How will the new healthcare bill affect America

How will the new health care bill affect America


Sunday, April 11, 2010
Exploring the passage of the health care bill and what it means to America. For the most part no one knows what this bill actually contains. On the other hand our elected congressmen continue to support a bill that they know little about? Here are some simple but important questions and solutions regarding talking points the Obama administration has been using. In addition, information I’ve acquired regarding the health care industry rules and regulations over the course of my career in the health care industry.

Are all of us going to pay for universal health care? Barak Obama says by increasing tax on so called Cadillac health care plans and cutting Medicare will pay for it? If you believe that one, you’re probably not aware that you are already paying for Medicare in the first place. In what way do you think this will affect the insurance industry? Will it destroy it? Since it has in many other countries already what evidence is there that it will not in America. In what way do you think this will affect the elderly who depend on what will be reduced Medicare benefits? Do you really think the insurance industry and Medicare will pay for everything indefinitely regarding health care cost for the uninsured? Just for the record one more time we the tax payer already pay for Medicare so either way it’s the tax payer that pays. Do you think the so called savings by insuring millions of so called uninsured people that can’t afford it now or are not working will cost us less? Barak says it will? If you believe that, you’re really not living in reality. Now, consider the fact that you can walk into any hospital in the America with or without insurance and get treated from the same doctors, nurses and staff as those with insurance. Will Obama care that will definitely have to limit your health care options as it evolves be better? Which will be a government ran health care system that will dictate your care in the emergency room and in every other facet of your health care as well.

