Great new video from the CATO Institute explains that Sen. Barack Obama's healthcare plan is more ambitious than HillaryCare in expanding the government's role in personal health decisions.
Here's the money quote from Director of Health Policy Studies Michael Cannon: "He would create a new government program that would essentially double the size of the current Medicare program. And he would exert a lot more control over all sorts of decisions Americans make about their health insurance and their health care."
Kentuckians long ago proved that too much government in healthcare is a bad thing. Massachusetts is currently confirming our findings. It is amazing that we have to continue having this kind of discussion.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
HillaryCare without the pantsuit
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The rumor I heard is that medicaid/medicare funds in KY are about bankrupt and that the Cabinet is encouraging investigations of pharmacists and doctors in order to not have to pay them. An administrative rule is that if an investigation is taking place on fraud; no payments have to be made.
So if Kentucky can't afford the program already in place, there is no way it can afford to expand it.
I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who could back up that rumor.
The following information about Obama's healthcare plan is taken from the book, Obamanomics by John R. Talbott:
"Obama's plan is to create a health insurance system that will cover all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses. Under his plan, nobody will be turned down from insurance because of pre-existing conditions. All essential medical services will be covered, including mental healthcare. (p. 148)
"OBAMA'S PLAN TO COVER UNINSURED AMERICANS: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress… Obama will require that all children have healthcare coverage. (p. 148)
"Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families… As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases. (p. 149)
"The real reason that healthcare costs are exploding as a percentage of GDP in America is that Americans are consuming many more pharmaceuticals than they have in the past, undergoing many more medical procedures than before, and paying a much bigger price for both. (p. 153)"
By reducing patent lives, pharmaceuticals would have to focus on finding medicines that lead to cures rather than mask symptoms. That would result in a substantial savings in the cost of healthcare.
We currently have a market-driven health care system that works on the philosophy to drive up the cost in order to maximize profits of the pharmaceutical drug cartel. The consequence of this is that the costs of healthcare is now 16% of the GDP. It should only be about 10%.
I think part of the problem is that health care and health insurance (two different things that get lumped together too often) is so complex, there isn't a simple understandable conservative alternative to the "government provided so I don't have to worry about it" plan.
My wife and I just had a baby and I always go back to something I read about imagining pregnancy was more like Lasic eye surgery, i.e. competitive.
St Joseph Hospital starts advertising their $1999 "delivery" deals that include a routine delivery and 2 days recovery. $2499 if you want the deluxe recovery room with extra seating and kitchenette.
Not to be out done, Central Baptist lowers their price to $1899 with 0% financing over 6 months, etc.
Or how about $5 for the daily special dinner, $10 for gormet choices or $0 if husband runs out and brings back the food. Instead of bringing in something my somewhat picky wife won't eat because she never got a choice that just sits and goes to waste and still is charged to the insurance company what I'm sure is an ungodly rate.
Personally I think insurance is the middle man that is causing the competitive disconnect between the customer and service provider.
But all I hear is health insurance is the right of every American. Not health care...
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