As Congress leaves Washington for a five-week recess don't think the healthcare reform issue is going to be taking a vacation; it is not. In fact, over the next month you may hear more about heatlhcare than you have in the past six months. Both Republicans and Democrats plan to hit the streets and the airwaves in an effort to sway public opinion on their side. It's going to be like an election year and you are going to become so sick of it.
Remember, this is an important issue, not only to citizens but to politicians, the insurance industry, the medical establishment and even Wall Street. While we have the interest of our health in mind, along with the cost of it, some that we will be hearing from have other priorities.
Wall Street wants the pharmaceutical companies to keep making money, so the value of their stock will keep rising and they will make money in return. Insurance industry shareholders also want to keep riding the golden goose. The medical establishment wants to keep building new hospitals and new wings onto the hospitals they already have. Politicians want to please everyone; they want to keep your support, but do not want to lose the financial support of lobbyists and special interest groups. Which side they will cave into depends on how badly they want to keep their job, how smart they believe the voters are and how much money they stand to lose if they are without the endorsements and campaign contributions from big business.
Make no mistake about it folks, this campaign has as much to do with money as if has to do with your health.
According to Associated Press stories in recent days, the following are the false claims and the truth from what is known so far about the healthcare reform issue.
False Claim: The government will encourage euthanasia.
Truth: Reform would require Medicare to lay out patient directives for life-saving measures. In other words, when do you want the plug pulled. This decision would be made between doctors and patients, without government influence.
False Claim: Healthcare reform would lead to government funded abortions or taxpayers would be paying for abortions.
Truth: The government, as outlined in the Hyde Amendment, will not pay for abortions, and the Hyde Amendment is in no danger of being withdrawn or changed.
False Claim: Americans will not have to change doctors or insurance companies.
Truth: Americans will not be required to change doctors or insurance companies, but may have to pay higher premiums if their doctor is not in their insurance carriers network. This is true of today's healthcare plans already.
False Claim: Government healthcare programs will lead to rationing of healthcare to seniors; the so called death card being played recently.
Truth: Millions already suffer from healthcare rationing because insurance carriers will not pay for certain procedures, both for the younger and the elderly.
President Obama has said the goal is to find the most effective and efficient medical practices and steer patients and providers toward them. Or as he has eloquently put it, if the blue pill costs twice as much as the pink pill that will do the same job, we will steer them toward the pink pill.
False Claim: Everyone will be require to carry healthcare insurance or be fined for not doing so.
Truth: President Obama has abandoned this part of the plan. Coverage will not be mandated.
Claim: Healthcare reform will have a negative long-term effect on the federal budget deficet.
Counter Claim: It's thought that the cost of healthcare will be reduced over time and after about 10 years the reform will lead to budget reductions in many areas.
Fact of the Matter: Neither side of this claim can say with any certainty they are right, just as we can't say with any certainty if a stock will be worth more next year than it is this year, or that the weather will be better, or that aliens will land and take over the Earth. We will just have to wait and see. One side is trying to scare us, the other is putting icing on a cake that is not baked yet.
The bottom line is: We need some kind of healthcare reform; we cannot continue to leave people out, allow prices to keep rising and the rich to get richer at the price of the average American's health. The plan, whatever it turns out to be will not be perfect, but it will be better than standing still on the issue. Any movement in healthcare reform is probably better than no movement at all.
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Listening to the scare tastics can make your head spin. First it's one reason then
ReplyDeleteanother to be afraid of the public plan. I just want a choice.
If the medical community wasn't so afraid of it they wouldn't be throwing so much money around trying to get it dumped. That almost in it's self tells me its a good idea.
I am tired of being at their mercy. It would be nice for them to have some competition so they would have to work for my business instead of just giving me a price and knowing that in my area I can't get a better price no matter which company I go with.
As far as I'm concerned if any of the politians vote not to have a government plan it's because they have been bought off. If you look at the flow of money that is spread all over Washington it is so thick you practically have to walk the street up to Congress with a rake in your hand. There should be a law that if you are working on a bill you can't accept money from that special interest group.
It is really a shame that our politicans have forgotten the meaning of honor and what public service was suppose to be about. When you are accepting thousands and sometimes millions of dollars from the special interest groups that you are writting the bills about there is no way you are representing the people.
Follow the money.
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