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Universal Health Care? NO!

By Richard Day

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 13Jun2009
Word count: 854
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Many people think that Universal Health Care is the answer to our problems. People have looked at universal health care plans in Canada, Britain and other countries and wish that we had their universal health care. Not so fast. It isn't very pretty up close. Countries with universal health coverage are economically worse off than the U.S. Also, A hard lesson about socialized medicine

Let's look at what is wrong with the current solution.

* Pre-existing conditions can make health insurance unavailable or unaffordable.
* Forty-Five million people are not covered by a plan. (That number is not true, but we will use it for now.)
* People with health issues must pay more to get coverage.
* Preventive medicine is not rewarded.
* Medical records are still being duplicated and inefficiently handled because they are not electronic. Too many mistakes, excessive tests, and misdiagnosis are being made as a result of poor quality data.
* People view health care as a health coverage plan instead of a catastrophic insurance plan
* Third-party pay system. When you go to the hospital for an operation, you don't check the bill you receive when you check out. Why? You don't care. It's not your money. A third-party, the insurance company, has paid the bill for you.

If I were the person in charge, here's what I would suggest:

* Pre-existing conditions cannot be considered, as long as you opt-in to a plan within a certain period of time. For example, when you turn twenty-one, you need to purchase your own health plan. Everyone gets the same premium quote based on their attained age. (Obviously, as people age, they use services more than younger, healthier people.)
* We can argue about how many people are uninsured, but whatever that number is, everyone has to have coverage. A friend's blog shows that the real number is closer to 11,260,150 only 3.75% of the population of the US, not the near 16% according to the political left.
* All children up to the age of twenty-one would be covered by plan that would cost about $20 per month per child. (Illegal aliens would be required to purchase their own insurance coverage at the same rates as citizens of the US.)
* H S A (health savings account type plans, also called high deductible health plans,) would be the only type of plans available. These catastrophic plans would have a free annual physical examination provided. This extent and depth of the physical exam would be determined by the doctor. The H S A type plans would have a deductible in the range of $3,000 for an individual and $6,000 for a family. After the deductible is met, the insurance company would cover 100% of the costs. All covered expenses go toward meeting the deductible — including medications.
* If you compare what people want in their health plans to what they get with their auto insurance, you will see the difference. Your auto insurance doesn't have, oil changes, tire changes, car washes and other related items. Auto insurance simply helps you pay for a catastrophic event - a car wreck. Your health plan should be a catastrophic coverage plan that pays 100% after you have met your high deductible.
* All people, whether they are dealing with health issues or not, will pay the same premium.
* All medical records would be required to be electronic. There would be a medical database that all doctors and hospitals would be able to access that contains your health conditions, health history, medications taken and other related medical data.
* Get rid of third-party payer system.

What will happen if the government plan is adopted?

"The new government health plan that many politicians support would compete with private plans. The government would set benefits, premiums, commissions and payment rates.

The Lewin Group estimates more than 118 million people would shift to the government plan almost overnight, resulting in more than 2 out of every 3 Americans in a government plan. The reason for this dramatic shift is that the government would continue to use Medicare payment rates, so premiums would likely be 30 percent less expensive than current plans.

With more Americans under a government plan, health care system costs would shift from the government program to private plans. As a result, private premiums would skyrocket, making private health insurance unaffordable for most. Clearly the more affordable government plan could have devastating effects on private individual and group insurance plans." Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina.

If you wonder if this will happen to the United States, just consider how well the government runs the USPS. The United States Postal Service is not even close to being as efficient as FedEx, UPS or any of the private firms. They are continually raising the cost of sending letters and packages around the world.

Another government mistake: Medicare is said to be insolvent. Study Claims Medicare Debt Will Rise $32.4 Trillion

Social Security is in a crisis.

If you further wonder what is likely to happen if we choose universal health care, simply look at what is happening in Canada and Britain

We all have a critical stake in health care reform, and it is important that our voice is heard.

Are you unhappy with your health care plan? Do you think that universal health care is the answer? Don't jump too quickly into what has not been very successful in other countries. While you are waiting for a solution, consider the solutions put forth here. Also, you can purchase a high deductible health plan for about 50% less.

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