In an effort to explain - Health Care
I've made it no secret on the fact that I'm in Mike Huckabee's corner. My good friend recently posted about why he cannot support my guy. And I wanted to try to address his concerns. We start with a quote from Huckabee on health care...
"...We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes...It consumes about 17% of our gross domestic product, easily surpassing the few European nations where spending is close to 10% and far higher than any other country in the world..."And my friend said:
After living in Germany I have seen universal health care work and he states right here that it is cheaper in Europe. The US has attempted to fix health care privately for too long. Maybe we should realize that our European friends might have figured something out.
So first I thought we might talk about what role the federal government plays in the role of it's citizens. Some people believe that the feds should be involved in all aspects of our lives. Some people believe that the states should have most of the power, with the feds providing a limited number of services. Everybody has different theories and ideas. Some think that education should be the responsibility of the state, not the Department of Education. Others think that murder should be something defined by the federal government. And some think that the federal government should also be responsible for healthcare.
Governor Huckabee is not one of those people. As you probably read on the health care issues page, he supports state and private resources for healthcare reform. I believe that the governor thinks that consumer-driven healthcare is more appropriate than socialized healthcare, and is more financialy feasible. There are roughly 300,000,000 people in the United States. The infastructure required to build a program for that many from the ground up would be staggering. I think that his hope is to encourage states to create programs that encourage preventative medicine made possible through state programs and I believe he would be willing to provide some assistance for those programs.
Thoughts?
posted @ 6:28 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
I have been able to witness people not have to worry about healthcare over here. I was without benefits because the job I worked didn't offer them. I still would have had health care if I lived in Canada or Europe. I know it is a government control fear, but I have seen the benefits seemingly outway the drawbacks over here in Europe. A lot less worry.
The first thing I would like to say is HSA (Health Savings Accounts). Check out this website (http://www.healthequity.com/ ) or any HSA website. That is what will enable Americans to get the healthcare they need. It is the best way; and it keeps government out of the equation. Let the free market work, it always does when we let it. Instead of the employer providing a HSA, this is something the consumer can shop around for just like car insurance. You find the rates and coverage you want and you pay for it each month. It follows you from job to job and then you don’t worry about losing coverage. A lot of times these accounts allow annual roll-overs, so you won’t lose any money in the account and it continues to increase. It is there for catastrophic care, but is also available for the normal preventative care. Not only does it decrease worry for the consumer, but it will also decrease insurance cost because companies will be competing for your business.
Look at the numerous auto insurance ads and think in terms of health care. You could have a talking animal describing how 'you can save money by switching to this HSA plan.' The opportunities are endless, if we let the market work.
Government wasn’t designed in our Constitution to be there to make sure a citizen has retirement, health care, etc. Entitlement programs and out of control pork barrel spending are bankrupting our country. We need to cut taxes and drastically cut spending (except for certain areas of the government, such as national security, etc.) and watch our economy grow! Our Founders believed that the individual was the key to the system working – WE THE PEOPLE.
Sorry, but I disagree. I wouldn't say that it is a right or wrong thing...just different opinions.
Not surprisingly, I'm with Matt on this one.
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when i lived in Oxford, people that i studied with all had private insurance AND paid for socialized medicine through taxes. they hated the inefficiency. a broken arm that my friend got wasn't seen for 7 days because it was deemed not bad enough to jump the line.
so for me, this complicates things. i've never actually seen an efficient, cost effective social medicine system that everyone loves. i'm pretty sure that's impossible to create. but perhaps that's not the point? i fully agree that there are LOTS of people without insurance because they can't afford it.
i think that the solution begins with 2 steps:
1) Take away the non-profit protection of most of USA healthcare companies. they have BILLIONS in profit each year, but are protected from mandated cost-savings for consumers because they are considered non-profits. this is single largest factor preventing a market driven economy actually working for healthcare insurance.
2) Provide low cost, basic health insurance to those that cannot afford their own for checkups with a certain & reasonable amount of emergency coverage over the course of a lifetime...not just open-ended, endless insurance that some fear. this should be tied to income, to avoid funding insurance for people that choose to buy other things (like a new car) over health insurance. if credit card companies can accurately categorize people's capacity in the market place with credit scores, the government SHOULD be able to able to do the same.
i'm trying to learn all i can about this issue, as i work in southern africa - where kids can't afford food and 1/4th don't have parents. it is mind boggling that our country and our wealth, as well as our advanced market, cannot find a way to provide lower cost insurance to EVERYONE, not just the poor people. we must figure this out and look for ways to take away the obstacles profiting from this dilemma.
Matt, I thank you for your opinion. May I ask with what do you disagree (HSA; Government responsibility vs. Individual Responsibility)? Just for clarification. Thanks...
I believe that whether or not a person can afford health coverage, they should still be covered.
Like forgotten voices says, there isn't really a market due to the non-profit status.
I disagree that HSA is a vaild option for all. I also disagree with the "Government responsibility vs. Individual Responsibility." I don't believe that is what the Constitution says. It is your interpretation as a Replubican. I agree with wiser spending, but if taking more taxes from me allows another person to have basic care. I am okay with that.
Cutting taxes does not automatically make the economy grow. GW Bush proved that one.
Thanks for answering my question, Matt! I can say that I do disagree with you on the issue that those that can afford health care should be covered by the government.
The one thing I'm not as certain with is forgotten voices argument. Non-profits by definition can not technically be driven by profits that is not their goal. I am aware that there are health care organizations that are non-profit protected; however, any profits they do make should be put back into their services and facilities. If they are driven by profit, they are in violation of that protection. And if they are in violation of that protection, then they should have that protection taken away.
I understand that we have different points of view on this subject and that's what makes this country great! Different points of view having a dialogue. I do have difficulty though in finding a place in the Constitution where it says that we should take money from one person to make sure another person has what they need. Can you reference an amendment, or article that supports that?
If you want to give money to the government to help pay for people to get that assistance that's fine. That is your right. And there is nothing that says you can't pay more in taxes voluntarily. I just don't think you should mandate it for everyone (that is socialism and that clearly didn't work, i.e. USSR).
I think what most people forget is that we, as Americans, are a compassionate people and that we, for the most part, will help one another out when the need arises. Again, I don't think it should be done by the government. I have seen abuses of the welfare system, medical assistance, and other programs. I don't mind helping people out because there are times when people find themselves in a tough spot. But I believe that in the case of welfare, just giving money to people doesn't solve the problem; but instead, allow them to get the education and know-how they need to get ahead and get out of their way so they succeed.
I do agree that tax cuts alone don't grow the economy. The one aspect that Bush and Congress severly lacked (and still do lack) was the reduction in spending. If we had had the tax cuts and controlled our spending (especially pork spending) we might not be facing a recession. Although the economy is a cyclical thing, it might not be the way it is right now had we controlled our spending. If you control spending and allow consumers to keep more of their own money the economy will grow.
Thanks for the dialogue! I'm researching some other health care options. If I find one that's plausible, I'll post it. Thanks again, Matt!
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