the answer would be NO MORE GOVERNMENT if you attempted to rationalize what is really going on.
Patrick, what you describe is FANTASY. The assumption that deregulation of ANYTHING will make it better is horse manure. And I will call it horse manure from now until the last trump sounds.
Douglas: "..and anyone talking about "death panels", or illegals getting benefits, or rationing, or pulling the plug on grandma, or tax dollars paying for abortions is LYING)"
Are you referring to HR-3200 or the President's talking points?
So, have the Democrats issued a formal written apology yet to the Repu'ublicists for winning the 2008 election?
Douglas, if you don't think saying that we are going to now eliminate fraud and waste from medicare to pay for this plan isn't a lie think again. However, if we can now all of a sudden eliminate waste and fraud from government spending then this is a very exciting breakthrough! We should now be able to pay for health reform, pay off the national debt and reduce taxes soon. That is as long as the ability to reduce waste and fraud isn't a lie.