More Thoughts on This Healthcare Reform Thingy

The yelling continues across the country at the various town halls. The misinformation continues to fly from both sides. And in our area no one wants to hear about it. Not that I can completely blame them.

I did find an interesting link to a summation document on the White House web site. Check this out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

It boils down what the President's thoughts on the subject are. Gee, don't see "single payer plan" on that at all. In fact, he doesn't seem to be for that one bit. The public option is just that, an option. It isn't the only option, just one of them. The insurance companies would compete for our business along with this option. Competition is a good thing. As the President noted, Fed Ex and UPS do quite well in competition with the US Post Office.

What I like about the President's ideas are the elements aimed at that insurance industry. I mean come on, when I moved to Hartford the Aetna complex was so huge and so impressive with a gold dome and everything I thought it was the state capitol. The largest, fanciest buildings in cities that house insurance HQs are in fact the insurance HQs with marble etc. in the lobby. These are not businesses hurting for money, they are clearly making serious profits. Off of us!! I mean think about it when was the last time your insurance costs didn't go up by double digits? If they haven't, I want what you've got.

I my opinion insurance is little more than a protection racket and let's face it for the most part that is how it was born. Pay the local thugs to gain protection against bad things happening. Not too much as changed, there is just a civilized veneer covering over it all.

HIPAA was supposed to prevent being refused coverage for pre-existing conditions, and ensure portability from one job to another. Clearly it hasn't been enforced that way. So to my mind, those aspects of the President's ideas aren't actually needed. What's needed is to prevent them from charging you the life of your first born in order to get that coverage for a pre-existing condition. HIPPA says you have to be covered, it doesn't say it has to be affordable coverage.

Too many people use the ER as their primary care physician - this is because they are either uninsured or under insured and in some cases because they can't afford the co-pays and put off going to the doctor until it "gets bad enough". Consequently the rest of us pay for this as the insurance companies raise our rates to off-set this problem. I don't have the answer but this is a problem that needs to be fixed. Having a public option that is affordable ought to put a dent in this.

Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic are two places that seem to have it right. They don't pay the doctors per procedure - the more complex the procedure the more money is typically the norm elsewhere - they are paid more like we regular working people who are salaried. I know a plastic surgeon who took a position with a hospital because he would have a set salary and not have to deal with the headaches of private practice, and the hospital covers his malpractice insurance. It can be done and doctors can be happy with it.

I'm encouraged by the fact that there is a conversation going on. I'm appalled by the behavior of some out there. Only time will tell if any kind of reform will be achieved. But if we have something to say, we should say it... calmly, rationally with the facts of our arguments in hand.