Friday, April 10, 2009

Yellow Brick Road in Health Care

First, perhaps there's no solution to this crisis.  One question to ask, is health care a right or a privilege? I think because many people pay for health care costs, it's a privilege. On the other hand, there are many who believe that it's a moral obligation for a society to provide health care. The question at hand and in this administration, is will universal health care be implemented for all?

There is no doubt that universal health care will not work. However, there does need to be some revisions in the delivery of our health care in this country. Uninsured and illegals are breaking the back of health care. Uninsured people raise the premiums for everyone else, while illegals raise the cost of health care for the institution caring for them, and the health care workers working in that institution. If you are illegal, there is no coverage. In fact, many hospitals go millions of dollars into debt, in order to provide health care for these individuals. In fact, sometimes it is cheaper to send the illegals back to their native country, if a relative can be found to take care of them. The health care institution provides the air fare and employs many people to make these decisions and arrangements everyday 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. This alone raises the cost of health care.

The political case for universal health care was flawed from the start. It's based on the assumption that the voter wants it. But this is not so. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll, found in late 2007, that people would not accept higher taxes, mandates or the prospect of rationing health care, just to make sure we had universal health care. Hillary Clinton, during the Democratic Presidential Primary, repeatedly attacked Barack Obama's health care plan, for not covering everyone. Everyone knows who won the primary. In case you don't, it was Obama. If the Democratic Primary voters are not married to universal health care, you can assume that most people aren't. 

There is much debate over free market solutions. We are not going to go into all of them. Suffice it to say, that the public needs to weigh in quickly on the health care that the United States provides and their ideas for a solution.  Please comment on this. 

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