It’s all about the money. Congress over the years has failed in its duty to us by incompetently managing current government-run health care programs. The leadership in the Congress intends to continue the old programs in such a way as to destroy the free markets now providing health goods and services. For this year there are already planned cuts in Medicare reimbursements to providers and premium increases to covered seniors.
Seniors are not alone. In 2007, the government programs took $90 billion from healthcare providers. It’s even worse in 2009. Those losses had to be made up and were passed on to everyone fortunate enough to have insurance or pay cash. This taking by the government has been a fact for more than 25 years. As a result we find almost 40 million Americans unable to afford or struggling to purchase health Insurance.
The dirty little secret, Congress doesn’t care.
The design of Medicare, Medicaid, et. al. works against everyone by paying hospitals, doctors, clinics, labs, pharmacies, etc., much less than it actually costs them to give the services and supplies. This has driven the cost of health care so high that the health care system is taking more and more of our money and giving less and less in care. For 2007, the losses caused by the government plans added $785 per year to the average family insurance bill. Each year increases in insurance have been primarily caused by the public plans’ impact.
The Health Care Bill, H. R. 3200 now under consideration is more of the same and worse. This bill will use the same old payment techniques that have harmed us all. In fact Medicare, Medicaid, et. al. will steal even more from the providers of health care intentionally driving care out of the free market. Instead of making the current program, which we need, work better, Congress is trying to take over the entire industry. As a result, there is a huge movement to take away your health care freedoms.
There is only one health care crisis and it is the government programs, some in effect for over 40 years. Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, TRICARE, and a few others have created a high health care cost problem for us all. They ARE the problem. To repeat, none of the design deficiencies in the government programs is being addressed by anyone in the Congress.
The recent hearings of the House committeess on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor to mark up the recent Health Care legislation were a waste of time and money. The H. R. 3200 Health Care plan has no value except to take away our freedom and continue the destruction of the greatest health care delivery system on earth. If any health care legislation is to be considered, it must address the deficiencies in the current government programs.
Emery Leonard
LaGrange Georgia
Tom McLaughlin