America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 would create a public health insurance alternative and require coverage for most Americans and from most employersBold emphasis mine. I'm already on record with being agreeable to requiring people to have health insurance. What I'm not ok with is the need for the United States government getting into the business of health insurance. Medicare and Medicaid are already total messes (I'm purposely avoiding profanity in describing them, but it's apt, and you get my point when I say they're totally FUBAR'd). Why the need to come up with competition to the already existing insurance companies? It makes no sense. To pull a quote from the article:
"The government takeover of the practice of medicine will destroy the private health insurance companies, and will result in rationing, long lines, and loss of access to physicians in the patient hour of need ..."... and ...
The Mayo Clinic, a non-profit organization and internationally renowned medical practice group, took issue with patient care quality that will result if the president's bill becomes law:So, mandate everyone have health insurance? Sure thing. Create more bureaucracy to undercut legitimate businesses? Heck no.
"Although there are some positive provisions in the current House Tri-Committee bill -- including insurance for all and payment reform demonstration projects -- the proposed legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher-quality, more affordable health care for patients."
So, am I off base? Am I missing something?
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I think we all should have some form of health care but I'm not so sure about mandating it. I know plenty of people that self insure themselves by just banking the money they would be spending for healthcare and putting it into mutual funds. These people are few and far between but I don't think we have a right to hold someone down and jump them into our HMO gang. Can you have a conscientious objector (sorry for laying out the Vietnam era term) for healthcare?
I know they are holding Mayo and the Cleveland clinic up as models of success but they are the exceptions not the rule besides the fact that these places have seriously deep pockets. A lot of private for profit hospitals are necessary because they are creating medical care in rural areas where there might have not been hospitals. HCA is juggernaut and probably one of the main reasons why healthcare cost so much but they are creating greater access to health care each and every day with the amount of hospitals they open up.
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