Even a blind black Republican . . .

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.

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.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.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.

How could it be a good idea to give all our health care dollars to an insurance company that has a profit-motive to pay out as little as possible? We pay more, get less coverage, and doctors are paid less on their bill. So, the doctors inflate the bill with ICD-9 coding tricks in hopes of getting paid a little more, and the uninsured have to pay the excessively inflated bill.

There's more that's dysfunctional. The insurance companies "cherry pick" who they want to cover and place exclusions on medical conditions they don't want to cover. Premiums and deductibles are raised for groups that the insurance company no longer wants to insure. Individuals who lose their jobs can get COBRA coverage, but the premiums are astronomical. Fewer employers are offering health insurance benefits, or if offered, the employee pays for the coverage. If you have a dispute with a health insurance company, a Federal law called ERISA has been interpreted to meant that you have no recourse except by going through an administrative procedure with the company that denied your claim, then filing a federal lawsuit for the benefits that the insurance company should have paid to start with.

Let's sum it up: Those who most need health insurance can't easily get or afford coverage. Those who are least able to pay for healthcare face the highest bills, while those who could pay cash for healthcare give all their money to an insurance company who makes a profit and dribbles out payment to the doctor.

Health insurance is not health care. Health insurance is a middleman business that picks your pocket on the way to health care.