Keep it Simple when you react to Health Services news. Our goal is affordable, accessible and quality health care. That is our "free market" demand, so why do so many still argue that the "solution" to health services crisis can be obtained through the same tactics that have failed? Most obviously because people don't like change until things get too miserable for them to continue to promote the same old nonsense. But there's more: The knee jerk reaction that says that government interference will worsen the situation. However, keep it simple today and grow up.
Health insurers do NOT operate in a "free" market, they operate within an enormous regulatory environment that has responded to their demands for favorable treatment for decades.
Physicians too operate within a regulatory environment that responds to their efforts to influence regulations and laws in their favor.
Government has two goals: Gross numbers, satisfy the greatest number of people, for the least cost.
So why is every individual spouting the "free market" nonsense unable to realize how ridiculous this argument is? Fear of change and self-image as an anti-big government individual.
Keep it simple today and go to AHIP (the website for the health insurance lobby) and go to the AMA website (the physician lobby). Look at how much they spend in resources, time, money in getting their views across to Washington representatives.
Then look at your own representative and after examining Federal benefits packages as yourself why these "mavericks" who talk the talk are not walking the walk but instead are year after year accepting the GROUP benefits that provide them with health insurance packages that make yours look like junk. If you're brave enough, write to them and ask them why they're accepting this governmental assistance in the form of employer benefits while they tell us to go it alone.
Being a grown up requires courage. Take these simple steps today: Read the AHIP website, the AMA website and write your Republican representatives. If you want to really take another preventive step, write to leadership about insurance companies buying banks so that they can get their hands on some of the bailout dollars.
