Rising healthcare costs are a major domestic issue and will play a part in the 2008 election. Just how major remains to be seen, but Hillary Clinton is banging that drum again.
There are many factors that lead to increasing health care costs -- the increasing price of pharmaceuticals, costs for physicians to be educated and the single biggest factor, malpractice lawsuits. Combined, these factors are pushing health care insurance costs into the stratosphere.
I own a business and in receiving resumes over the last few days, I've seen something I've not seen in the past; prospective employees including in their list of requirements a good healthcare plan. My policy has always been to pay for the employee and they would cover the costs for the rest of their family. As a business owner, I could never cover all costs, which run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
We need healthcare reform, just not universal healthcare as Hillary envisions. We went down that road and even with a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President it stood no chance of passage. Hillary, of course, was the Clinton point person on that train wreck.
I would be amenable to some type of plan whereby the government offered tax break to business owners as a way to entice them to offer the best coverage. The one caveat would be that medical malpractice lawsuits would have to be capped at acceptable limits. If a doctor makes a mistake, he should face repercussions and the injured party should receive compensation. That compensation should be realistic and punitive damages should not be ridiculous amounts.
It is now estimated that the prescription drug plan that was signed by Bush is the single most expensive social program since the sixties. We, as a nation, can't afford to add an even bigger burden to the already high costs.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Hillary Clinton is playing with the health of Americans, we do not need Socialized Medicine in our country ! Be realistic and check out the problems that would arise from her ( God forbid, that she were ever elected to President ) , being in power, this person is continually making speeches, stateing that she will do one thing or another to get America on tract again ! I do not believe that Hillary is capable of taking care of anything that would benefit our country, she is too power hungry, too much in a hurry to gain votes by speaking pro to one set of people and con to another set of people, she is supposed to represent ,as Senator, the State of New York : I ask New Yorkers : Just what has she done for you ? She goes into Southern States and ,presto, speaks with a Southern drawl, totally false ! I do not trust her,nor do I believe her experienced enough to be in The Oval Office ! She is too false, and her promises hold no weight with me ! She is relying on her husband's name , which ,in my opinion , his character, his lies,and his bashing of our president,while out of our country and in time of war againt Terrorism, borders on TREASON , so will absolutely NOT support her, not even for a Saleswoman's position , let alone for The Presidency of The United States of America !
RoseAnn Quinlan at 12:13AM on Mar 6th 2007
2. Ah, yes - there's the Ideal, in which everyone would receive the best of medical care; then there's the Reality of Cost. I have Canadian relatives who are pretty satisfied with their Universal Health Plan ... as long as they're not in too much need of health care. However, upon reaching a certain age, it's a different story. Imagine having a heart attack before Christmas, being told you MUST have a bypass, but you'll have to wait until authorization comes through and a bed opens up in the only hospital in the region that can perform the operation, then you have to travel hours to that hospital. That's a relative near Edmonton - not exactly way up in the Northwest Territories. It's March, and I still haven't heard if he was able to get his bypass.
Canadians have a three-tiered system: Level 1 is the regular working folk who depend on their Universal Health Plan. Level 2 is for those who can afford (or had the foresight)to sign up for private insurance. Those with private insurance are able to access certain treatments not available to others. Level 3 includes anyone who is able to travel to the U.S. for treatment.
The Canadian Universal Health System is micromanaged by the government, which projects what treatments will most likely be needed, where they'll be needed, AND are the best use of health care dollars. It sounds like good business sense, but it is a cold and callous business that ignores the individual human condition. For example:
Their government has reworked their health care system so as to increase the availability of certain procedures that had been neglected in the past, including things like hip and knee replacements (which are necessary to keep people working, or at least more independent, and therefore less costly to care for). However, the reworking neglected certain cancer diagnoses, among other necessary interventions. People are dying from these delays.
I realize that we are in a health care crisis in the U.S. As one who has been without insurance a number of times in my life, I think it would be nice to not have to worry about my ability to receive affordable health care. In fact, the last time I was without insurance (a few years ago), my doctor "dissolved our relationship" because she does not accept the uninsured. I have it now, at least temporarily, but have not bothered to find a new doctor - because it's only temporary. So yes, our system is a mess for quite a few of us.
But the Clinton plan is not the solution. Even without private insurance, I'm in about the same shape as a Canadian. I cannot be turned away from emergency medical treatment regardless of my ability to pay. If I need life-saving interventions such as heart bypass or cancer diagnosis and treatment, I can make payment arrangements, including but not limited to filing for emergency Medicaid, or setting up a charitable trust fund and request donations (you see the jars on store counters sometimes). There are options, and most of them don't require that I wait months before beginning treatment - unlike the system in Canada. The Clinton plan is modelled too closely on the Canadian and European systems to make it a good solution to our crisis.
