Health care costs are ruining our economy.
Consider: GM tanks 30,000 workers because they can't afford health benefits.
Starbuck's pays more for health coverage than it does for coffee.
WalMart plans to hire only healthy workers.
The biggest cost to states is the unfunded portions of Medicaid.
The Government Accounting Office has suggested holding back on the drug "benefit" for Medicare to save money.
The United States is supposed to have the best health care in the world, except it's pricing itself out of existence. Without health insurance and without going broke the average person has no health coverage. A single doctor's visit can cost well over a $150 with blood test (common) and medicines. Come back in two weeks and it costs another $50 minimum.
If the Health Care "Industry" (it's in quotes because it's not an industry it produces nothing) is market based then what is driving the market. It's been suggested that the health insurance companies are at fault for paying the outrageous prices. On the other hand the legal system allows judgments against individuals for using services they have no way to select (an ambulance) or determine whether they can afford.
If the receivers of the service are responsible for its costs they should be able to determine what they can afford. Try to sell me a car for $30,000 and I might pass on it right now. Tell me I'm having a heart attack and will die with out services and I'll be in hock $30K without knowing where it was spent. Since I want to live I have no choice about shopping for medical care or transport. Not that it would matter. The insurance companies determine reasonable and customary fees.
Socialized medicine has been kicked around as a possible solution. It is in some ways but that makes the amount and kind of care available to the common person something at the whim of the government. And We know how much I trust the government.
One possible solution is to outlaw health insurance companies. Prohibit them from setting and paying reasonable and customary charges. Set a national fee structure based on percent of income. Maybe use a graduated system of Medicaid/Medicare/government health plans/ private insurance.
Insurance companies will be the first to scream that there is health care fraud. People trying to rape the system. I'll nod my head in agreement. I just think there are more companies raping the system (and the public) than private individuals getting an extra $10,000 for a phony back injury.
Folks this is a topic worthy of comment and recommendations. Please give me your thoughts.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Senator Boxer on NPR
Dear Senator Boxer
I heard your interview on NEVER today and as usual was deeply impressed with your sincerity and apparent honesty. I wonder if you are a spokesman for our new manifesto.
In case you are not yet familiar with the revolution I am proposing let me summarize:
Corporate America has made its wealth off the people of this country. In the days of the Robber Barons when steel was king, the giant companies owned the people's housing, sold them their food and kept them in debt so they wouldn't dare rebel.
We don't see any difference between then and now. Corporate America has the right to make enormous profits off the misery of the general population and the government, which is supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, has been usurped by corporate management.
In order for America to regain its dream the people need to step forward and reward the villains appropriately. We're in favor of dismantling faceless corporations who are influencing the government. Every dealing with corporate lobbyist should be treated like a meeting with a foreign agent. That is reported and examined for the harm they are trying to do to the national interest.
It's not in the national interest to bleed our economy dry.
It's not in the national interest to destroy the backbone of our military by making them fight a war for corporate profits. Lets' not fool ourselves any longer. Three entities are benefiting directly from this war.
Al Qaida, Iran and Halliburton.
America's interests have NOT been served by this war. The criminals who attacked us are going unpunished. The world who believed our holier than thou rhetoric will never believe in us again. Iran on the other hand has had every goal they set out to meet in their battle with Iraq met. Saddam is gone, the Shiites have political power and the region is destabilized.
Thank you George W. You did your father proud.
Senator Boxer: These may be harsh statements but I think you might see the truth in them. Now look at the mess our economy is in. The major theme running through the news recently is health care, from Wal Mart's idea of cutting costs by only hiring healthy employees to the transit strike in Philadelphia where the transit authority wants to increase the worker's health care costs. Medicaid costs are crippling state economies and old people have to spend every bit of money they saved for their retirement on medical expenses just so the state will pick up the remainder.
Then we talk about taxes and God forbid the incredibly wealthy actually pay the majority of the taxes. I was heartened to see during the Katrina tragedy that some of the overpaid talent in this country dug into their own pockets to help out the victims. More people should do that. I gave what I could. But I've got medical bills to pay.
