Healthcare rights and misconceptions
Many Americans these days keep chanting that Healthcare is a “right”, but lets really look at that. Have these Americans considered what “rights” will be taken away with a Government controlled Healthcare plan?
Here’s a short list;
NO “right” to treatment, the Government will decide if you get treatment, or you’re expendable.
NO “right” to choose your own Doctor, even if you pay cash, the Government will decide.
NO “right” to see a Doctor immediately if you are sick.
NO “right” to a Second Opinion, because the Government obviously knows what best for you.
Now, that said, I know that I’m going to get the comments from the above statement about how some people on HMO’s don’t have any rights now, but, that is a misconception. HMO’s also known as Health Maintenance Organization in their original conception was great plans, key word here, “Original Conception”. HMO’s were created to help you maintain your health, not to fix your health, hence the word “Maintenance” and therefore they were and still remain the most cost-effective policies in the market. Even with an HMO you still have the “right” to treatment, you still have the “right” to go to another Doctor and pay cash, you still have the “right” to be seen when you are sick, and you still have the “right” to a second opinion. So to say that you have a “right” or will have a “right” under this new proposed Government plan is really a misconception in itself along with many other misconceptions.
Misconception # 1
You will still have the right to your own Private Health Insurance
Not exactly, on Page 16 of the just released Healthcare bill under the header of “Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage,” the “Limitation On New Enrollment” section of the bill clearly states:
“Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day” of the year the legislation becomes law.”
So in other words, yes, you can keep your coverage, just as promised right? Well, not really, if you have current private coverage you won’t be able to change it, and if you leave a company and become self employed you won’t be able to buy Private Coverage. So technically, yes, as long as you can keep your coverage in place you will have it, and you can hope that your Private Carrier does not go out of business. Which leads to the next misconception about how the Health Insurance Industry will become more competitive.
Misconception # 2
The Insurance companies will have to be more competitive once a Government plan is in place.
More competitive or insolvent? Back in April of this year the nonpartisan Lewin Group estimated that 120 Million or more Americans could lose their group coverage and end up on a Government plan. So,
if that’s the case, you do the math, that would leave Private Carriers with 50 Million less customers and could cause, as VP John Shelis of Lewin Group put it, the market to”fizzle out altogether”.
We are now seeing that this bill will actually kill the private market for private coverage by not allowing any new policies to be written once it becomes law, so how is that making the Private Carriers become more competitive? This bill is also likely to kill off the HSA’s, a goal many in D.C. have had for years. They have wanted for a long time to crush this alternative because it gives you as a consumer too much control over your own healthcare.
Misconception # 3
There are 48 Million Uninsured because they can’t afford Health Insurance
This is pure fallacy, David and June O’Neill of the Employment Policies Institute puts it into perspective.
• The O’Neill’s classified the uninsured in two categories: the “involuntarily” uninsured, which are the ones that are “likely unable to afford” coverage; and then the “voluntarily” uninsured, 18- to 64-year-olds who have incomes at or above 2.5 times the poverty line and are “likely have the means to obtain health care coverage.” Here’s the numbers – line by line;
• 43% of the 46 million, belong to the voluntarily uninsured group.
That then leaves 27 million Americans who aren’t covered because of affordability.
Now, here’s the kicker…
• One-third of those who are” involuntarily uninsured” are high school dropouts; only 7% of the privately insured didn’t graduate.
• A “disproportionately large” portion — almost 52% — of the involuntarily uninsured are young, 18 to 34.
• Immigrants make up a third of the involuntarily uninsured. (That’s not an “uninsured American” now is it?)
• Almost half of those the O’Neill’s placed in the involuntary column are single and childless.
What people don’t understand is that lacking insurance is not the same as lacking access to care. The uninsured do receive treatment, spending roughly 40% of the amount spent on health care by insured Americans each year. So given these statistics, I ask you do these number’s make a compelling case for D.C. to seize control of 18% of our economy just to make sure a small part of the population has medical insurance?
Misconception # 4
Americans are very unhappy with there current Health Insurance Coverage
Another untruth, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, “Seventy percent (70%) of Americans with health insurance rate their coverage as good or excellent. Twenty-three percent (23%) say their insurance coverage is fair, and six percent (6%) rate it as poor, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Overall, including those without insurance, 62% rate the health care they receive as good or excellent, while eight percent (8%) say it’s poor. For Americans with health insurance, satisfaction is a bit higher: 70% say their health care is good or excellent, while just four percent (4%) view it as poor.”