Let’s examine Barak Obama’s claim: Imagine that you are purchasing insurance through your employer and paying a fair amount. One day he calls a meeting with all his employee’s and states that he has elected to insure 50 people that worked for him some years ago. Although are not currently working at this time. He says to you that he is in the process of insuring all of them and their families. However, because they are not working they will be paying less or in some cases nothing at all for their coverage. Moreover, he informs you that your monthly insurances rates are going up to cover the cost of these 50 people. However, in the long run he reports will eventually lower the monthly cost for you? Do you believe him? Of course not and how ridiculous does this sound? Nevertheless, this is our new health care reform plan. Now that we have challenged the validity of Obama’s claim. We can examine some other talking points of the Obama administration as well regarding health reform.
How does a preexisting condition affect the insurance purchaser? The inability to buy insurance secondary to preexisting conditions is an issue we have in some states however, not in every state. In fact, in many states including Massachusetts we already have regulation regarding this problem and it’s existed for years. Moreover, this regulation prevents insurance companies from denying coverage based on any preexisting condition. We certainly can improve on this issue by allowing insurance to be purchased in any state in the country regardless of the state we live in. Moreover, we do not need universal coverage to address this problem. In fact allowing insurance purchasing throughout the entire country from state to state without financial penalty would not only do well to address this issue, but create real competition in the market and lower insurance rates across America. Therefore, decreasing insurance rates making insurance more affordable to more people allowing for increased participation from lower income insurance purchasers. I believe this type of system will provide the purchaser with purchasing power. In other words if the purchaser doesn’t like an insurance company’s quote or business practices, he/she has many more options to choose from. This will stimulate real competition into the private insurance industry.
In addition, contrary to the Obama administration’s claim, going to a federal insurance system will mean less competition between insurance company’s and federal insurance plans and more government takeover of the insurance industry. As a consequence the decline and demise of our private insurance industry much like Britain which has less than 10% of its population insured by the private insurance industry at this time. Throughout the years I have been in the health care system I have dealt directly with HMO’s, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans benefits and many more. Medicaid is the one that will closely resemble our new health care reform as it continues to evolve in the immediate future. For example: Medicaid sets the reimbursement rates for all services provided to the Medicaid insured individuals and their health care providers. It is a lower reimbursement rate than most of the private HMO’s and lower than Medicare. Furthermore, this system in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island bear out to be the worst possible scenario for the health care of the patient and their provider. In addition, the reimbursement rate is real problem for Nursing homes, Vendors, doctors and health care professionals that are providing the care. The result is that the health care under Medicaid has become substandard. This is the outcome of long term government intervention as a single payer Medicaid insurer. I call it single payer coverage because the government has little to no competition in this particular market. Because no other insurers carriers can afford to insure these people who typically are Indigent. Therefore, the government can set its own reimbursement rate and ration care as they see fit without competition or much complaint from the patient. This is what they will do after they put the HMO’s out of business with the so called health care reform. Moreover, is exactly what Barak Obama said he would do some years ago as an Illinois state senator when he boasted about single payer system meaning the federal government without competition is what he preferred echoing Barney Frank a congressman from the state of Massachusetts?
With this government ran Medicaid system doctors don’t visit the patients as frequently and medical facilities are limited with much of its auxiliary care. All therapy under Medicaid is limited, such as Speech, Physical, and Occupational therapies. Regarding the length of therapy and therapy techniques performed. The reimbursement rate for the rooms in rehabilitation centers and nursing homes is much less than all other covering insurances as well. Moreover, medical vendors such as durable medical equipment and many more, all limited by Medicaid reimbursement rules and rationing. This rationing not only limits care but provides and environment that results in substandard care and is detrimental to the patient’s health.
Additionally, the government ran Medicare system sets the reimbursement rates just as government ran Medicaid does. However not nearly as low, or as rationed as its counterpart Medicaid. This is because Medicare is used primarily for the elderly. Moreover, competition from HMO’s together with other insurance options provides limited but some competition to Medicare. This helps to stimulate a healthier financial relationship between Medicare and its patients. That does not exist for the Medicaid patient.
Even so, Medicaid becomes so important to Medicaid patients because individuals on Medicaid often have nowhere else to turn. Many of these patients may have had catastrophic events such as strokes, amputated extremity’s or worse before Medicare eligibility age. In addition, many of these people loose there insurance through their employer long before they recover and ultimately end up on Medicaid. These people fall into what is known as the donut hole. This begins his or her roller coaster ride of substandard and government ran rationed health care. This individual can acquire Medicare which is available before standard Medicare eligibility age under certain circumstance, however often takes years to achieve. This too can easily be fixed by allowing Medicare to be accessed immediately upon any catastrophic illness and suspended if the patient is able to return to work or able to care for themselves. Again without creating universal care which will ultimately end up the majority’s insurance as opposed to Medicaid for the few and that means all of us ending up with substandard care.
This health care bill is being sold as a competitive option however, is more likely to put nearly all HMO’s out of business via taxation. Once the all-powerful federal government has complete control as they do with Medicaid it will set reimbursements rates low and ration as much they deem necessary. Moreover, not unlike the Medicaid patient that has no recourse once in this system. This is the normal trend of a single payer government ran insurance program without competition. It too will make the rules, set the reimbursement rates, and will also be its own quality insurance review board. Moreover, placing the new universal care patient in the same predicament as the now Medicaid patient. Now if that information doesn’t earn your concern I don’t know what could.
At the end of the day as its evolution continues and as more and more competition dies off the care will become increasingly more substandard. How do I know this because I have worked in rehabilitation centers that are primarily Medicaid reimbursed facilities that handle these so called donut hole patients and the care are at best substandard and at worst in humane.
However, annually the quality review board which is the state or federal government will do an inspection put a satisfactory sticker on it and move on regardless of the care. Why? Because these are facilities that are primarily reimbursed by Medicaid and are nursing homes and rehab centers that the state can send these Medicaid patients to for which there are limited options. Moreover, most privately owned nursing homes and rehabilitation centers have to refuse these patients regularly because the low reimbursement rate set by Medicaid would put them out of business. Therefore, Medicaid facilities that are taking primarily Medicaid patients are not usually as scrutinized for quality of care like their private counterparts. Is this the quality insurance the new health care program will bring us? I believe that it is.
In conclusion, like Canada, we will have nothing else to turn too once universal health care has taken over, regardless if we like it or not! Rationing health care and poor care will become the norm for health care in America. Even for most of us working Americans.
Is this the change people have voted for? In addition, there is no evidence that the federal government can run our health care any better than its post office, welfare programs, Medicare, Medicaid programs, social security, or any of its other social programs. These programs are all bankrupt and miserable failures as well as overburdened with bureaucracy.
Moreover, when comparing the expense concerning universal health care for America compared to its much smaller neighbor Canada, the numbers are staggering. America’s has more than 10 times the population of Canada. As well as a huge unemployed immigrant population that Canada does not have to deal with. Canada has less than 30 million in total population as compared to America’s 307 million. Therefore, Canada does not have the difficulty dealing with the financial burden of all these legal and illegal immigrants as we do in America.
Imagine the financial burden to the working middle class of America once universal medicine has evolved into a system emulating its Canadian counterpart. Don’t be fooled by this administration assertion that the rich, Medicare or the insurance industry will be paying for this health care bill. The working middle class will pay for every aspect of its cost just as the working middle class has always paid for all of America’s politically born social programs. Not just the rich including the so called rich and working class alike.
Notwithstanding but moreover including the poor care provided by the Canadian heath care program is the 47% of their paychecks that is drawn out weekly for their health care. In addition a 15% flat tax that is assessed for any goods services or products purchased. That’s a total of 62% not including the heavy price at the pumps which is usually about 5 dollars per gallon higher than America. Is this beginning to concern you? Now keep in mind that Canada is less than one tenth the size of America in population. In other words if you think it’s expensive for Canada just think how expensive it’s going to be for America. Now if this doesn’t concern you maybe this will?

As the Canadian health care system has evolved it’s become more and more expensive and the quality of care continues to decline. More and more rationing throughout the years has been the trend with longer and longer wait times for care and less and less immediate accessibility. Moreover, declines in research into new medications if any at all. Additionally, inadequate research into new techniques and technologies relating to surgeries and application of health care continues to be an issue in Canada.
Finally make no mistake a lower reimbursement rate means less pay for doctors nursing therapies and all health care employees as well as owners of medical facilities. This will result in decreased quality of care and finally substandard care for the masses as compared to the few once it’s evolved into the monstrosity it has in Canada as well as Britain. When money is removed from any working system its only direction is down and out. No system thrives without money and neither will our new medical system. Make no mistake this is a power grab by our federal government not a humanitarian effort as this administration portrays it.

Ask yourself what system do you know in your experience works better once funding is limited? This to me is the federal government’s key to Socialism and control of the people of our great county. Which will take away our freedoms our rights and more than we can even comprehend at this time? Still want change, for the individuals that do, try living in some of these other countries that have socialism before voting again to destroy ours as we seemly just have.