Comments on: Obama Digs In On Health Care http://www.askgavino.com/articles/2009/09/obama-holds-his-ground-on-healthcare/ Ask Gavino Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:22:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: JoeB http://www.askgavino.com/articles/2009/09/obama-holds-his-ground-on-healthcare/comment-page-1/#comment-44 JoeB Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:59:10 +0000 http://www.askgavino.com/?p=441#comment-44 Fuzzy math In his speech to congress President Obama calls for a public option which, combined with a federally administered healthcare exchange, will cost a trillion $$ and will, according to his estimates, only, and only attract 5% of the population. That's a lot of money to spend for 5% of our population. In his speech he decried the fact that one insurance company in Alabama (Blue Cross, a non-profit by the way) has 90% share of all the insurance business and so a public option was needed to keep greedy, profit oriented companies honest. A 5% share won't do anything to erode Blue Cross of Alabama's market share so what's the real reason for the public option? I think the answer is eventual Government control of healthcare. Mr Obama also made the case that a mandate is needed to force all Americans who can afford health insurance must buy health insurance. His rationale is that these people are freeloaders because they force premiums up for others to cover their free healthcare they receive in the ER. The reality is that people are billed for their ER visit whether or not they have insurance. People with the means will pay their bill just as they do their cable TV bill or a collection agency comes after them. In only a few major medical cases is it likely that a middle class American without health insurance not be able to pay their bill without suffering undue financial burden. A large component of people who use the ER without insurance are illegal immigrants - want to lower health care costs, secure our borders. It is fascinating that President Obama continues to couch this debate as a crisis. But when you consider the results of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) the 2006 costs aren't as debilitating as one would think. Looking at one population (ages 44-65) in 2006 25% of people had a maximum annual expenditure of $385 or less and the median expenditure was $1627 or less. The average cost of a medical office visit was $207 (I know people who pay more for Cable TV monthly) and an emergency room visit was $947. These aren't the numbers of a crisis. Of course averages don't mean anything to someone with a chronic disease like diabetes or who suffers a traumatic car accident or suffers a stroke or heart attack. The costs associated with these events can be financially debilitating but that is what insurance is for – or at least used to be. The real culprit of rising healthcare is that today people have a tendency to go to the doctor for any minor complaint which drives up expenditures but doesn't improve outcomes. Why not go to the doc when you have a cold? It's free, or almost so, because today our insurance covers routine checkups and tests with at worst a minor co-pay. Healthcare, like bread in the USSR, has no value if you don't pay for it. Let's reform healthcare by bringing back major Medical insurance combined with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). This will cover the vast number of Americans. Expanded Medicaid can cover the poor who can't afford insurance. Fuzzy math
In his speech to congress President Obama calls for a public option which, combined with a federally administered healthcare exchange, will cost a trillion $$ and will, according to his estimates, only, and only attract 5% of the population. That’s a lot of money to spend for 5% of our population. In his speech he decried the fact that one insurance company in Alabama (Blue Cross, a non-profit by the way) has 90% share of all the insurance business and so a public option was needed to keep greedy, profit oriented companies honest. A 5% share won’t do anything to erode Blue Cross of Alabama’s market share so what’s the real reason for the public option? I think the answer is eventual Government control of healthcare.
Mr Obama also made the case that a mandate is needed to force all Americans who can afford health insurance must buy health insurance. His rationale is that these people are freeloaders because they force premiums up for others to cover their free healthcare they receive in the ER. The reality is that people are billed for their ER visit whether or not they have insurance. People with the means will pay their bill just as they do their cable TV bill or a collection agency comes after them. In only a few major medical cases is it likely that a middle class American without health insurance not be able to pay their bill without suffering undue financial burden. A large component of people who use the ER without insurance are illegal immigrants – want to lower health care costs, secure our borders.
It is fascinating that President Obama continues to couch this debate as a crisis. But when you consider the results of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) the 2006 costs aren’t as debilitating as one would think. Looking at one population (ages 44-65) in 2006 25% of people had a maximum annual expenditure of $385 or less and the median expenditure was $1627 or less. The average cost of a medical office visit was $207 (I know people who pay more for Cable TV monthly) and an emergency room visit was $947. These aren’t the numbers of a crisis. Of course averages don’t mean anything to someone with a chronic disease like diabetes or who suffers a traumatic car accident or suffers a stroke or heart attack. The costs associated with these events can be financially debilitating but that is what insurance is for – or at least used to be. The real culprit of rising healthcare is that today people have a tendency to go to the doctor for any minor complaint which drives up expenditures but doesn’t improve outcomes. Why not go to the doc when you have a cold? It’s free, or almost so, because today our insurance covers routine checkups and tests with at worst a minor co-pay. Healthcare, like bread in the USSR, has no value if you don’t pay for it. Let’s reform healthcare by bringing back major Medical insurance combined with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). This will cover the vast number of Americans. Expanded Medicaid can cover the poor who can’t afford insurance.

]]> By: Carl M http://www.askgavino.com/articles/2009/09/obama-holds-his-ground-on-healthcare/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Carl M Sat, 12 Sep 2009 03:13:18 +0000 http://www.askgavino.com/?p=441#comment-41 Interesting that he sees things so black and white... you're for me or against me.. and he seems like he's generally pissed off that he isn't getting his way. What's more is he doesn't really feel the need to explain himself. He's a pretty cocky/arrogant guy... That didn't work well for the last president.. He got labeled as a 'warmonger' pretty quickly after making decisions on his own. I sure wish he'd site the socialized medical care systems that have worked for other countries... but what's that? There aren't any? well crud. Maybe it'll work in the US since the US is in such a great position financially to try new things! Interesting that he sees things so black and white… you’re for me or against me.. and he seems like he’s generally pissed off that he isn’t getting his way. What’s more is he doesn’t really feel the need to explain himself. He’s a pretty cocky/arrogant guy… That didn’t work well for the last president.. He got labeled as a ‘warmonger’ pretty quickly after making decisions on his own.

I sure wish he’d site the socialized medical care systems that have worked for other countries… but what’s that? There aren’t any? well crud. Maybe it’ll work in the US since the US is in such a great position financially to try new things!

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