In summary, if you think the unemployment rate is high now, we haven’t even discussed the potential loss of jobs in the actual health care industry. With Insurance companies losing 50 Million customers as shown by the Lewin group, they will have to lay off employees. Then hospitals will lay off more staff because of lack of reimbursement or not enough reimbursement from the government plan. Next Physicians will retire in droves because they simply cannot operate in a negative business environment (meaning they cannot work for free!), and then who will want to become a Doctor to get paid so little.
Public opinion surveys such as Gallup have consistently shown that most Americans consider access and cost to be paramount in problems facing the system. Perversely, the primary changes that the new Healthcare Reform will bring to you and your family is reduced access to care and significant increases in cost via your tax dollars.
Oh by the way that was only getting to page 16 in the new Healthcare bill, there are still 1002 pages to go.
Call, fax or write your Congressional Representative today and tell them to read all one thousand pages plus of the bill and then say “NO” to “Less Care”, “Less Choice”, “Less Quality” for more of YOUR tax dollars. Tell them to go back to the drawing board and stop punishing the working class, yes the system needs to be reworked but it is not broken and like my Grandfather always said, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”. If Congress wants an example of a broken system they only need to cross the border to our northern neighbor, after all Canadians cross the border all the time to come to American for better Healthcare. But with the new “Healthcare Reform” they won’t be doing that now will they, once again another blow to the American economy, I digress.
Join our Network and we’ll keep you posted or for more info go to the United American Tea Party Health Care Update website.
Sources of Data: Gallup Poll, Rasmussen Poll, Lewin Group and Employment Policies Institute
BreeLee Johnston is the founder of United American Tea Party which is a Chapter of Just Patriots Inc in St. Johns County. She is a member of the National Leadership Council of Tea Party Patriots as well as the Florida Coordinator for ICaucus.org and contributes a regular guest editorial to Historic City News.
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After reading this you would think the world is coming to an end if this legislation passes. It won’t. The problem with the discussions on healthcare is that everyone talks about it being government run healthcare, it is not. Healthcare will still be provided by doctors, nurses, and hospitals. The issues being discussed are how to PAY for healthcare, simple as that. My question to you is you list everything that is wrong with the current legislation but do not offer any suggestions on how to change it for the better. I have see the “conservative” bill and it is no better. I give credit to our leaders in Washington for finally taking this problem up, especially the moderates in both parties who are looking for ways to make this bipartisan. People who want no government intervention into healthcare do not realize it is already there. Medicare allows our seniors to get affordable coverage while government oversight allows our doctors and nurses to be certified. The only other thing I will add is people who do not have insurance (whether voluntary or involuntarily) cost people who do have insurance more and more every year. When they go to the hospital and don’t pay their bill guess who gets hit with the writedown… everyone else. O and it’s not at the “negotiated rate” you and I who do have insurance plans get charged… it’s the out of pocket costs that blow our minds away they are so high! To your points, I do think if we are going to have a government option it needs to be competetive with the private insurers.
Thanks for the good reply “staug2″. You are right in the fact that the healthcare will still be administered by licensed Doctors and Nurses, but they will still be controlled by the Gov’t as far as what they can do for you, just as they do with Medicare, which I might point out is a bankrupt system.
Yes Reform is needed you will get zero argument from me there. But and the big “BUT” here is that we all know that once we give the Gov’t control of something we never get it back. I say .let each State do their own reform, the Constitution of the United States was created to give the States control over anything that has not been set aside to be controlled by the Government
This bill will allow the Gov’t to control another 18% of our economy as well as ANOTHER private industry and could easily put many of those out of business, it is not making them competitive if you can’t buy the products they sell.
I too want reform, like I said tell them to “read the bill” for a change, and send them back to the drawing board for “Real Reform” not Gov’t controlled Healthcare.
A friend of mine that spoke at our recent event recent wrote a great article on “Real Reform” 15 Common Sense Health Care Reforms, check it out
http://www.healthcareupdate.info/RealReformPage.html
Thanks again for good input!!
Oh, and I am not a “chicken little” personality by any means, but sometimes you do have to say “fire” to get people’s attention when you smell the smoke.
