I have been asked by several blog followers why I haven't posted my opinion on "Obamacare" and one person emailed me about health care and I told him I would respond when we got home from vacation, so consider this my response. Where to begin? First of all, I am an Originalist when it comes to our Constitution. I believe it means what it says, and is not a "living, breathing document that changes with the times, as Al Gore would have it. The 10th Amendment, a part of the Bill of Rights, specifically states that, " The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people". Sounds pretty plain to me, and since there is absolutely nothing in the Constitution about providing health care to the people, the government has absolutely no constitutional authority to take over 1/6 of the US economy, with a plan that will bring about huge increases in costs and huge tax increases, which will by nature result in rationing, long waits for services, etc. in order to control those costs. Don't worry about Grandma or Grandpa getting their plug pulled by a "death panel" though, because they'll never get plugged in to begin with.
My solution to the healthcare "problem", which I'm not really sure exists, is:
1. TORT REFORM
Pain and suffering awards should be limited to a maximum of $150,000. Economic damages (i.e. lost wages, special equipment required, etc,) should still be awarded. Malpractice insurance can cost doctors up to $800,000 a year. Doctors order every possible test, even unnecessary ones, in order to protect themselves from liability. All this cost gets passed on to patients or insurance companies. One further point about tort reform. In order to prevent the filing of frivolous lawsuits which cost doctors and insurance companies millions, if not billions, in legal fees every year to defend, it should be made mandatory that the losing side pay legal fees of both sides.
2. INSURANCE COMPANIES
Ah, the big bad "boggie man" of this entire operation (no pun intended). Well, right now they are one of most highly regulated industries in this country. They make a profit? How horrible! Well, they sell a service and are entitled to make a profit on it just like I'm entitled to make a profit when I go to a customer's house and kill a yellow jacket nest or some mice. Should I be demonized because I make a profit? Insurance company customers should be able to buy the coverage they want and not have to buy coverage for some disease, because the "Government" mandates that it be covered, if their family history and life style mean they will probably will never get it.
Insurance customers and small businesses should be able to put their resources together and buy insurance across state lines, which is currently illegal.
3. 47 MILLION UNINSURED
Now, taken at face value that represents about 15% of the country's population, but that figure is totally bogus, by the way, because:
a. 8.4 million of those are what are called "invincibles", young people who don't think they will get sick and decide not to participate in or purchase a medical plan. Should the government force them to participate? I don't think so.
b. 8 million are kids who are eligible for coverage of some sort, but their parents haven't signed them up. Is the Government supposed to make up for parents stupidity? I don't think so.
c. 18 million have access and choose not to sign up or are temporarily between jobs and not covered. This is the same as full employment with about a 3-3.5 % unemployment rate. There will always be some people uncovered by medical insurance just as there will always be some unemployed. Are the rest of us supposed to pay for coverage for people like this? Do we pay people's salaries just because they are unemployed? I don't think so.
d. 12.6 million are illegal immigrants who should not even be in the country, never mind be covered by government health care. Come here legally if you love this country that much. Should we provide heathcare for people who are here ILLEGALLY? I don't think so.
But for the sake of argument, let's just say that it is true, and the new government plan covers every last one of them. That would mean that in order to maintain services at their current level there would have to be an immediate (upon passage of "Obamacare") 18% increase in the number of doctors, nurses, clinics, blood labs, radiology centers, hospitals, etc. Does anyone really think that is going to happen? The result will have to be rationing.
Not one single person in this country is denied medical coverage. All they have to do is show up at an emergency room and by Federal law they have to be treated even if they cannot pay.
4. MSA's (medical savings accounts)
These are similar to IRA's, or your 401K. You put money aside each month, tax free, and these funds have to be used on medical expenses, insurance, etc. Any amount left over at the end of the year can be rolled over. This would allow people to shop for their own medical insurance coverage, and/or pay their own bills (if they so desire). The important part of this is that healthcare decisions would be returned to the individual and away from the insurance companies and the government. Insurance companies and medical professionals would be competing for your dollars and this along with reduced malpractice insurance premiums because of tort reform, would cause prices to fall. In a lot of cases, they would fall drastically.
5. CONTROL
Does anyone really believe that the government is trying to force through government run healthcare because they are some benevolent organization who just cares about the "little people"? I don't think so. If they get control of your healthcare, they get control of you! They can tell you what to eat, what to drink, how to live, and on and on and on....... It is very simple, for those of you who haven't been paying attention, that the Left wants to control your life and they are in power now and they are rapidly pushing through as much legislation, as fast as they can before we wake up and realize what is going on. If they succeed, it will be too late for the America we knew.
If anyone has an opinion feel free to leave a comment on the blog.
Absolutely!!!!!!
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