Keep it Simple today by acknowledging reports that accurately put forth consumer concerns. It is a GOOD thing that we all should support when a news service like Reuters uses its resources to communicate the truth as written on January 9, 2009 in an article entitled, "Health care overhaul needn't break bank: study" (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/
idUSTRE50813220090109?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews).
This article states: "While Americans pay more per person for care than any other industrialized country, many studies show they have poorer health, suffer more medical mistakes and are generally less happy with their medical care."
The beginning of a solution is identifying the problem and that is the problem: We pay more and get less. Therefore, every solution must address both prongs of this problem and that's where the complexity of the problem has been used to fatten governmental employment (HIPAA and study groups and commissions), to foster hostility of one citizen towards another based on health rather than focusing on the runaway costs of health insurance and medical services and to demand price controls on the same, and now we have the technology push. This push is going to happen, after all, physicians will get even more of a pay raise if they comply with the techno-red herring, attributing savings of millions, billions, maybe even trillions? if physicians put their e-prescribing online...come on!
While we are grateful to Reuters for touching on the truth, the article goes on to show that we are likely to see even more government mismanagement as government seeks to increase its gross numbers of people it can say are insured.
Keep it Simple Today: Even if you don't feel comfortable with the ins and outs of health insurance, Americans DO feel comfortable with the devastating effects of lies packaged in the American flag such as Bush's declaration of victory, and the "democratic" elections that have brought us the chaos in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as Hamas run Palestinian territories. We learned the MORAL OF THE STORY: You can't slap an election or a label on something and change what it is. Victory and democratic elections are RESULTS, not a means for solving problems. The same is true in the medical services industry: Universal Coverage is a goal that will be the result of specific shifts in our system. Labeling our current system universal by requiring everyone buys in is not universal coverage, it is another governmental tax.
So join me in reminding President Obama that he stated he would work to get every American access to the health insurance he and his family enjoys as governmental employees. Currently enjoys...doesn't require more technology, staggering increases in premium/deductible and copays nor does it require that individuals with health problems be singled out and assigned to "special" groups of legitimized price gouging.
If President Obama can't make good on his promise he can certainly work to fix the gross disparity in benefits between civil servants and their fellow citizens: Suspend governmental health insurance programs at the federal level and institute the benefits choices available to most Americans...chances are our elected officials will suddenly address the issue of the QUALITY of health services and insurance coverages.
Congress just got a nice pay raise too, about five grand a year. Until we reduce the gap of experience between our civil servants and the rest of the population, we will only have Obama following in George Bush's footsteps: Saying victory don't make it so.
