Health Insurance: No Laughing Matter!

The health care debate is revving up to full speed, and the government flim flam artists are stepping out in full regalia. Folks, at the end of the day, the issue is will you be able to get the health care that you need when you want it without undue bureaucracy hindering your treatment. If you think that a government run health care policy will do that…then you should be happy. If you don’t, get your pre-paid funeral contract paid for because you are going to need it.

The Democrats keep bandying about the 45 million uninsured Americans as the reason for a complete overhaul of our health care system. They ignore the 350 million Americans (85% of the population) that are insured, and for the most part, are happy with their health care. The 45 million consists of illegal and legal aliens; people less than 30 years old who simply won’t buy health insurance; the permanent “wards of the state” class who are otherwise covered by some other government program; and then there are the folks who are self employed and can’t afford health insurance or those who have lost their coverage through employment termination and can’t buy insurance either because of cost or pre-existing condition.

I am not so sure how concerned the Democrats are about the so called 45 million uninsured as much as they are concerned about controlling other people’s lives. I have come to the conclusion that there is no single way to fix what is wrong with the system without decreasing the quality of health care currently enjoyed by 85% of the population.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has put the kybosh on the Democratic plan by stating that it will cost $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, will drive 15 million people, if not more, out of the insurance plan they are currently in, and will end up only insuring 16 million people out of the 45 million uninsured. And the cost of the insurance for those 16 million people will be $65,000.00/person. In other words…it won’t work. A better approach would be to address the individual segments that make up the uninsured.

Start with the under 30 crowd that is working but simply doesn’t want to buy it. This is an easy one. I picked up a Health Savings Account qualified policy for my 23 year old son with a $1500.00/year deductible for $79.00/month. If I went with a $3,000.00/year deductible, the cost would be $58.00/month. Here’s a thought…tell these 20 something dudes to buy a cheaper cell phone and get a health insurance policy. No policy…no driver’s license. These policies are not expensive.

Next, let’s move to those who can’t buy insurance because of a pre-existing condition, a category that includes a lot of folks who are in their mid 50’s and have lost their factory jobs and their coverage. The government should require all health insurance companies to form a cooperative to which all the insurance companies must pay a premium, the purpose of the cooperative being to sell insurance to the currently uninsurable. That is not as dreadful as it sounds. Sure, there are horror cases of folks with very serious and expensive illnesses. But for the most part, an insurance company will define you as uninsurable if you are 20 pounds overweight, or have taken an anti-depressant. This will shape the companies up a bit, and with the increase in insured 20 somethings now purchasing coverage, help them cover the cost of the so called uninsurable.

Now comes the place for the government alternative policy. The government should offer an alternative policy to the following: 1) If you are a legal alien, you must prove you have insurance to enter the country, or purchase a government insurance policy if you want to maintain your legal status while here in the United States. 2) If you are among the working poor and you meet certain financial criteria, you may have access to the government insurance policy at a reduced rate commensurate with your income. 3) If you are unemployed and have no access to either Medicare or Medicaid, the government will provide you with insurance. 4) If you are an illegal alien, you are on your own. If you present yourself to a hospital for treatment, the government will pay for such treatment as is necessary to sustain life and get you sufficiently healthy to send you back to your country of origin. Why should we pay for you??

The government does not have to self fund the payment for services. Those deemed qualified for the alternative government insurance make up a risk pool including healthy and non-healthy individuals. The government should put this policy out for bids among those insurance companies who know what they are doing, and pay the insurance companies a premium for those folks who qualify for the program just like they are buying regular insurance.

Of course, if the government is more interested in control rather than providing insurance, nothing anyone can say will sway the socialists to any other direction.Which brings up the most important thing for all of us. The cost of a government run system will require "cost effectiveness" testing for all medical treatment. That means rationing, and our freedom to choose the procedures we want, for ourselves and our loved ones, will be diminished. If you don't believe they would deny a bypass operation to an 85 year old manbecause it would not be cost effective, read the ruling of the Canadian Supreme Court about the state of health care in Canada, and look at how Medicaid for the poor operates in America today. There is nothing more or less at stake than that...and that is no laughing matter.