HealthCare

The United States has the greatest healthcare system in the world, but because of government intervention and regulation costs are, and have been skyrocketing. Government is not the solution to the problem with healthcare. Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that are going broke. This country does not need socialized/nationalized medicine.

There are people that say 47-50 million people are without healthcare/insurance coverage, and some are politicians who want to provide health insurance for them. Some of the reasons why these people do not have health insurance is because they are young and physically fit and do not think they need it, some are illegal immigrants, some can afford it but choose to be self-insured, and some just do not want to pay for it using the emergency rooms as their clinic.

We do not have a healthcare problem in this country; we have a health insurance problem. Nobody is denied healthcare in this country and if they go to the emergency room they will be treated, regardless of the ability to pay. This in itself is not right because the doctors, nurses, hospital etc. provide a service to that individual and they should be paid. Some hospitals are going out of business because of this. Also people who have health insurance are paying more because a percentage goes for people who do not pay.

Unfortunately there are many people and politicians who think healthcare is a right. That is a big problem, for there is a need and a want for healthcare/insurance but it should not be a right.

The solution to the healthcare/insurance crisis is in the free market. One way is for people to buy catastrophic healthcare insurance to cover the costs of a major illness or injury, and to pay for doctors visits, therapy, drugs, etc. out of pocket. The individuals should purchase the insurance themselves and their employer should not provide it to them. People should be paid for the work they do, and buy what they want when they want. When people have their health insurance paid by their employer, they get locked into plans they may not want and have to stay employed with that company in order to keep the insurance. There is a lack of competition in the health insurance industry when employers provide health insurance to their employees. The reason employers began providing health coverage was because the government imposed a wage freeze the under Stabilization Act of 1942; therefore business circumvented the wage freeze law by offering paid benefits in lieu of wages. Also some companies that have promised to pay the health insurance for retirees have reneged on that promise.

Another solution to the healthcare/insurance crisis is to set up some form of medical savings accounts, wherein people purchase insurance to pay for medical expenses and if they do not use the coverage they would get back some of their money. This would empower the people to be in control of their lives and make decisions about their healthcare.

Medical insurance should be available to purchase across state lines, which would increase competition in the industry thus lowering cost. Insurance companies need to be held accountable for the services that were contracted in the policy when individuals have paid their premiums for health care coverage, and the insurance company should not be able to cancel coverage on that individual because of illness or injury.

What the Government is proposing in the overhaul of healthcare amounts to socialism. It is about control and the loss of freedoms. The loss of freedom will occur because you will be told what you can do, what you can eat etc. because it will be tied to healthcare.
To pay for it Obama wants to put the squeeze on doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals. Taxes on beer, wine, liquor, and tobacco would go up. Soda and other sugary drinks and cereals would also be taxed because they lead to obesity. The idea behind the proposed increases is to tax lifestyle choices that contribute to rising medical costs. Controlling our lives!!

The United States has the greatest healthcare system in the world. Sure it needs to be fine-tuned but we do not need socialized medicine or universal single-payer healthcare (Obamacare). I urge everyone to contact their representatives in government and have them oppose this government takeover of the healthcare system.

Greg Zotta