I do not presume to completely understand exactly what is meant by some of the plans of the Democratic candidates, but, I do understand the range of possibilities.
We tried that before, but, it didn't work.
The Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act was exceptionally good law. It took the health of Americans seriously and found solutions for everyone if they wanted it to participate in a health care insurance plan.
Otherwise known as Obamacare because President Obama did care, it allowed health insurance companies to continue to exist in the face of draconian and dangerous practices. Additionally, it took the well established Medicaid program and expanded it to insure low income Americans.
The ACA/Obamacare implemented annual physicals, wellness visits, and early detection diagnostics to catch any disease before it became dangerous. It is good law.
This is not an endorsement of any political candidate, this is simply a review of the ideas I believe exists in the Democratic field. I am not naming names.
What occurred with the ACA was actually criminal. FOX News had success in the past with Hillarycare when instilling fear of a new law. The law would reel in government and elevate private insurers that primarily exploited some Americans. Not all health care insurance even under Hillarycare was bad, but, there was health care insurance that took money without providing coverage in a traditional way.
What should have occurred was to have a Congress that rallied with the American people to find a solution that worked for them. The ACA was originally a Republican bill. So, the idea both parties could benefit from the passage of comprehensive healthcare was realistic.
But, Murdoch didn't like government and turned his network loose on the American people. Then there was Lieberman that attacked the public option because he wanted to protect the high profits of the insurance companies in Connecticut.
By the way, there was an interesting observation made from that debate stage about the profits of health care insurers. THEIR PROFITS ARE REMARKABLE AND IT IS ONLY 15 PERCENT of the total cost of health care.
Got that?
The ACA demanded health care insurers maintain a profit no greater than 15 percent to keep costs to consumers as low as possible. So, Americans need to clearly get the picture about the health care insurance industry, that they like profits and plenty of it. What I believe may be going on is inflated costs within the companies to justify the high profits that are ONLY 15 PERCENT of their income.
We tried that before, but, it didn't work.
Before the ACA there was government sponsored health care in the way of Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. That covered poor children, the elderly and the poor. That worked for the USA, but, what became a real problem were bankruptcies and health insurance practices that were killing Americans. Americans no longer had great private insurance from their employers either. That TRADITION was ended when companies realized they could place significant costs on their employees and the employees couldn't do anything about it. I might add here, unions always pursue health care as a benefit and those policies are still providing excellent care for union members.
Private health care began to be a significant burden on Americans with co-pays and annual minimums and when employed, cost sharing of premium costs. Health care insurance started to become a necessary evil and to many Americans, they simply could not afford to participate in it. For the first time in modern history, Americans were dying and the cause of death was No Health Insurance.
The ACA is a great law. What occurred and why there will never be any bipartisanship is that Murdoch, through FOX News turned health care into a political issue. HEALTH CARE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN POLITICIZED. The Republicans began to dismantle the ACA and today Americans are faced with losing their health care AGAIN because of pre-existing conditions.
We tried that before, but, it didn't work.
When the US House majority was returned this year, they passed laws that would ensure Americans were not measured by pre-existing conditions. Those laws are stalemated by Mitch McConnell and why? Why? Because he uses them as political issues to INSTILL FEAR OF GOVERNMENT when it comes to who is going to choose your doctors and who is going to say whether or not you can receive health care for surgeries and the like.
The idea Americans have control of their doctors is nonsense. THE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THEIR PARTICIPATING PHYSICIANS CHOOSE YOUR DOCTOR. Americans don't have a choice in regard to their personal physician or any specialists. Either they are in network or Americans pay through the nose in co-pays. So lose that idea right now.
And get rid of the idea an American can actually get the medical treatment they need when they need it because as a patient they have to be PRE-QUALIFIED and by whom? Whom? The health insurance companies. These are not personal decisions anymore and Americans can be rejected in having healthcare by these same companies everyone believes are so wonderful. All I ever hear is how great American health care is. THAT IS PROPAGANDA AND BRAINWASHING. While Ameican health care is great and our practitioners excellent, the ACTUAL CARE is blunted by health insurance companies. So lose that idea that American health care is GREAT. It is not and it is the most costly in the world.
We tried that before, but, it didn't work.
What the candidates on the Democratic debate stage have done and are trying desperately to do is FIND A FIX FOR THE BROKEN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
At least they are trying. The Republicans simply want to end Obamacare and forget there is a problem. There is no problem with healthcare. Those are just the Democrats trying to find a way to scare Americans and drive them to the polls for their own elections. Right? I mean that is a reality, right McConnell? No American is having problems with health care according to the Republicans. There is such a minor problem according to Republicans they can move before the Supreme Court to end the ACA and postpone any new program until after the 2020 elections. Basically, the Republicans have no answers, only propaganda that serves their political ambitions and big money donors.
So, here we are now with Democrats and an Independent sincerely concerned for the health of the country and rightfully so. A strong country is comprised of strong people.
Some of the candidates on that debate stage want to improve on the ACA/Obamacare. Some want to bring on a new and better approach that nationalizes healthcare. Nationalizing health care will do several things, it will provide coverage for every American. There will be no bureaucracy in the Emergency Room, there will be open doors to all that require health care. Single Payer means the government pays for everything through the tax dollars collected. But, there will be other costs affiliated with health care and everyone is covered. It would provide no questions asked and a healthy country.
Most Americans when they think about Medicare for All, they don't think it is nationalized health care. They believe Medicare will be available as a public option, but, other than that the private sector remains as it is and life goes on.
We tried that before, but, it didn't work.
The candidates on that debate stage want to end this problem for the American people. I sincerely believe that. There are plenty of ideas, but, there is also a truth that cannot be ignored and that is EVERY TIME A LAW PASSES TO IMPROVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, SOMETHING COMES ALONG AND DESTROYS A VERY GOOD LAW.
The majority of Americans like having access to healthcare, they like having health care without any determination due to pre-conditions, they like insuring their children all the way through higher education and THEY WANT MEDICATIONS THAT ARE REASONABLY PRICED. They want health care and they want it available to everyone and they want the cost to be reasonable. That is what those on the debate stage are trying to do for the people.
I think the best way forward that I understand is to allow Medicare as a public option. Medicare works. Ask those that have it. It works. Those that have Medicare have competent doctors and surgeons. They get good care.
So, depending on family income and size the monthly premium to buy into Medicare for All, would be decided and when a family came into employment whereby there is private healthcare, they could move out of Medicare altogether.
As time goes by and people are well and everyone is getting care AND IF there are still high profits and unreasonable circumstances with private insurers, the country may simply want Medicare for All as a national health care plan. There would still be private insurers. They will always be there. The best example of that is the health insurance J.P. Morgan has with two other partners. That is COMPANY PAID healthcare. They are self-insured.
Every American has to remember, We tried that before, but, it didn't work. And the way forward could be a very different answer that we have to be opened minded enough to understand it and consent to it. But, for now, let's keep what is left of the ACA, protect our kids through college, end pre-existing conditions and high profits AND RETURN health care insurance to those Americans unable to provide it for themselves.
PUBLIC HEALTH IS HUGE and that is why ALL people in the USA have to be considered for one type of health care or another. We don't need the Bird Flu, or SARS or any other lousy disease killing Americans in large numbers. The only way we prevent that is if all the people in the USA receive a minimum standard of healthcare.
Americans need to start asking themselves today, is Medicare for All the real answer?
We haven't tried that before and it already works.
