Regardless of what you think is the issue with our healthcare system, this fact remains. Health care is a huge portion of the country's overall economy. Health care, along with everything else, was built around a capitalist system. Whether or not you think that system is for the better or for the worse, any major overhaul that pushes too far from that core design WILL cause significant disruption and the current conditions in the country would not withstand that very well. The leadership from the Democratic party have been clear that they WANT a single-payer system (government provided insurance). There's been plenty of opposition against that idea from Democrats and Republicans alike. This kind of huge swing in the midst of economic instability is a very bad idea.
Instead of trying to redesign the whole thing, let's do what we can NOW and what we can EASILY in order to affect change, even if it's minor. Let's reform medical malpractice, regardless of it's effect on overall costs, it's a relatively simple change and one that's needed. Doctors should not have to work like they have a huge target over their back pocket. Let's also cut off benefits for illegal aliens. I personally know lots of good people here just looking to improve themselves and their family, but it is not my responsibility to pay for their health care. Let's also remove the single state restriction on health insurance companies. Let them draw from a bigger pool of citizens, that should help reduce costs.
Even a relatively modest reduction in costs might have huge impacts on the overall system. One of the "problems" quoted so often by politicians is our 40 something millions of Americans who are uninsured. A large portion of those people are young, healthy, relatively prosperous individuals who view health insurance as a bad use of their money. They don't think they will need insurance, and they probably won't, so they don't pay for it because of the prohibitive costs. Many small employers (which make up a HUUUUUUGE portion of the jobs in this country) also can't afford health care for their working (and usually healthy, productive) employees. If there were modest reductions in the costs of insurance, these employers might also be able to provide insurance. Adding millions of healthy young insurance members would boost gross revenue without large increases in expenditures. This could also make insurance significantly less expensive as well. So while some of the "conservative" ideas for fixing health care may seem small, or insignificant, if we can just move a few more people into the pool of insurance, it might just have a bit of snowball effect and reduce insurance costs for all.
(Oh, and to add in a little political jab, the senate bill would still leave about 20 million Americans uninsured after 10 years. Talk about spending a lot of money to not even come close to fixing the "problem".)
My base opinion is that supporting grand change that will come with extremely large costs attached is completely irresponsible when simple straightforward cost cutting ideas have not been employed.
thegreatheed
Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:44 am