I've been reading about the conservatives, moderates and the like, both Democrats and Republicans, who oppose the "public option" in the healthcare reform. They claim, they're against it because it competes with the private health insurance companies. Except it doesn't. There are 20+ million uninsure people in this country and another 20+ million underinsured people.
The former aren't currently covered by any health insurance plan offered by any private company, mostly because it's too expensive or the health insurance companies refuse to offer insurance. So why if the government offers them affordable insurance is that competition? There is no competition since there are no companies offering them health insurance.
As for the underinsured, it's because they they can't afford the necessary insurance they need or want. The insurance companies have either denied them better or complete coverage, such as for pre-existing conditions, or made it too expensive. And here there needs to be competition to make the insurance companies do what's right.
And that is making complete health insurance affordable. And if they won't the government has the obligation and responsibilty to see they can find and afford it. The government is simply doing what the health insurance companies won't do. And that's not competition since the health insurance companies aren't there for the people. The government should be.
Neither of these are competition in the common sense definition of the word. The health insurance companies are refusing to compete, and have simply left the market, leaving 15-20% of the people in this country uninsured or underinsured. If they won't the government should. And if that forces the health insurance companies to compete then fine, they should since they haven't.
It's time the government hold the health insurance companies accountable to the American people and America. It was this country that allowed them to prosper. It's time the helped the people.That's American and America. It's about helping all of is. They can easily still profit, and the government will ensure they will, but the government needs to ensure everyone has good affordable health insurance, if the health insurance companies won't.
It's not competition, it's fairness and responsibility. And folks need to get their perspective right.
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Gullible people have swallowed a lot of the scare tactics of big insurance companies who've employed astroturf public relations groups that make one think that Americans are against universal healthcare in droves. The polls show otherwise, as does common sense.
ReplyDeletePay or die - the system we have now where the value of ones life is measured by the size of ones bank account - doesn't work. It kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.
Universal healthcare, so reviled by those with a dog in the fight, is the world standard for democracies everywhere. And must I point out that those other western democracies are...well, you know, DEMOCRACIES! If there was anything superior about Pay-Or-Die they could switch to our system in heartbeat. They don't - because they aren't that stupid.