Question of the Day | 03/16/2009 11:00 pm
Are you willing to accept more gov't regulation and fewer choices in health care to cut costs and provide insurance for all?
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Read more about: Barack Obama, Economy, Government, Health, health care, Health Insurance, Medicine, Politics
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Interesting. The question assumes that the reader has insurance and choices in health care now. There are many who do not. The newly unemployed are likely to be newly uninsured as well. We have to change the fundamental assumption that insurance is tied to a job. It should be a right for all. Managed care can be a good thing if it is managed well. I get excellent care from my HMO and the cost is contained.
I am a part of a HMO already. I have few choices right now! I do not think I would see changes in my health care beyond what I see right now. So, yes, I would have no issue government organized health care, per the directions of the FDA and Public Health Service, including NIH.
The other issue as a healthcare supporter, worker, etc., many people choose not to adhere to their professionally licensed health care provider’s directives. I am not talking about "2nd opinions", I am talking about obvious treatment modalities and the patient plainly says, I’m not taking my high blood pressure medications because I don’t want to anymore… Then 6 months later, they suffer a heart attack or stroke… Great move…
The reality is that while we have a relatively decent health care system compared to some 3rd world countries and most of the US issues are politically related rather than medical research related, patients do not know how to gain access to accurate health information and to advocate for their best health. We can have world class, state of the art facilities, Nobel Laureate medications, superior clinicians, but that does not matter a hill of beans when the patient chooses not to change to a healthier behavior. The day after a heart attack is not the day one choses to suddenly train for a marathon… The day after chemo is not the day one chooses to stop smoking…
These are the behaviors that frustrate many of my colleagues and get presented a case conference to grand rounds.
Yes! Actually I am already in ‘the system.’ No matter how it changes it will be all I can get. I’m already uninsurable based on the current criteria and I doubt that will change. CA
It is hard to say. I think there are many things they could do before over regulating. Bust up the large entity insurance companies. Enforce the Anti trust laws. Open up competition across state lines and you will see a big difference. They could even do that now while waiting for them to get their plan together. There is much more as well.
The entire way this question is phrased is slanted. Right now, there are lots of regulations of drug companies, but not enough government inspectors or Department of Justice personnel to enforce those regulations. Part 1. Part 2. If you don’t have health insurance you have "fewer choices." As in none. Part 3. Providing health insurance through critical care facilities and emergency rooms for people who can’t afford health care, which is then charged to public coffers, is far more expensive for everyone than providing preventative health care before the situation becomes critical. Phrasing the question this way indicates a serious bias, and also shows a couple of other things. First, that whoever wrote the question has health care and doesn’t understand that an $80 copay on a drug means I can’t use something that might save my life. Second, the drug companies are spending a fortune on television advertising for drugs to help men who are impotent to the expense of serious shortfalls in diabetes, cancer, CPD, and CHF medications. Also, the drug company lobbyists are very similar to those of the banking industry in terms of level of corruption. Which really brings the question, why is a website purported to serve women over 40 posting a poll that is this biased in its phrasing?
"Are you willing to accept …"? There are ways . . and ways to phrase a question, opportunities to pull in a writer in as a lead-in to do his/her best at explanation that we could react to in a half-way intelligent fashion, but the "slant" - without either of the above - is like pulling a question out of a hat with no forethought.
Having said that, I am going to refer you to a good friend of mine’s latest quite-easy-to-read column on - yes - just this topic. At least it will make our stir our some brains so that we have some truly cognisant points for discussion.
Click here: No Reason to Demonize U.S. Single-Payer Health: John F. Wasik - Bloomberg.comJohn told me he received more written response from this single column than any he had ever written — and you can find those answers also under his blog.
Thanks, Tee Zee — and I will tell John Wasik, too - as I have been collaborating on his latest book with him on Green Housing — out in June!!! He is soooooo sharp (and darling looking, by the way!)
I would be willing to accept what is needed to assure the everyone has insurance. My concern is that our government is not equipped to handle such a program. They gave away billions of dollars in bailout money with little or no conditions.OOPS. My confidence in their abilities is getting smaller by the minute.
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