Introduction to the Debate
Most Americans have access to health care — not bad for a nation of 300 million. Improving access to health care should alway be a core value for both the client and the provider. Government can be most effective by removing the barriers encountered, or creating opportunities for better service.
Health Care Reform By Any Means Necessary
No matter what my opinion or yours happens to be, nothing will change the fact that President Obama wants a Health Care Reform Bill passed, and as quickly as possible. To be fair, it is branded as a health care bill but so overreaches simple reform that percentage-wise, it may have little to do with the actual health care delivery. In fact Obama can’t even maintain a singular focus, beginning with his campaign for Health Care Reform, then switching his banner to Health Insurance Reform after polling numbers showed better marks with the latter.
The point remains that Obama is going to pass a bill no matter what, and once in place, he will see to it that it is amended to come into congruence with his Single Payer Plan. Of course, you may also have seen Obama also say that “single payer is off the table”. Interpretation: “I haven’t changed my mind, but I need to do whatever it takes to get something passed so that the government is in charge of this sector.” Also known as “health care by any means necessary”. [Malcolm X Video] [Wikipedia Citation]
Two Faces of Obama: Elites vs. Citizens
Although Obama is especially articulate with a teleprompter (as I used to be when I read the news on the air), he fails to communicate his plan because he appears to have two statements on many issues. I refer to this as the “Two Faces of Obama.” One set of speeches is aimed at his core supporters, the special interest groups and organizations that got him into office. This includes speeches to the AFL-CIO and Planned Parenthood. To them he promises Single Payer Health Care and fully funded abortions.
However, when it comes to selling to the voters, that sea of citizens in red and blue states, he unashamedly tells us the opposite. Why? Because it’s more important for him to pass this bill that for him to display any congruence between speeches. He tells the teeming masses that Single Payer is off the table and abortions are not covered, a complete contradiction of other recorded speeches!
Apparently there are enough star-struck citizens out there that will believe whatever he says, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. While we can’t do anything about those infatuated with a cult-like figure, we can hold Obama and our elected representatives accountable. Perhaps some day the media will join us in our quest for reclaiming America, but for now, it looks like the press corps brought softballs to the revolution.
Report Me and Other Bloggers to the White House
By the way, it’s important to note that if you think there is something fishy about my opinion on Obamacare, you may report me at the flag@whitehouse.gov website, yet another tactic to chill democratic debate on a very personal issue.
Health Care Reform Strategies – Deficit-Neutral
However, being inflicted with eternal optimism, let me share other strategies which help us achieve the goal of improved health care access, but are deficit-neutral.
- Tort Reform (cap medical malpractice lawsuit awards as has been done in CA)
- Medical Savings Plan (MSP) or Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
- National Competition for Health Care Plans (no artificial barriers to competition)
- Portability without constraint by employer (a.k.a. affordable COBRA)
- Allow individuals to join insurance pools (no requirement to be part of employer/association plan)
- No taxation of medical plans
- Serious Engagement with Medicare/Medicaid Fraud (est. $80 billion annually)
- Encourage Private Insurance Cooperatives with no government ties or funding
- Do not require the self-insured to purchase health insurance.
- Do not pay for health care for illegal aliens
- Assist the 10 million elegible for existing government programs to successfully participate.
Health Care Reform – Non-Deficit Neutral
Three additional goals are not deficit neutral but would be considered in any health care reform plan:
- Create additional access and subsidy for approximately 10 million underserved
- Fulfill treaty obligations and fully fund Indian Health Service
- Create a high risk insurance pool fund that creates full access to health care via established plans, but with government subsidy.
How to Force A Bad Plan into Law
Several tactics have been used on both lawmakers and citizens to get this disastrous bill passed:
- A September deadline was set for a vote, before the legislation had been finalized and way before even a few of our elected representatives had read through it.
- Obama’s shaming speeches chastise those who disagree with him as unpatriotic and various other aspersions cast upon our character.
- Attempting to rally religious leaders arguing a moral imperative for his plan to be passed immediately. (So much for separation of church and state: the state telling leaders how their churches/synagogues/assemblies should vote?)
- Using the event of Senator Kennedy’s death to make him into a martyr figure for Obamacare.
- Setting up the White House Snitch Website to intimidate those who either oppose all or parts of the Obamacare bill (or one of the seven extant versions).
- Town Hall vilification of conservative participants with various labels, including, but certainly not limited to: brownshirts, angry mobs, Nazis, and racists.
- Media attacks including name calling as above, but also including attacks on public figures such as Sarah Palin, conservative talk show hosts, and anyone connected with the previous administration.
- The “Lying Statistic” of 47 Million Uninsured! [VIDEO] This implies that 47 million Americans are denied health care, but the truth is: it just means they don’t have insurance coverage. Half of those regain coverage within 4 months – they aren’t permanently off. Of that 47 million, only about 10 million have issues with health care access. The remainder includes
-
- illegal aliens,
- people with incomes over $75K incomes who self insure,
- the unenrolled but elegible for healthcare programs,
- younger adults and families who choose not to insure.
