The story is told of the Wise Men of Chelm (okay, maybe the
story was somewhere else but we’ll go with it) that the mayor saw what was
going on with the space race. He
gathered all the scientists, engineers, mathematicians and other brilliant
people, and gave them the charge to come up with a space program that would top
all the others. He sequestered them for
several months, and finally the lead scientist reported back to the mayor. “We’ve come up with an amazing space program.
Really yuge! It’s bigly! We’re going to
build a rocket and go to the sun!” The mayor asked, “Isn’t it awfully hot
there?” The lead retorted, “It’s not a problem – we will go at night!”
The moral of the story? A program built by a committee is
destined to be hugely flawed. And so goes the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
commonly known as Obamacare. This was
modeled on Mitt Romney’s program in Massachusetts, and is a very difficult
program for many to deal with. The ACA brings many important features, such as
eliminating pre-existing conditions clauses, and mandating coverage for many
conditions previously not covered.
But, it is a very troubled program. Insurance companies are pulling out of a lot
of markets, coverage isn’t uniform, and some states put more money into it than
others. The result is that many people pay huge enrollment fees and huge
deductibles for spotty coverage.
When the program was being worked on, many experts urged
Congress to enact universal Medicare.
Currently, anyone in our country over 65 or on Social Security
Disability is eligible for Medicare. The program has its quirks and problems,
but over all, it’s a very effective program. And because it is a single payer
program, providers know what they will get paid, and what to charge their
patients.
Opponents to universal Medicare decry the huge costs to the
government, to enact such a program. Would it be expensive? Of course it
would. If there were negotiated pharmacy
prices, the way the VA does, it would be much better, though.
But here’s the thing. If you look at the per capita cost of
Medicare and compare it to the per capita cost for medical care for ALL
Americans, or look at the current total outlay for medical costs in our
country, including associated costs for people who don’t have good coverage, the
costs are way higher currently than they would be under Medicare.
People argue that they wouldn’t want the Federal Government
managing their care. Too centralized. Taxes too high. Etc. Plus Big Pharma and the insurance lobbies don’t
like it because it will cost them a lot of money.
Tricare, the military program, uses insurance companies to
manage the care and pay the benefits, and Tricare does the overall policy and rules
management. The VA has its own network,
and uses contracted providers as well. As a retired Navy officer and disabled
veteran, I receive benefits from all three.
It is crazy that I have three policies. I have great care, but it’s very
complex too.
If we were to take the best of all three programs, and put
it together, we could have health care coverage for ALL Americans, that would
not break the bank. Taxes would have to be higher, but in the end, the total
outlay would be much less, and productivity would increase because people would
be healthier.
It is past time for single payer insurance in our
country! May we see a new year come in
with health and prosperity for the USA and the whole world.
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