There are those of you who will stumble upon this post pre-determined in your way of thinking…I’m not talking to you. I’ll never reach through to you because you’ll never allow yourself the chance to consider that perhaps what is being proposed by Obama isn’t the best choice for us. For the rest of you, I continue.

This is a tough question because it will play on your emotions. When you throw emotions into any argument, you have plenty of room for irrational actions. Don’t believe me? Just think back to the last time you had an argument with your bf/gf/spouse and they said, "but that’s how I feel!". It doesn’t matter what your facts are, the feelings game is hard to win. It is almost a social Sophie’s choice. Do we sacrifice the greater good for the benefit of few?

I’m no ogre. If there was a dying child in front of me, I’d rush that child to the hospital to get him care. He would receive it, but if his parents didn’t have insurance…the cost might be rather high. Why is health care so costly? Because it’s worth it! Yes, of course it’s also expensive because of the outrageous cost malpractice insurance is for doctors, but that’s another point.

Now let me make something abundantly clear. Do I personally want someone to pay for my health care? Absolutely! When I was growing up and mommy & daddy took me to the doctor when I broke my leg but I never saw a bill or paid on a policy, that sure was nice. I’m an adult now and the responsibility is on me to provide that care. Do I think the government should step in and be my mommy & daddy now? It sure would give me extra money in my pocket…but at what cost? Is my personal comfort preference in having free health care without having to work for it worth the potential cost that might come with it? I don’t know about you, but it sure would be selfish of me to vote for free health care when I can provide for it myself just so I’ll have a few extra bucks in my pocket. It’s also incredibly short sighted.

What about health care? Is it a right or is it a privilege? If we go to the US Constitution, we immediately learn that it is not considered a personal right. However, with the courts the way they are, we’re just one tiny court case away from health insurance becoming a right. This question can’t simply be answered that easily because people will pick it apart all day long. I say, “is it a right or a privilege” is way too damn simple. The question should be, “Health care for everyone; at what cost?”

The media will try to throw outrageous number of those in America that are not insured. The most common answer I found was 15.3% of US residents(not just citizens…residents) were not insured. This number also includes those that are voluntarily uninsured. A recent poll found that 2% of the uninsured were voluntarily not seeking coverage. If you also account for those who are making more than 2.5 times the poverty level but still don’t have coverage, then the true figure comes to about 6% of American’s that do not have coverage but want it. I won’t be so crass as to say that someone who is earning $55,125 doesn’t have mitigating circumstances that prohibit him from purchasing insurance though I would believe that they could somehow find a way to find insurance, so I’ll justifiably use 12% as the base percentage of American’s without health insurance…ironically, the same amount of French residents without health insurance.

Notice, I said, “without health insurance”. I didn’t say “without coverage”. We have federally funded health centers. Below is an excerpt is taken directly from the federal health care website:

Federally-funded health centers care for you, even if you have no health insurance. You pay what you can afford, based on your income. Health centers provide

1. checkups when you’re well
2. treatment when you’re sick
3. complete care when you’re pregnant
4. immunizations and checkups for your children
5. dental care and prescription drugs for your family
6. mental health and substance abuse care if you need it

You might think that these type of centers are not easy to find. Well, I did a search of Los Angeles county and there are 146 federally-funded health centers. You can’t tell me that people don’t have access to coverage.

Feel free to do a search yourself here, http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/ 

Does the health care industry need reform so that access is easier for the few that don’t have it, so that policies don’t get dropped without truly just cause, so that pre-existing conditions no longer pose a problem…of course! But does that mean we need to hand the entire industry over to the government?

Look at the debacle that Social Security is and the gigantic financial mess it is. Look at our public education system and how much it trails other nations in terms of quality. Is it any wonder parents opt for private or charter schools when they want their kids to get a better education? Those are just two examples of government run programs that are less than efficient. Do we really trust that our government can take over health care while continuing to offer the best technology and best possible care when the government plays a role in purchasing equipment, doctors compensation, and what medical services they will cover?

People want to look at France as the holy grail, but look closely. France has stopped reimbursing for some of the best medications because they were deemed too expensive, leaving patients to take medication that isn’t as adequate. They have increased taxes and co-pay costs to make up for their health care budget deficit. They are unable to invest in the best medical technologies so people don’t get access to the best care. Yet, people still think this is the option to copy. We can do better than that. Keep in mind, 92% of French citizens purchase complementary private insurance because the universal health care from the government is not sufficient and 88% are recipients of the federal health insurance. Also, roughly 20% of a French citizen’s pay check goes to health care taxes.

