If you listen to this youtube clip, you may not think so…..
Health Care Reform
This health care reform has tentacles. It will control major aspects of our lives, including our ability to choose.
I know there are still people out there who believe the government is made up of good, selfless people who care only for their fellow man. But let’s just get over that, shall we? The government is made up of politicians and bureaucrats, and they are just as interested in themselves as anyone else. Is it any wonder that people are extremely concerned about the amount of power we are about to let them extend over our lives? This health care reform will be the death of our freedoms and our rights as human beings. We will no longer be able to choose what we wish to buy and from whom. The government will be deciding that from now on when it comes to our health.
H.R. 3590, requires, “…all American citizens and legal residents [to] purchase qualified health insurance coverage” after December 31, 2013.
Notice that it says “qualified” insurance? That means you don’t get to choose what you want to buy, the government will decide for you. And actually, it won’t even necessarily be them who decide. It will most likely be the most convincing lobbyists. A Christian Science Monitor article written by Dr. Paul Hsieh, co-founder of Freedom and Rights in Medicine (FIRM), discusses the lobbyist problem that came about in Massachusetts after its universal health care plan was implemented. He found that, “[s]ince 2006, providers have successfully lobbied to include 16 new benefits in the mandatory package (including lay midwives, orthodontics, and drug-abuse treatment), and the state legislature is considering 70 more.” With the economy struggling the way it is, is it really fair to enact health care reform that forces Americans to insure themselves against things they have no reason to?
This health care reform is also more than likely to impact our unemployment numbers, forcing more people onto the government dole. How could it not? The Senate Democrat bill forces employers with 50 or more employees to offer health insurance benefits, or else pay a fine of $750 per person. It would cost a business with 50 employees $37,500 just to not provide them with benefits. Imagine how expensive it will be when they do choose to provide them. This will result in less money for businesses. That equates to less people being hired, lower wages and/or higher prices for consumers. Think of how much more of a strain it will now be for employers to take on new employees. Wouldn’t you think twice before hiring someone new, considering how much it will cost?
It also dampens the entrepreneurial spirit. If employers want to offer their employees health insurance, it is their right. But is it the government’s right to force independent business owners to take care of the health of their employees? When someone decides to start their own business, do we really want to tell them it will require thousands of their own dollars going toward health insurance, on top of the extreme long hours and hard work it takes to be an entrepreneur? I think it’s time we stopped taking these hard-working, driven people for granted. Pretty soon there won’t be much in it for them to start a business, so why should they?
The government is not our friend. In my opinion, they should be looked at as an evil octopus, constantly trying to spread its tentacles over everything and everyone in order to achieve more power for itself. The goal of government is to grow, no matter for what purpose. Whether it’s to “defeat” global warming or to provide health insurance to Americans, the government is always looking for ways to control our lives, with the guise that they are “saving us” from evil profiteers. But what we mustn’t forget, before we attempt to strangle these “profit” earners once and for all, is that without them government would no longer be able to support itself. On second thought….forget I said anything.
Government cannot offer good service
With the looming government run health care bill that may be taking over the health care industry in the United States, we might as well just say screw the children….and the elderly, and the middle aged.
What I find so crazy about this entire situation, is the way people talk about the government coming in and saving us all by magically offering everyone health care. Doesn’t anyone watch the news? I personally do so as little as possible (they hardly talk about anything useful), but all it takes is to turn it on every once in a while. All they can talk about is how bankrupt each of the states are. How there isn’t enough money for this or that program. Schools need more money, budgets are being cut, the federal government needs to send funds to desperate states that cannot pay the bills. But somehow, just somehow, we are going to pass a trillion dollar health care bill that will cover everyone (remember, a trillion has 12 zeros)? What?? Did everyone just forget about how we can’t even afford what is currently in our federal or state budgets? Not to mention the fact that unemployment is up to 10%. Which is really closer to 18-20% if you add in all the folks who stopped looking for a job or have settled on part-time employment for the time being. So what is this bill doing that will affect this unemployment rate? It’s forcing employers to pay for health insurance for all their workers (with some small exceptions). Hmmm. I could have sworn that would be anti-job growth as it takes money away from those we want to start hiring people. But I sure am not a politician, so how would I know?
It’s time that America admitted the truth, that this bill cannot work. It is impossible.
