(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/us/politics/12health.html?th&emc=th) The New York Times reports that President Obama is meeting with the money taking stakeholders in the health services industry: Insurance, hospitals, drugmakers and has obtained a voluntary, vague, indefinite commitment to SAVING SOO MUCH MONEY OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS.
President Obama is going so far off track on this thing that it's becoming uncomfortable to observe. And the urgency in desiring him to get back on track is based on all the money that will be wasted in his health reform agenda that will then provide ammunition for those against Universal Health coverage to hold President Obama's efforts as clear evidence of why universal health coverage won't work.
Who am I to say it's doomed to flop? I am part of the WE who will have to live and die waiting for real change.
Here are the recycled, revamped and modernized versions of the same old things which begs the question...why can't real change occur?
1) Fatal FLAW: Obama is the king of long-term projections of good things to come as he captains his endless metaphor of the speedboat turning quickly or the ship moving slowly. Enough of that, going in circles is going in circles whether you're in a speedboat or a ship. Refusal to include provisions that savings (projected or realized) MUST be returned to the consumers of health services rather than be retained by the businesses saving costs as profits is the same old thing. Whether it is not for profits returning their "SAVINGS" to themselves in the form of higher salaries or better offices or longer junkets that can be written off as business expenses, OF COURSE health services providers agree to cut costs when they get to keep the profits. This is a CONCESSION until there is a companion requirement that each year these savings be passed onto consumers in the form of lower premium, additional coverage, or mandated return of premiums paid when claims are denied approval or reimbursement.
2)Fatal FLAW: Consumers have already been squeezed. Promises by the health services industry to reduce "OVERUSE AND UNDERUSE OF HEALTH CARE". We've been living that dream. This is gibberish for: It's harder to get coverage for needed medical services when an individual is SICK and like a CAR WARRANTY, individuals are expected to keep shelling out the little bucks for all kinds of PREVENTIVE CARE when they can't afford to get real care when they get sick. PREVENTIVE CARE helps insurers work with individuals to be their best healthy selves...when it is instead used as a tool to establish a less than perfect health record that will then be used to deny coverage or eligibility, or as a justification for overcharging for coverage, it helps insurers and leaves individuals with information about themselves that they can't use to get needed health care for illness. ALREADY people are working OUTSIDE their coverage for medication for problems they don't want their insurer holding against them such as medication for psychological issues.
3) Fatal FLAW: Our Federal government is one of the bad guys in this industry. Cheaper rates for better coverage provided to the united front of Federal workers demanding such coverage and consented to by insurers who want the great number of governmental employees as their client base leaves the rest of the public being charged higher rates to make up for their discount. President Obama had an opportunity to SUSPEND the giveaway that is the federal benefits for civil servants. Didn't happen. So we continue to have our lawmakers preserving their own superior benefits by tweaking and pinching everyone else. This is most offensive in the case of every REPUBLICAN who opts into this governmental perk while preaching the go it alone attitude for ordinary citizens.
4) Fatal FLAW: FAILURE TO INCLUDE ANY CONSEQUENCE IN TERMS OF FINES, PENALTIES, SUSPENSION OF LICENSES TO CONDUCT BUSINESS for egregious, systemic and chronic insurer practices such as delay of payments, denial of payments, refusal to authorize medical services. As long as insurers can ultimately say MY BAD if they are proven wrong and proceed with business as usual maybe even having to return some small sum of money (compared to what they take in), we will not have progress.
5) Fatal FLAW: Giving into physician demands for more money instead of allowing physicians to opt out. WE BLINKED. We're afraid there won't be enough doctors even though more and more services don't include physicians and even though when you're actually sick, your doctor doesn't take your insurance (go read how many oncologists participate in your plan). Let them leave the field.
6) Fatal FLAW: Government health care works: Our seniors are getting better medical care than our young people...47 million of them have no coverage. Is this investment in our future?
President Obama is really making things WORSE and that is not the change we need.
