The media, public and politicians have all lost their minds on the "health care" issue. The media doesn’t understand it, the public is being goaded into socialism and the same politicians that haven’t fixed anything in years think they have answers. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Stupidity reigns in the debate.
I blame the GOP. We had six promising years in charge of the entire federal government and didn’t reform a damn thing, in fact, we actually created the largest new entitlement program in 50 years, Medicare Part D, and then underestimated its cost by half. In doing so we abandoned the argument that government and health care are a terrible mixture, and so now we can’t even oppose HillaryCare on the grounds of limited government.
In Sacramento, the Governor’s "idea" is a new tax on providers. Can we channel his mentor, the late Milton Friedman, into the discussion? This is about as anti-free market and anti-capitalist as it gets. Worse, the California Restaurant Association and Hospital Association actually voted to support the tax. I can hear it now: "its the best we could get, the alternatives are worse". Some lobbyist got paid a lot of money to give them that crappy advice. Whatever happened to getting in the arena and fighting your butt off for free markets and private solutions?
I work with employers everyday and know the health insurance market like the back of my hand. There are innovative, creative, market driven techniques being used every day to keep health insurance costs down. Every week, new health plans are created to meet the needs of business and individuals. Ask yourself this question: if Democrats and the GOP are going to promise to cover the uninsured – why would the uninsured then go out and buy coverage now?
One of my more "controversial" ideas to actually charge the uninsured for a portion of their health care. Many of the uninsured are the same people that send $20 billion home to Mexico every year. Why shouldn’t they pay for health care?
As it stands now, the government, with the support of many of its citizens, is set to destroy the parts of the system that do work, all for taking care of the "uninsured". I blame the GOP, and so should you. When you miss the chance at reform, you leave a vacuum filled with bad ideas.
September 19th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Quite frankly, the Restaurant lobby wants everyone to pay for their workers, which would be a good bargain deal for them, because they don’t even provide health insurance anyways, except for the top management.
The vacuum exists because no one is leading the parade for health insurance reform. Where is the demand to contain costs in the hospital industry? Insurance paperwork?
With no leaders from the business community to offer ideas on the health care solution, presents easy slide for Hillary and other socialists for offer their version, which will eventually become socialized medicine!
It is sad state of affairs, that people wants free health insurance, but for someone else to pay for it.
Where is the outcry from the silent majority like myself to tell others to stay out of my pocket and support yourself! I am not your ATM Machine.