Health Care Insurance Reform? NEVER! they cry

The hamsters are in their wheels, running as fast as they can. Fast enough to make smoke. Lots of it. Enough to cloud the issue and divert attention. People are beginning to look for a fire that really isn’t there, at least not the fire the hamsters want to lead us to believe is there.

Okay, that’s a little far-fetched for a metaphor, but I think the imagery is good.

The Republicans are churning out so many stories and flat out lies about the Obama administration’s health care insurance reform proposals that many people are beginning to think there is something to at least some of it.

A big one is that the reforms will cost too much money. Excuse me? What are we paying now? What is that coming out of our paychecks every week? How much has yours gone up over the last ten years? How much will it be next year?

I know my premium, for the same plan, is tripling. The deductible is increasing by half, as well. I don’t know about the rest of the out of pocket costs of the plan yet, but I dread seeing it. The company I work for is trying hard to keep the costs down for the employees, but the increase in costs for them is a huge burden, too. It’s worse every year.

In the middle are the providers, doctors, clinics, hospitals. They are constantly negotiating with insurance companies for the amount they actually will get paid for services. If you can understand the incomprehensible “Explanation of Benefit” you get form the insurance company, you’ll see your doctor gets precious little out of the deal. From that, they have to pay office staff, rent, ongoing education, association fees, buy equipment and materials, and get liability insurance. The expenses don’t leave much for their own pockets. It isn’t a wonder so few doctors are going into general practice and more are not dealing with insurance companies at all. They can’t afford it.

A couple of years ago, I seriously considered starting my own business. I have something I’d love to do and has a decent possibility of being profitable, except for one big thing. I cannot afford to buy my own health coverage. It would eat up probably 70% to 80% of my income. Going into debt just to have health insurance is not something I’m willing to do right now.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be able to get my own coverage. I tried once, years ago, when I was between jobs. Three companies turned me down flat. I think they were laughing, too. Anyone else have that experience?

I work with people that have to work in order to have health care insurance. They worked hard for many, many years and wanted to retire early. They haven’t wanted to go out too early, 60 or 62, to travel or enjoy the grandkids for a while. Nope. Sorry. Too young for Medicare and buying their own insurance wasn’t possible. A little arthritis goes a long way to getting you denied coverage. The premiums have gone up so much in recent years that they had to stay or return to work.

I know small business owners that can’t afford coverage for themselves or their employees. They live on the brink year after year. Some have had to close up shop and find a job with insurance.

We’ve all heard these kinds of stories or know someone who has experienced them, even ourselves.

The thing is, the problem will NOT go away if we try to ignore it if we go with the status quo. It’s only going to get worse. I should think it will be an exponential thing. We will all be working for the insurance companies.

Remember that old song “Sixteen Tons”? If not, it goes, “Sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.” It’s a song about coal miners, working for the mine, living in mine owned shacks and buying groceries and goods at mine owned stores. Just a hair above slavery. That will be us in the foreseeable future. If not us, then our children. Nice legacy to leave them. Glad I don’t have kids.

Now there are claims that the reform will lead to the elderly could be forced to die early, or commit suicide. Oh, pul-eeze! If you believe that, you really need to change the channel occasionally. This is 2009 and there are more than four channels on that TV.

Please don’t try to tell me that the insurance companies are our friends. Profits are huge despite the fact that they spend a very large amount of money on self promotion and politicians. Oh, you think those GOPers and Blue Dog Democrats crying that we shouldn’t rush reform or even have any reform at all don’t have a lot of insurance company money in their coffers? Like I said before, change the channel occasionally.

Some are saying we have to slow down. SLOW DOWN?!! People have been studying it, talking about it, planning it, making proposals, debating about and slowing down since Truman! That’s World War II, folks. If we don’t have health care insurance reform soon, only the rich will have coverage. There rest of us will just have to remember the days when we might have changed the status quo and weep.