Health Care Reform Facts That May Annoy Some…
The federal govt is already involved in 3 major health care programs:
- Medicare – providing care for the elderly and permanently disabledad
- Medicaid – providing care for the poor
- Veterans Administration – providing care for military personnel active and retired
What do these programs all have in common?
They are constantly over budget, they are rife with red tape, and they provide terrible care.
Yet, these are the models that will be used for a federalizing of every American’s health care.
The Medicare program is slated to fall to pieces in the next few years. It has been consumed by fraud; interestingly there is more fraud perpetrated by the administration itself in denying and stalling claims, rather than the doctors and hospitals within it. Nonethelessess to help reduce costs, doctors and hospitals are seeing declining reimbursement and increased scrutiny for fraud.
Medicaid, which is partially paid by the federal government and partially paid at the state level is so convoluted and difficult to navigate that the Medicaid overseers admit that a huge number of people eligible for Medicaid cannot receive benefits because they cannot figure out how to properly apply for them. Once a patient successfully applies and receives Medicaid it pays so far below average fees that almost no doctors can afford to accept it.
The VA’s troubles have chronicled for many years. Our country;s bravest come home to face a healkthcare system straight out of 1950 Bulgaria or East Germany. Facilities are antiquated, understaffed and provide abysmal patient service. Ask any Vet who has tried to use the system and they will tell you it takes weeks to months to get an appointment, there are long waits while in the clinics and the care is sub par.
Many Americans are happy with their health care. Polls suggest a majority feel just fine about their access to a doctor. Instead of tearing apart an already good system of private insurance with government subsidies for those in need such as the poor, elderly, disabled and veterans, the House bill and Obama-Care will reduce everyone;s care down to the level of the 3 federal programs already in existence.
For those who need public assistance, let’s streamline the system and root out unnecessary red tape, let’s buy prescription drugs in mass quantities to lower costs, let’s invest in upgrading government facilities like VA hospitals or move VA treatment to private hospitals and pay them for the care they provide.
Let’s NOT take away insurance and benefits of people who like their care, let’s NOT try to soak “the rich” to pay for millions of other people’s health care, let’s NOT bankrupt our country by burdening it with debt it can never repay.