Six key moderate senators today, called for a slowdown in the White House’s push for a healthcare reform bill and wrote a Letter to Senators Reid and McConnell:…….
http://unitedamericanteaparty.ning.com/profiles/blogs/how-will-media-report-senators
A searchable version of the Proposed Healthcare Bill
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.+3200:
IBD pretty much backs everything this article spoke of:
Health Reform: Many extravagant claims have been made on behalf of the various health care “reforms” now emerging from Congress and the White House. But on closer inspection, virtually all prove to be false.
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=332723342557746
Did you know that there are actually 16 plans that have been written and offered up for legislation, but notice how you have only heard about just one.
http://www.cprights.org/plans.php
I do agree they need to slow down alittle with the health care proposals. I kind of think having the entire month of August off for congress is alittle bit crazy, especially with how much time the House of Reps will take off next year for campaigning but that’s an entirely different subject. I guess my major issue with the Republicans in this case is they seem to offer solutions up only when the democrats are poised to pass changes. If they felt so strongly about healthcare reform why didn’t they try any of their solutions when they had the votes to do something about it. It just seems like they are against what Obama and the democrats have proposed and are only offering a solution when they know it will never get passed. The other thing I will point out is if there are actually 16 different proposals out there then taking just 1 of them and picking it apart is kind of silly. We all know that the final bill will look nothing like what passes the house. I do think raising the marginal rate for wealthy americans is a decent way of paying for this. Remember it’s only the marginal rate that is increasing, not the rate they pay for their earnings under 350,000. Also I think taxing the golden health insurance plans is a good idea as well. Most wealthy Americans pay very low actual tax rates due to the amount of deductions their high priced accountants find. This is something that ever Warren Buffet has admitted.
Also, I forgot in my previous post to point out that a major reason why medicare is bankrupt is because health care costs have gone up so much faster than inflation. It’s not really bankrupt as it is still functioning, it is just spending more money than it is taking in at the moment. It’s also one of the main reason health care reform is a top priority with more and more baby boomers poised to be covered under medicare. If costs are not reigned in now the problem will continue to get worse.
I have a niece who is a nurse in No. GA, and she just told me Saturday that hospitals must render treatment to “anyone” in need…even illegals. Recently, an illegal made a special trip to their hospital (from Mexico), had to be placed in ICU for several days after surgery, and his health care bill was over $500,000 (you and I paid that). We have many friends in the medical field, and they all say the same thing…they are required to render service to the poor and uninsured just the same as those insured. If the outlying clinics are unable to treat a patient (even if he/she is illegal, uninsured, whatever), the team is required to refer that patient to doctors at an associated medical center. THIS IS WHY medical costs are out of control, and there are not enough of us to take care of these huge costs (particularly when you eliminate all government workers, teachers, legislators, etc., who are able to have their own plans that are not affected by those who do not have health insurance). Sure, reign in the costs of health care coverage, MAKE IT REALLY UNIVERSAL FOR EVERYONE, reduce the cost (and push) of prescription drugs, blah, blah, blah.
staug2 may be a baby boomer, and we understand his/her outrage also…but, surely there are older people in his/her family who have paid dearly for health insurance for years and now are FORCED to sign up for Medicare as primary provider (which is basically socialized healthcare already). We must accept it and we HATE it!!! We consider it none of the government’s business what kind of health care we use as long as we’re paying our own way. We have no medical issues, don’t average a doctor visit once each year and would be glad to pay for our own PREFERRED health insurance (by the way, we pay for Medicare, and our FORCED deductions from Social Security [a whole new subject] rose by a good percentage in 2009). On the other hand, when the PRESIDENT AND ALL HIS MEN (AND WOMEN) present a plan that they too are a part of, we’ll be on it like white on rice. To consider what the “Government” would do with health care, just take a look at Medicare, Social Security, Post Office, etc., all run by the Government…all considered out-of-control spending and/or failures.
We have two adult children (with young families), who work hard to keep up with these costs, and we fear there will be nothing for them when they’re older; they are paying HUGELY for this mess the government has placed us all in, as more and more is deducted from their salaries to pay for what Congress deems beneficial for Americans.