The only way Obama’s health care system would be sustainable is through huge tax increases. Even then, it is still a massive federal mess. I know you want to believe Obama when he said he wouldn’t sign a bill that would add a single dime to the deficit, but the Congressional Budget Office still says this plan would cost somewhere along the lines of $1.26 trillion. Where is that money supposed to come from? How far can we stretch our dollar before our nation suffers for it?

Keep in mind, once a health care bill is passed, it will never be revoked. Can you imagine telling everyone over 65, “Sorry, we got it wrong…we can’t pay for your medications anymore and we need to reform our coverage.” Town hall would burn down. Even the smallest budget moves in France are proving controversial. Local residents are up in arms over a cost-cutting measure that makes patients pay €1.10 an hour to park at the hospital. "It’s a scandal," says retired local Communist politician Gérard Eude. "It goes against the very idea of universal health care." This is what we’ll get if we pass this bill…no way out…no chance at reforming again. So, why would we push through a plan that has so many pitfalls?

I come back to the original thought, “at what cost?” If the government undertakes this 1+ trillion dollar venture, they’ll have to cut funding to other areas. National security, education, Medicare, Medicaid, law enforcement, etc…they will all suffer. At the same time, it is justifiably debatable to say that health care would suffer. Do we allow our health care to become like our public education system?

When did the government get into the feelings business? I understand it’s hard to hear about the woman who was denied cancer coverage because she failed to report a pre-existing condition and her cancer doubled in size while she negotiated with her insurance. When you hear that, everyone thinks that reform must take place. BUT reform in the marketplace, not reform that hands over the industry to the government! Reform based on emotional reactions is reform not fully thought out.

Look, if you want to play emotions, there are thousands of stories of cancer patients who have died in countries with national health care because they were not able to receive care in time due to wait times and rationing. Estimates in the UK suggest that for most specialties, only 30 to 50 percent of patients are treated within 18 weeks. Just this week, in France a woman had to give birth to her baby in a fire truck because the government closed the maternity ward of her hospital due to budget cuts. What if there were complications? Would it have been worth it?

At what cost? It is too short-sighted to say that health insurance is either a right or a privilege. Marketplace reform is definitely necessary and can be achieved without putting the future well-being of our nation at stake. If we take the emotional right/privilege approach we’ll end up with either average health care for everyone at the expense of our nation’s ability…or we’ll end up with health care access disparity.

1. If we want to fix health care, let’s open up the playing field. Let citizens buy insurance from any company that will offer it. In Massachusetts, the average annual premium for family coverage was $16,897 in 2007. In Wisconsin, it was $3,087. Granted, there are some circumstances that cause the premium costs to range, but not that drastically. Open up the industry so people in MA can buy from WI based insurance providers.
2. Enough with the unlimited lawsuit amount for medical malpractice suits! Greedy lawyers are getting filthy rich prosecuting doctors for everything they’re worth and malpractice insurance costs for doctors is leading the way to increased costs passed on to us.
3. Set rules on pre-existing conditions so that individuals can’t be denied coverage over a ridiculous prior condition that has no basis on current treatment. 
4. Why not offer premium rebates for healthy individuals? Just like auto insurers give you discounts for theft deterrent products or driving school credit, why not reward the individual that can document a healthy lifestyle.
5. Stealing from McCain’s plan, pool together the sickest or most high-risk individuals into plans much like Medicare so that you can offset the risk.
6. Move more away from the employer paid health care system. Why put the burden on businesses? Employer based health insurance can always be offered as part of a compensation package, but it shouldn’t be a requirement.

I want the best health care possible. Keeping the industry free to competition is what leads to the best options for customers. If we reform the marketplace, the 12% of the population that wants insurance but can’t afford it could be helped out. If we just react on emotions and push through whatever option comes up that will immediately help that 12% then you’re not looking at the bigger picture. Can’t you see what type of drastic effects that could possibly have on many area’s of our lives? I do want reform, but not at the cost of our nations economic health and not at the cost of what type of coverage I receive. This isn’t a case of the have’s and the have-not’s. Again, 88% of American’s have health insurance. This is a case of provision for a few…not government run health care for all. Government run health care for all hurts everyone in the long term.