health care

President Obama has announced three bedrock requirements for real health care reform:

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• Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control
• Guarantee Choice — Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option
• Ensure Quality Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care

Now is the time to contact the president and Democratic Leaders in Washington urging them to support a single payer health insurance program for all.  The following provides background information.  The bottom line is that the large health insurers and pharmaceutical companies, have joined with Republicans to launch a major campaign, spending millions of dollars, to discredit the public health insurance initiative.

Mismanagement, incompetence, greed and scandal have characterized many segments of the private sector in recent years.  Business interests unanimously criticize government intervention on the one hand while they hold out the other hand for unprecedented bailouts and government help.  This country cannot allow private for profit corporations to control the future of health care for all Americans.

Senator Max Baucus made a public statement several weeks ago that is still bouncing around the country like an echo fading off into the distance:

“Without question a single payer national insurance program would not be part of any new health care initiative.”

Sadly, it appears that the Republicans have successfully "starved the beast". The phrase refers to the Republican strategy of cutting the revenue stream (taxes) to the Federal government so the government can not afford new social programs. Why Americans would vote for politicians who refer to our government as a "beast" and actively campaign to destroy it is beyond me and is a topic for another time.

Today, the economic crisis created by deregulation of the financial services industry and an unjustified trust in free markets whose only goal is short-term profit has left the next President severely handicapped. There is now intense pressure on the revenue stream because of the nationalization of the banking industry (I never thought I would write that), endless spending on a war of choice in Iraq, and economic depression that will require additional spending to assist individuals and local governments. It will be difficult to nearly impossible to pass any meaningful healthcare reforms if it involves federal spending.

A survey of the Harris County Medical Society confirms what we already know about health insurance. It's not working. When surveyed about the top six health insurers in the Houston area, 70% of the doctors said that insurance companies had denied claims for medically necessary procedures.