I agree that Congress receives way too much time off (for the hours spent) and perks are far too generous, such as WONDERFUL health care coverage and lifetime benefits, even if they spend only one term in office. However, taking off the month of August forces them to face their constitutents and, since more than 80% are happy with their own health care, I believe those who represent us would get the message. If something is not broken, don’t fix it. If it needs tightening up, then tighten it up. If it’s dirty, clean it. But if it’s working, don’t shut it down and design something that has been tried in other places and found to be unsatisfactory. Tweak it where needed (such as no health care for illegals that a few Americans are forced to pay for), tighten up Medicare issues, etc.
And, please, do not be deceived about that marginal rate thing…only when making under $350,000…that’s a joke too. There aren’t enough of those people out there over $350,000 to cover the proposed plan. I don’t know about you, but I was never hired by a poor person…and many of those people who are making over $350,000 are small business owners (I’ve been one of those too) who are creating jobs for millions of baby boomers. Please don’t think they can carry the load of this SPENDING CONGRESS…it’ll never happen!
The best thing Americans can do is place politicians in Washington who have a business background and know what it’s like to sign a paycheck. Not many of them, including BO, has ever run a business, has had to create a business plan or operate on a budget (or work a “real” job, for that matter). Let’s go get ‘em!
Response to staug2,
you wrote
“If they felt so strongly about healthcare reform why didn’t they try any of their solutions when they had the votes to do something about it.”
When was that? , Why do people always go back to saying “why didn’t you say something sooner, why didn’t you say something when bush was in office”, so now that I am saying something, because I no longer will be the silent majority that makes it wrong. It’s like not keeping your car tuned up to the point it just blows up and you have to buy a new one and all you would have had to do was maintain it but you didn’t, but what’s done is done, you just try to do better the next time, so yes, us the silent majority should have spoke out sooner, but I/we didn’t, but it’s not too late. I do not bash Obama, I do not like many of his policies but I do not bash him, I did not like people with “Bush Derangement Syndrome” so I will not be one with “Obama Derangement Syndrome”. If I was going to do any bashing it would be the bashing of Congress, especially Pelosi, but I don’t . Bashing and name calling only shows ignorance and lack of self control as well as lack of self esteem.
Once again the system is not broken, what small part of the population that does not have health insurance, still has care, like I said lack of insurance does not mean lack of care.
your wrote
“Most wealthy Americans pay very low actual tax rates due to the amount of deductions their high priced accountants find. This is something that ever Warren Buffet has admitted.”
When is enough, enough?? Sad to say and I say this as respectively as possible because I do not know you so I can only call a spade a spade and that statement was a “wealth envy” statement,
So your saying that is okay to tax them 54% to pay for a very very small percentage of the population that does not have health insurance, they still have care but they don’t have “health insurance” ?
Most of those people you are talking about raising taxes on are the Small Businesses of America, yes the ones that sign our ( or sign mine anyway), paychecks, those people the small businesses, yes the ones that DIDN”T get a bailout,. So let’s just gouge them with more taxes but lets keep bailing out the Car Companies and the Banks, that eventually just file for bankruptcy anyway. Lets reward failure and lets punish success, how much sense does that make?
You are right about Medicare, in its inception it was a great idea, but they did not project into the original statistics that people would start living longer and utilizing Medicare more.
Which is also what the CBO is saying that no number the government has ever come up with in saying that it will cost a certain number of dollars to pay for something has ever ever ever been right, its always way under what it really always ends of costing, so this number that they are throwing out there and saying that it will “cost this much”, therefore saving “this much” is pure bogus, its a made up number to make people believe that this bill will save the government money. And then when they are asked okay “how are you going to do that”, they say things like Sebilius did, “its a work in progress”, but has no answer for any questions directed at her, she danced all over the place and all around the questions, and this is one of our great Government officials that’s going to help implement this.
And what about this Mandatory End of Life Counseling for Seniors yes, page 416 check it out.. . . . woah, Nellie, . . . . aren’t Democrats supposed to be the party of “choice”? I don’t know about anyone else out there, but do you want complete strangers counseling your parents and telling that they are selfish for wanting to continue to live, that they need to think about how much money they are costing the government and make them feel selfish for wanting to continue living and spending time with their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren?
THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS!! COME ON D.C. ,…. READ THE BILL, WHY DO WE HAVE TO READ IT FOR YOU, THATS WHY WE PUT YOU IN OFFICE, DO YOUR JOB !!!!!!!!!