Once again, the President has managed to raise my blood pressure to unsafe levels. This time it was with his speech on Friday, in which he accused the detractors of his Health Care reform as being without ideas of their own - as if his plan is the only thing that anyone has come up with. The substance of Obama's message is irritating enough; his arrogant, lecturing tone in delivering it makes it insufferable.
Regarding the "lack of ideas" from Conservatives, I would be happy to throw out just a few of the more popular ones for consideration:
- Tort reform. The single biggest problem with health care in this country is the profligation of medical malpractice suits and the shameless precedents set by judges who are evidently more interested in the enrichment of their colleagues than they are in imparting justice. It is because of the fear of lawsuits that insurance companies require and doctors are compelled to order so many tests and procedures, and why the path to get to the right specialist is such a convoluted one. Malpractice insurance for some specialists, such as brain surgeons, can run into as much as a half-million dollars per year. Combine this weight with the student loan payments that many doctors have and the tax bracket they are in, and you have doctors that must gross nearly a million dollars per year before they see a profit. These costs trickle down into every aspect of health care.
- Allow insurance companies to sell across state lines. Obviously, anything that fosters competition will lower costs and increase quality.
- Allow small businesses to join together and form insurance buying cooperatives, so that they can use the strength of their combined numbers to lower their costs.
- Allow pre-tax employer contributions to personal health care accounts in lieu of employer provided healthcare, with supplemental insurance for catastrophic event care. My company probably pays about $15,000 per year for my health insurance, and I pay about another $4,200. This would add up quickly if the bulk of it was going into a personal health care account and accruing interest. It would also make people think twice about running to the doctor over every little ache and pain if they were using their own money to pay the bill.
- Make health care costs 100% tax deductible, to ease the financial burden on folks with major health issues.
I am sick and tired of hearing the insurance companies demonized; my insurance isn't perfect and is expensive, but it has seen me through my children's childhood misfortunes, my wife's bout with breast cancer, and my own back surgery and sleep apnea, among other things. We have always received stellar care by excellent health care professionals.
It is true that our health care system could be reformed for the better, but the ideas of Obama and the liberals in Congress are the worst possible solutions. To hear Obama accuse Conservatives of not having ideas or solutions is both laughable and infuriating.
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I agree 100% with your analysis. Unfortunately the plan put forward by the House is unaffordable and doesn't address the core issues of saving. Everyone has to have some skin in the game. One thing that is clear from this administration is they are less interested in cost and more concerned with consolidation of power to control another 18% of the economy. This is just another tactic to redistribute wealth from the working class and give the government control of your body. This Bill will lead to less benefits and more cost to the average worker.
ReplyDeleteI certainly didn't vote for Obama, but I hoped he would fight against the entitlement folks who refused to produce in the country. Why would he work against the folks that put him in office though? 2010 can't come soon enough. I hope the Republicans have enough sense to put up candidates with a limited government and conservative approach. If not we as a country are doomed.