I wonder how quickly we could achieve a complete make-over of our health insurance system if all Members of the House and Senate and their family members, and all employees of the White House and their family members, and all of their respective staffers and their family members would be required to turn in their insurance cards at work tomorrow. Just cut up their cards overnight. What if, starting tomorrow, they no longer had ANY health insurance coverage? Just think how motivating that would be!
If they all suddenly and unexpectantly joined the ranks of the uninsured, and had to obtain coverage on their own like those who are unemployed or those who are otherwise uninsured or uninsurable, perhaps then--and only then-- they would understand the real nature of the problem and the real urgency of this current crisis.
Yes, it is a crisis. Because health insures are unregulated, health insurance premiums will continue to increase at many times faster than the rate of inflation--because they can.
Most of all, it is scary not to have any health insurance coverage for yourself or your loved one. Those who have it, don't understand that fear.
Those who have health insurance and who oppose any reform argue about the estimates of the numbers of millions of uninsured as though it's some sort of impersonal exercise in counting items of inventory in a warehouse. "It's not 47 million, it's really more like 12 million..." How quickly would they look at it differently if they were instantly among those uninsured?
And also, while we're at it, let's add all the "talking heads" and "experts" on TV and radio to the list of the overnight uninsured, and let's give them all pre-existing conditions to boot. Let's let everyone who pontificates about this, without feeling any pain or fear about it, and without ACTING TO FIX IT to "walk in the uninsureds' mocassins."
And, here's the rest of my dream. That none of our politicians will get their coverage reinstated until they pass a new bill, and then, they have to accept the WORST option available for themselves. No longer do they have the best coverage, now they would get what the least of us has. Given those new "rules" I bet we'd have SINGLE PAYER overnight. But, alas, so much for my dream... they've taken it "off the table..." and my magic wand is on back order from Amazon.
In the real world outside of the Beltway where heath insurance companies are completely unrestricted, and enjoy an anti-trust exemption that allows them the most unlevel of all playing fields, health insurance for individuals and small businesses is increasingly unattainable, unaffordable, overloaded with high deductibles, and supercharged with exclusions from coverage. And, oh yea, it's going to cost more, for less coverage, next year, too.
Unfortunately, our politicians have it better than anyone, so it is easy for them to pontificate about their "concern" for the situation--but unfortunately, they aren't concerned enough to enact real reform. I'd love to be able waive a magic wand and make it personal to them, overnight. They need to feel some pain. Apparently, that's what it will take to light a fire under them.
Small businesses make up 40% of the insured under our present system. Unregulated insurance companies charge small businesses and individuals the HIGHEST premiums--because they can. Small businesses like mine can least afford to bankroll lobbyists like the big corporations, so our concerns aren't addressed.
Although we have coverage today, our premiums rise by double digits each year and our out-of-pocket deductible go up as well. I'm extemely concerned about the ability to continue to afford health insurance premiums in the years to come.
This is why I support a strong, immediately implemented Public Option so that small businesses don't have to wait until 2013 (which is one of the estimated phase-in dates) for another source of our health insurance coverage . I can't wait that long. Our premiums will double by then!
Just imagine the "surcharges" that the insurance companies' bean counters are already planning for next year's budget to "reimburse" themselves for all the lobbying money they are spending every day now to buy our politicians off! You know the insurance companies are angry that they are having to put this money in politicians' pockets rather than in their own pockets, and boy are they are going to take it out on us-- especially the smallest and weakest of us--because they can!
The Public Option is the only hope individuals and small businesses have to get on a level playing field with the big corporations. Yet, our representatives continue to ignore us.
We have a truly broken political system where the "Have's" dictate to the rest of us, in their secure bubble, always looking ahead to the next election and accepting unlimited campaign contributions from those who want this to stay the same.
It's up to us to stop this "because they can" maddness.
So, as I see it, we either SPEAK VERY LOUDLY and make them understand our plight and our fears--and FORCE THEM TO ACT FOR US for a change, or else we must vote them out of office.
Start today by applying pressure to the White House. The President and Rham Emmanuel are not being forceful enough in supportng the Public Option.
And the thought of even considering a "trigger" plan that will delay implementation to allow the health insurers to self regulate their behavior is delusional. The same goes for the plan of allowing the Public Option to be determined on a state by state basis. I don't need my choices for my small business being dictated by my State Legislature or my Governor. Where are those "anti-government intruding into my personal life people" in this discussion?
I look forward to the day when we no longer have to deal with dictates from private insurance companies "because they can" and instead hope I can look forward to a day when we can say that we fought and demanded real and substantial change, because we wouldn't take it any more.
Get busy!
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