Kimmerly at 1:44AM on Mar 6th 2007
3. It is stunning that Anmericans still could resist a Universal Health Coverage for all. In having such a huge group purchasing coverage from insurances it would ensure lower rates. Americans could then purchase additional coverage if they so desire and if they can afford it. It would be nice to join the rest of western civilization and have make it possible for all citizens to be able to go to a doctor rather than it being a luxury some cannot afford.
The constant talk about health care reform borders on nauseating. We have all heard of it over and over again but as long as prices are determined by private companies, such as insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies looking for profit THAT will never happen. Maybe it's high time to try something else.
Odette at 12:44AM on Mar 6th 2007
4. Go for it Hilary Clinton .You are the best of the best.My name is Godson Jean-Louis from Port-au-Prince Haiti.My phone# is 774-262-2032. My adress is 1501 Grafton Road,Millbury,MA 01527
Godson Jean-Louis at 3:40AM on Mar 6th 2007
5. The last time Hillary got involved in health care management the result was impressive,only if by impressive you mean lowering the American population. She was instrumental in forcing the the "bad" vaccine manufacturers into selling to the government at costs lower than the cost of manufacture, The result was inspiring. We were left with only 2 or three manufacturers out of 20 or more. There was no vaccine. After they got finished blaming Bush (?) and enough people died we were forced to buy from overseas. This is only one hole in the system. Wait for Hillary/Obama social Darwinism.
If you like what the government did with Walter Reed you will love socialized medicine.
joe m at 8:25PM on Mar 6th 2007
6. if any one is interested to see what a socialist
liberal woman would do to the country just look at
Michigans problems.
I'm not opposed to female leaders a majority are
better than the male.
but please make sure that they will do good for our country lets not vote one just to make history.
Lets demand more from our elected officials.
pete dalfonso at 4:34PM on Mar 8th 2007
7. YES Hillary!
It is appalling that a country as rich as America cannot seem to have compassion for all it's citizens including the poor. The rich all have the money to get the healthcare they need but my sister almost died from a haelthcare problem because she was considered a no doc in the emergency room and by the time they finally admitted her her appendix had burst and believe me she was full of infection and nearly lost her life. This is simply not fair that the rich get the best of care but the workers who work for companies that do not offer insurance get substandard care and then when they finally get the care they need they end up running up exhorbitant nedical expenses that thay simply cannot pay. Ridiculous!Hillary you will have my vote if you can manage to get through all the crap they are going to throw at you for the next year!
Doreen Paulson at 9:51AM on Mar 9th 2007
8. In a point of desperation Hillary is reaching in the wrong direction. founded and established in God We Trust, which means to the morals we should stand. . .Allow adults to do as they please, sin should they choose Don't attempt to get the Government involved to legalize sin. Where is the country headed? A country heading to destruction and with the help of its leaders. . . Save the country
James Jefferson at 1:01PM on Mar 9th 2007
9. i keep telling you people shes a commie
steve england at 2:50PM on Mar 9th 2007
10. I have gone through your site and found interesting on law. I recommend you to refer and
gather some more important information that is related to law, particularly on
Healthcare.
Healthcare
john at 7:14AM on Mar 12th 2007
11. $2.77 trillion fiscal year (FY) 2007 budget
Department of Defense
2006 - $410 Billion
2007 - $439 Billion
Too much expenses going into the military rather than economic needs was one of many reasons for the decline of the British Empire.
Priorities anyone?
Proposed Federal Budget for FY 2007 Breakdown
http://gbgm-umc.org/global_news/full_article.cfm?articleid=3867
felix at 8:32AM on Mar 14th 2007
12. Being a nurse and having worked years in the emergency department. I have seen first hand the rising costs of health care.Working in the industry does not make me immune to those rising costs. It is bad when a health care worker has to pay bi weekly in excess of $350 to cover self and family for medical insurance and then continue to pay co pays and deductibles. Where do we go from here when most of our salaries are chipped away to pay our health benefits? The nurses certainly not paid enough fro what they have to deal with daily. We have not done a good job handling our own health care system in this country so who is to say that Hilary won't do a better job or that the Universal Health Care System will not work.
I had a patient a few years ago traveling from Canada that entered our local E.D. She told me that the Canadian system is so much better than the system we have here and that the patients are not herded through like cattle but are actually taken care of.
erqueenwanda at 10:34PM on Mar 15th 2007