As the debate over healthcare-reform rages, I am struck by the misinformation that abounds as to what true universal healthcare can and should entail.
Yes, universal healthcare would mean that the government runs the healthcare system. How is that a bad thing? This takes the control away from the insurance companies who now make the decisions on whether or not you get the treatment your Doctor has recommended for you and this includes your dentist. No, it does not mean that you will wait in line for hours to see a doctor – nor does it mean that you will not get to see the same doctor over and over.
Many insurance policies today, require you to see whoever is on staff at a medical group when you make an appointment – it may or may not be the doctor you saw last month. If you go to an emergent care clinic for treatment, you may currently have to wait a few hours before you get the treatment you need, depending on the types of situations that come through the door. If yours is not life threatening, you will wait. With Universal Healthcare, you will get to make an appointment to see your doctor – if you don’t, you may have to wait a bit longer. With Universal Healthcare, a doctor will have the time to really get to know you and your situation and will be able to treat your causes rather than your symptoms, thereby making you well rather than just keeping you feeling ok. It is a win-win scenario for everyone. The US will, in general, become a healthier nation.
I am curious as to when we became a citizenry so meek that we will cow-tow to big business such as insurance companies rather than listen to what is right and what our doctor and ourselves agree upon as the correct course of treatment for us.
The United States has become the most pill-popping country in the world. If it hurts, if it’s too high, too low, or just needs a slight modification that could be made by behavior, we’ll pop a pill instead.
The pharmaceutical companies do not want you to be well – they do not want to find a cure for cancer, or diabetes, or leukemia – no, their profit margins go out the window if that were to happen. And the insurance companies are making millions by charging high premiums on those who can least afford them because of pre-existing conditions – many of which have been treated and mitigated either by surgery or by drugs. But then, those same drugs that mitigate the pre-existing condition are taken to a higher drug tier and the generics are not as effective or cause more side effects than the brand name, so the person is left with a choice of paying either their heat bill or their medication bill. And I am not just talking about senior citizens here.
Let’s reward our Doctors for making us better - not keeping us sick or treating the symptoms but for treating the cause. The healthier they make us, the better their paycheck.
There will still be major illness and there will still be a need for specialists but the impetus will be to create a healthier population not a richer medical profession.
The lifting of the burden of healthcare off the shoulders of every American citizen could be the boost to the economy that this country so desperately needs. Imagine not having to worry about paying for that doctor visit, hospital stay, emergency room visit or that surgery that your child so desperately needs but you have no way of paying for. Imagine having a standard charge for every prescription you are written regardless of the drug.
Pharmaceutical companies are given millions in government grants to develop new drugs for all types of diseases but those taxpayer dollars are not given back to the taxpayers in the form of reduced charges for prescriptions – in reverse in most cases – we are charged more and pay it without so much as a peep.
The question of how to pay for this keeps coming up in this debate –and the correlation between tax reform and healthcare reform is no coincidence. While we are talking about a paradigm shift here in our thinking about taking care of people rather than companies, let’s talk about fairness in our tax system as well.
Remove the loopholes, the tax shelters, and other items that provide the wealthiest 1% of the population from paying their fair share of taxes in the first place.
Start taxing those US businesses that outsource their production and services to foreign countries an additional surtax for the revenue generated by doing so. While they are posting huge profits they are also reducing their US labor workforce. There must be a penalty paid for doing so.
Create an environment whereby insurance companies will have to re-think how they sell insurance and what products they sell. Healthcare will no longer be one of their products, nor will prescription or dental insurance.
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