If people really think the government (subsidized by taxpayers don’t forget) will be able to pay for everyone to have the best health insurance, they must not pay much attention to the services they offer currently. They must not frequent the post office, or the DMV/DOT. They must not have heard how horribly our public schools compare to those of other countries – which is not because they are underfunded. It’s not because of bad teachers. It’s because it’s a monopoly that doesn’t have to make a profit or prove to anyone that they are doing a good job (they just have to make you feel bad for “the children” and vote to give them more money). You will see the same with government run health care. They will find ways to cut back on costs by cutting back on care. Just like they do with everything else. They will also find ways to cut back by dictating how people live their lives. Just as they do in Japan where they measure your waistline to see that you’re under the government ordained weight.
Just as the social conservatives must realize that the government cannot dictate morals, the left must be able to see that they cannot force people to be healthy either. Freedom allows good behavior to be rewarded (eating healthy + exercise = lower insurance costs and little to no hospital bills) and bad behavior (unhealthy eating + no exercise = high health care costs and a large number of hospital bills) to be discouraged. When we give everyone the same price tag on health insurance (unless you’re wealthy, then you pay much more), what is the benefit of being healthy? It’s nice to not get fined, but most people are ok to get monetary fines every once in a while if it means living as they choose.
Return to Free Market Best Hope for Health Insurance Reform
Those who think politics are boring have never watched a presidential address at a bar with a bunch of freedom-minded activists. I joined Liberty on the Rocks recently to watch Barack Obama’s speech on health reform. NPR reporter Jeff Brady joined us and contributed to a report broadcast nationally. A brief comment I made to Brady about insurance and pre-existing conditions provoked strong criticism and thrust me into an important national debate.
Brady asked about pre-existing conditions. I answered, “The idea is that it’s health insurance. And the whole concept of insurance is that you get it before you get sick, or before something happens to you. It would be the equivalent of not having any car insurance, hitting a tree, and then calling Geico and saying you want to sign up. It doesn’t make sense.”
Obviously in a few seconds I only had time for a brief statement, and not a full argument. I was surprised, then, at some of the vitriolic responses posted on NPR’s Web page.
One woman (wrongly) suggested that I “don’t know anyone that has cancer, heart disease, or any other chronic illness that can spring up in life at any given moment.” A gentleman said I am “ignorant, thoughtless, and misinformed.” Another man said, “This is ridiculous.”
I find it ironic that, even as the left demands civil debate, many on the left refuse to treat people with different views respectfully or give their views a sympathetic hearing.
Many Americans are concerned about the future of their health care and want to have a real discussion, so I would like to take this opportunity to explain my views more fully. Insurance is an important commodity that helps protect us from expenses of major health problems. It is so important, in fact, that we should restore a free market in insurance rather than expand harmful political controls.
In a free market, insurers and consumers voluntarily make an agreement to mutual benefit. When politicians dictate what policies and services will be sold and to whom, those politicians undercut people’s ability to reach insurance agreements that work best for them.
In a free market, companies that don’t take care of their customers risk losing them to a competitor, creating an incentive to provide the best service at the best price. When there is no free market for health insurance, there is less competition, resulting in less need to out-bid competitors for our business.
A free market also depends on the reliability of contracts. Once a contract between an insurance company and an individual is made, breaking that contract should be punishable by law. This means that if an insured individual’s coverage is dropped when they find a medical problem that was covered, they should be able to sue the company for breach of contract.
It is true that many people today with pre-existing conditions have trouble finding affordable coverage. But politicians, not a free market, created the problem.
Currently, employer-based insurance makes it difficult for those with pre-existing conditions to stay on the same insurance because it is not portable. Current tax law that favors employer-sponsored insurance over directly purchased plans makes it more likely individuals will be tied to their employer for insurance.
Insurance is meant to hedge against unforeseen, catastrophic events or illnesses, as opposed to covering every doctor visit. If it were, protection against major health problems or accidents would be possible for a majority of individuals and pre-existing conditions would be much less of a worry for those who need coverage.
Having a high-deductible plan coupled with a health savings account, as opposed to being tied to employer-insurance, would eliminate having to switch insurers for those with pre-existing conditions.
If we really want to address the problem of pre-existing conditions, we should fix today’s politically controlled insurance by restoring a free market.
