Health Care Deformity

Health care in the U.S. has become a dismal failure. It costs way too much for individuals to get insurance, and those that do have insurance are in a running battle with health care insurance companies over high deductibles, and over which medical procedures are covered and which are not. How can anybody take the position that in one of the most prosperous countries in the world it is OK for tens of millions of Americans to be deprived of quality affordable health care?

To be sure, there are special interests (Can we say big money?) who will derail health care reform for bigger profits at the expense of other's health and, indeed, their very lives. Those opposed to health care reform will use all means at their disposal to scare people into believing that the federal government will put through a 'socialist' health care program that will provide poor quality health care services and limited access to good doctors, hospitals and medical clinics - while increasing your taxes to do so. This despite the fact that the Veterans Administration Hospital system has been rated one of the best in the country, and Medicare is consistently ranked as the best and most efficient health care insurance program in the U.S. We need quality, affordable health care for everyone, not just the wealthy. Why should the middle class and poor be forced to compromise their health when it comes to issues like cancer, heart disease, pregnancy, diabetes, weight loss, fitness, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and depression? Many of the rich and powerful do not need to worry about their health care and are willing to spend whatever it takes to defeat health care reform if it means bigger profits for them in the end.

Consider these facts: 'Without changes in federal policy, the number of Americans without health insurance will grow from about 45 million this year to about 54 million in 2019', the Congressional Budget Office said in February. The under-insured in America may also be as high as 40 million.Lack of health care insurance for those with medical needs creates an economic crisis for individuals, families, and the nation as a whole. The American Journal of Medicine estimates that 62 percent of all bankruptcies in 2007 were related to medical expenses.

The primary goal of health care reform, as I understand it, strives to lower costs for everyone, even those people who already have insurance, while providing for choice of programs and quality medical services. How can this be done? Lower prescription drug prices by making generic versions of more drugs available. Close the Medicare 'doughnut hole'. Allow Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies. Change the way doctors and hospitals get paid by rewarding quality of care instead of simply quantity of care. Provide meaningful oversight on insurance and drug companies to prevent gouging and misleading tactics, misinformation, and unwarranted denial of claims and procedures to increase profits. Take back some of the government money that was given to wealthy individuals over the past several years in the form of corporate welfare.

If this health care reform initiative fails now, I'm afraid the U.S. will look very much like a different country in a few short years - with desperate people everywhere, and one which most of us will not be very proud of.