Health Care Kool Aid

If you were ever going to get involved, now is the time. It seems the Democrats are now positioning to use their majority in the House and Senate to "push through" health care legislation. It seems that the Democrats believe they have a mandate from the people to make this happen.

Why are the Democrats wanting to do health care reform? Its simple: there are approximately 45 million uninsured Americans. And, their goal is simple: provide affordable health care to those voters. You see, there is a certain segment of America that has given up on the American dream, and simply wants as much as they can get from the government. It's the "I'm gonna get mine" mentality. So, I am appealing to the rest of the Americans - the majority of Americans - who are not (I hope) just trying to get as much as they can, without earning it.

Well, other than those who do not have insurance, can anyone tell me what is wrong with the system we have today? I have a few points, but, I do not want to get stuck on these. Nothing is perfect. These are simply some areas of concern:

• Catastrophic Health Care - Insurance companies like to limit their liabilities. So, they limit the amount of care you can receive based on a cap on expenditures. For those individuals with Cancer or some other major illness, this can be financially devastating. Perhaps the government can provide a non-profit entity (like the FDIC) that provides re-insurance for those cases when expenditures will exceed the maximum life-time benefit.
  
• Other excuses for not providing coverage; like pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies use models to determine how much they should change, and still make money. By excluding pre-existing conditions, they are reducing their amount of spend. I think this should simple be illegal. Insurance companies should provide coverage. You should not have to have a law degree to figure out what is covered and what is not. Keep it simple.
  
• When a person leaves an employer, their coverage is terminated. Cobra is not affordable. In fact, many times Cobra is more expensive than what the same insurance costs the employee and employer combined. Perhaps Cobra could be modified so that the employer portion of the coverage is picked up by the unemployment insurance. And, the individual can just continue to pay the amount that was being deducted from their paycheck.
  

Again, I absolutely do not want this to become misquoted. These are issues that I see with the current system. And, you will notice that these are problems that face all Americans - not just those who are economically disadvantaged. All of these items can be fixed without the government having to raise your taxes by so much as a nickel.

My grandfather always said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". It looks to me like the Democrats have a single agenda, and that is to provide insurance to those who are economically disadvantaged. But, if this means that we have to spend 250+ billion dollars a year, then that is absurd! Take a look around. We are in the worst economic situation since the great depression. And, this thing is not over. Rather than trying to provide entitlements (yes, they are entitlements if the government has to spend money to make them happen), the government should be focusing on the still rising unemployment rate. People are not getting new jobs. Yes, the rate is not increasing as much as it was before. But, it is still increasing! To try to push through this kind of health care reform is completely irresponsible.

This administration has taken to the bully pulpit to try to get the momentum back on their side. They are trying to convince you, the average American, that they are working on your behalf. Do you feel like this administration is representing you? Do you feel like the congress is representing you? Is your health care situation really that bad? Do you want to go to a government run health care system, just so those who are not really contributing to the productivity of the country can have health care? Do you really think that government price fixing is going to work? After all, it worked so well in the former Soviet Union. In this last national election, I voted 60/40; because I believe in selecting the right person. And, I have decided that this issue is important enough to me, that I will vote against anyone that votes for this kind of health care reform. This means that the Democrat I voted for as my congressional representative will lose my vote! I don't expect it to come to that; I think my representative is one of the Democrats that understands the issues. Nevertheless, I encourage every other American to look at the facts. Don't be fooled by all the tactics designed to distract from the simple truths. Think this thing through. If this health care reform becomes law, we will be stuck with it forever.

Don't drink the Kool Aid!