Nothing shouts “weak argument” like strong-arm tactics. Welcome to Chicago, the USA’s new political epicenter.
Great article Ray. I’ve been following your Twitter for a short while and am please to see more than 140 characters
Excellent start and many well researched points. Looking forward to more more more!
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If everything was so easy. People that involve in Medicine Industry does not want to give up their money, prices grow and grow and grow. A lot of the private companies will soon terminate your medical insurance. What you will do in this case? A lot of people like money without any limit. Remember, the bank industry crash. Without moral restraint we will bankrupt country. Who has it? For people, that does not have it, the Government “makes” regulations. Are they good? No, because the government is not perfect. In some day we will have the good government and country, but not now. Truly, I do not see any good exit from this dilemma as a single payer solution. Insurance-HMO-Doctors-Lawyers will “kill” us soon, and nobody will covered. Until prices will go down… Hospitals, Doctors do not share their knowledge, advance technology. Why? Concurrence. Medicine industry can not be this way. It must to be accessible for everyone in society. Illegal immigrants are different issue. The same is for abortion. They are specific issues what has to be cover, and what will be not cover. The Obama is not correct because he hurries up to close voting without detail discussion and tells himself “I done this”, and changes his mind all the time when “wind” changes the direction. You have good points how to change the industry, but it is not all. Do you remember old times, when your personal doctor came to your home and treat you, and no insurance and HMO between you and your doctor? Right now Medicine became as Chrysler, Ford, GM…Every year your company tries to find more affordable insurance and your coverage decrease in quality, and quantity. My mother need to take Brand drugs because Generic with the same chemical formula do not help. We asked the insurance to pay for drugs the amount what they can cover for Generic, and we will pay the different. No, no way they agree to pay. We have to pay full amount. This is true about insurance coverage. I will add more my thoughts later as they are come up. Thank you for writings.
Hi Ray,
Thanks for following thru on the blog post. Lemme get my 1-wood.
Under “Two Faces of Obama: Elites vs. Citizens”, you have to consider the alternate possibility, though it does not nec. say anything better about him: What if he’s really pandering to the Left and that he intends to pursue his general-audience message, rather than the reverse as you suspect? Wow, a moderate plan from that guy no one has successfully painted as radical yet. Scary, huh?
RAY SAYS: Highly unlikely if you check out his leftist staff. Start with Van Jones and work your way through the Czars.
Re: “Report Me and Other Bloggers to the White House”: This is a mistake on the WH’s part but not nefarious, for all the paranoia directed at it. Merely a ham-handed attempt at crowd-sourced opposition research. Of course it looks bad. They should disavow it post-haste.
RAY SAYS: It has not been disavowed, even with a Texas Senator taking it head on. Regardless of “intention” is has the effect of chilling or curtailing dialog. It generates fear and creates distrust. It is much more than “ham-handed” — it is over-reaching and overstepping boundaries. It risks free speech.
Re: “Health Care Reform Strategies – Deficit-Neutral”
First, I object to the premise of the heading. Most investments are not debt- or capital-neutral. It takes money to make money, or to modernize an operation for productivity. That is the objective. Borrowing to reform health care (necessarily linked to health insurance) makes eminent sense, *if* the plan can demonstrate recovery of the investment over time. It may even return a “profit”, in the form of more effective health care and prevention per dollar spent. This is the essence of the productivity equation that drives all good investments. Are you against good investments by the government?
RAY SAYS: You call it an “investment”, a premise I disagree with. Borrowing to reform makes no sense at all when other program are at serious risk of bankruptcy. It is just another shell being added to a shell game. There are several options I have offered, most of which do not require expenditure of funds — mostly rearrangement of current law or new laws. Taking the market out of the equation is an arrogant power grab in which the government plans to save money by spending it. They can’t hide behind the term “investment” to justify irresponsible and unsustainable spending, especially since they are not open to deficit neutral options.
Point by point:
- Tort reform: Important but not critical. RAY SAYS: Disagree. This is a major cost to doctors and a major source of windfall income to lawyers. It’s the law in CA. Time to make it federal law. Malpractice claims and defensive medicine have a partly beneficial effect, to ensure that doctors bear the costs of their errors, rather than individual victims. Some form of loser-pays in torts may be appropriate to deter weak claims.
- MSPs/HSAs: We have those now. RAY SAYS: There are many barriers to this. It is simply rarely available with limited enrollment. It is not taken seriously but is proven to work well in other places (ie Chile) Self-insurance can work for minor conditions & preventative. But you still need major medical coverage. Maybe you credit a subsidy for the HSA toward the premium. Very few can self-insure against catastrophic illness, so sure, let ‘em certify ability to pay up to $1M and do it.
- “Affordable COBRA” involves a govt. tax credit to employers, presumably with borrowed money. A good idea, but not deficit neutral. RAY SAYS: This can be deficit neutral. Allow people to continue coverage without an increase in premiums. This would keep more people on insurance and lessen potential for liability.
Re: “Health Care Reform – Non-Deficit Neutral”
I agree with these proposals.
More to come.
Thanks,
TW
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