The only way change of this magnitude will happen is by a demand for action from the people both democrat and republican. The old party lines need to be torn down and something new created. And with it a manifesto requiring the government to behave. Requiring the politicians to be scrupulously honest. And requiring corporations and other interests to desist their bribery of the elected.
Of course the media is playing their part in this mess. Instead of honest opinion and truthful reporting we get sound bites designed to entertain and targeted to spin a particular point of view. This needs to be decried by the population.
Please note: I am not calling for new laws. We've got too many laws and not enough common sense in the justice system. W gave me a belly laugh the other day when he said Scooter was innocent until proven guilty. What planet is he on? Apparently not the same one as we are, guilt and innocence usually bares little on the outcome of criminal proceedings.
So Senator, are you ready to be a spokesperson (really the word is spokesman but political correctness must get its nod), for the new manifesto? Are you ready to change the way the country does its business?
If not, let me know who has the guts, because I want to pass the flame to them.
Thank you
Madman
I heard your interview on NEVER today and as usual was deeply impressed with your sincerity and apparent honesty. I wonder if you are a spokesman for our new manifesto.
In case you are not yet familiar with the revolution I am proposing let me summarize:
Corporate America has made its wealth off the people of this country. In the days of the Robber Barons when steel was king, the giant companies owned the people's housing, sold them their food and kept them in debt so they wouldn't dare rebel.
We don't see any difference between then and now. Corporate America has the right to make enormous profits off the misery of the general population and the government, which is supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, has been usurped by corporate management.
In order for America to regain its dream the people need to step forward and reward the villains appropriately. We're in favor of dismantling faceless corporations who are influencing the government. Every dealing with corporate lobbyist should be treated like a meeting with a foreign agent. That is reported and examined for the harm they are trying to do to the national interest.
It's not in the national interest to bleed our economy dry.
It's not in the national interest to destroy the backbone of our military by making them fight a war for corporate profits. Lets' not fool ourselves any longer. Three entities are benefiting directly from this war.
Al Qaida, Iran and Halliburton.
America's interests have NOT been served by this war. The criminals who attacked us are going unpunished. The world who believed our holier than thou rhetoric will never believe in us again. Iran on the other hand has had every goal they set out to meet in their battle with Iraq met. Saddam is gone, the Shiites have political power and the region is destabilized.
Thank you George W. You did your father proud.
Senator Boxer: These may be harsh statements but I think you might see the truth in them. Now look at the mess our economy is in. The major theme running through the news recently is health care, from Wal Mart's idea of cutting costs by only hiring healthy employees to the transit strike in Philadelphia where the transit authority wants to increase the worker's health care costs. Medicaid costs are crippling state economies and old people have to spend every bit of money they saved for their retirement on medical expenses just so the state will pick up the remainder.
Then we talk about taxes and God forbid the incredibly wealthy actually pay the majority of the taxes. I was heartened to see during the Katrina tragedy that some of the overpaid talent in this country dug into their own pockets to help out the victims. More people should do that. I gave what I could. But I've got medical bills to pay.
The only way change of this magnitude will happen is by a demand for action from the people both democrat and republican. The old party lines need to be torn down and something new created. And with it a manifesto requiring the government to behave. Requiring the politicians to be scrupulously honest. And requiring corporations and other interests to desist their bribery of the elected.
Of course the media is playing their part in this mess. Instead of honest opinion and truthful reporting we get sound bites designed to entertain and targeted to spin a particular point of view. This needs to be decried by the population.
Please note: I am not calling for new laws. We've got too many laws and not enough common sense in the justice system. W gave me a belly laugh the other day when he said Scooter was innocent until proven guilty. What planet is he on? Apparently not the same one as we are, guilt and innocence usually bares little on the outcome of criminal proceedings.
So Senator, are you ready to be a spokesperson (really the word is spokesman but political correctness must get its nod), for the new manifesto? Are you ready to change the way the country does its business?
If not, let me know who has the guts, because I want to pass the flame to them.
Thank you
Madman
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