The Iraq war will cost the United States $2,400,000,000,000.00 overall, complete with multi billion dollar, no-bid contracts. It has also helped to nearly quadruple oil prices, adding to the mounting costs of living here at home.
But try to spend a quarter of that trying to provide a health insurance option for all, and the shit hits the fan! Carpet bomb a country that had nothing to do with September 11th? Sure! Provide a competitor to unscrupulous, monopolistic insurance companies? Absolutely not!
In the United States, over 60% of declared bankruptcies are caused by medical problems. Of those, nearly 80% had health insurance. If that doesn't convince you that there is a serious problem with the way that the Health Insurance industry is behaving, then I don't know what will.
The plan that has been laid out will not require you to switch providers. Companies may find it less expensive to switch to another plan, or pay a fine and drop insurance benefits altogether, but this plan does not change that. Employers can do that right now. It does not encourage old people to commit suicide, doesn't encourage abortion, and doesn't create a single-payer Canadian-style system. It is simply a competitive insurance plan for those who cannot afford the rates of insurance companies which look for every opportunity to deny claims anyway.
The insurance industry is trying to scare you into thinking that the plan presented will cause problems. It is my opinion that the only people against this plan are those who either don't understand it or have a partisan bent.
Our generation has a chance to change the country for the better - at a fraction of the cost of our illegal war in Iraq. It is by no means perfect - the costs are high and it won't be as solvent as the President says. But it's a huge step forward in increasing the quality of life for all Americans and stop the strangle-hold that this huge industry has on our republic.
1 comments:
Unfortunately, a major reoccurring theme as the primary cause of medical bankruptcies (of course after the medical issues themselves) is employment troubles. Of the 76% who had insurance, 1/3 lost their insurance during the course of the illness. Furthermore, a substantial amount of those claiming medical bankruptcy were not themselves ill, but had employment difficulties due to their need to care for a family member who was ill. If reform is to have the impact we all hope for, these issues should be considered and targeted as well.
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