Saturday, August 8, 2009
Rants on Reform
Ok you have to be living under a rock, or in some remote cabin in the Serra Madre Mountain range to not know that there is a ranging debate over health care reform. There are ideas from the left and from the right o how to reform this health care mess we have now. I am not a big fan of either idea. Honestly, I have not heard much from the right other than they do not want the government to control their health care. Especially when the government is dominated by the left right now. And of course the left wants to have universal health care for everyone. I believe both parties are missing the core issue here. And that is greed. Greedy pharmaceutical companies that jack up the price of drugs. Outrageous cost at the hospital. And the sky high costs of benefits.All stem from greed. "Greed is good". Gordon Gecko (Wal Street) says that to a group of potential investors. Competition is good, not greed. Competition drives better services, lower costs, and more variety.If the government takes control of health care some say that we will have more choices. Other folks say that we will have no choice in health care. That is where i think true health care reform begins. It begins wit competition and allowing folks to choose what they want. If we are all realistic about this we know that the health care industry is a business in business to make money, period. So why not let the strong weed out the weak in this industry. I know this is not our current Presidents mindset because we see bail outs all over the place.Now that being said, I do thing the government should have some oversight when it comes to the health care industry. But no more government control. That is the key. The government sees that if they can control health care then they can control costs. This will never happen because of the very nature of our democracy. This administration sees universal health care as an opportunity to provide health care for every citizen. Hand outs are not the answer. People work that get paid, folks contribute they get rewarded. Now, I understand there is a small number of our population cannot work. For them exceptions need to be made. However, I am not a fan of using my tax dollars giving health benefits to folks that just don't want to work.I am all about helping the poor, and the needy. But it takes the heart out of the idea if my government makes me do it. Christ does not force us to do a flipping thing. And I believe this is because if our hearts are involved then we really care about what we are dealing with. So by not allowing the health industry to compete within itself, and by forcing the tax payer to care for those in need by raising their taxes we effectively take God out of the equation. Not a good idea. For me I want Christ at the center of everything I do or say. I wish our government would so the same. Maybe things would really change, maybe not.
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3 comments:
You venture into some strange theology there. How exactly is God in the competitive business practices of insurance companies and healthcare providers?
No one is currently trying to figure out ways to give away health care to lazy people. That's a straw man argument.
Read my blog comparing the health care issue to public education.
We're talking about deciding as a nation that our society will benefit from establishing a minimum level of healthcare to all of its citizens. No matter who determines whether they are deserving or not.
OK I guess I was misunderstood. My point was that in Christ we are to take care of the poor and needy without the government's involvement. In a way the government is saying that with this health care proposal that who cannot get health care will get it from the government. I believe that will be disastrous. One, it will force employers to jack up the cost the the care they provide to employees. Second, it force ultimately force those companies to chose the government option then the log jam begins. The government should just better fund and staff the state and county health care facilities so that they can provide better care for low income folks. That is all I was trying to say. And as far as the competitive business practices goes its all about allowing those businesses to compete with one another in order to get the lowest price and the best product for the customer. The health care industry is no different.
James, I agree that pharmacuticals are in it for the money, they provide a service (Selling Perscriptions) without the need for this service there would be no phamacy, so yeah of course they are in it for the money, how else would the industry stay afloat.
In recent news however the argument is not about prices at all, not at least in the town hall meetings we've heard so much about for the last couple of weeks. The facts are simply that there is fear and anger based on misinformation, there have been many accounts from reactionaries on the subject,
most unfortunately from Sarah Palin, on the 1000 page bill that apearantly no one has read. Palin's regards to this bill are completely off base, there is not a "Death Panel" clause in there, there is nothing of the sort. People in the town hall meetings are angry because of what they have heard from unreliable biased sources. I'm not talking just about conservatives but many liberals I have seen as well, my thought is that people should do their homework before making outragous claims that really frighten people.
There has been a large emphasis on numbers, numbers are not evidence and can be used manipulatively, not everyone getting this universal healthcare is a "bum" because everyone is getting it, the "bums" make up an extremely small percentage of the population, and a much smaller percentage than of the need based population that actually requires healthcare be provided for them. If they say 4 million unemployed people, yes that's a large number, but compared to what? Not all of these people have been unemployed for long and are merely between jobs, and there are many physically unable to work that are also factored into that number. So yes there's 4 million people out of work, but out of that 4 million there's let's say 400,000 that are in fact bums. Yes I think it's wrong for those 400,000 to be taking taxpayers money, but the other 3,600,000 that actully need it, I'm happy to give them my tax money.
People want a lot of things, but they don't want to pay for them, personally I like taxes because I like having a military, and police, and NASA, there are many things our taxes pay for that are much worse than universal healthcare, but the American public doesn't get to hear about those things because the government has control (Too much control) but I'm happy to have their control if it's in the public's best interest and surprisingly, is most of the time.
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