National Health

By John Vlahakis

As the debate on National Health rages through out the media and in people’s homes, some of the basics seem to be missing from the debate. On the conservative side, it’s let it be, the market place is taking care of business. (Highly simplified, of course.) On the liberal side the altruistic desire for medical care for everyone. (Also, highly simplified.) But, here are the realities: Too many people do not have health insurance. The insurance and medical communities have kept competition to a minimum. How does government respond to the needs of the people, and foster competition to make health care more affordable? I’m not sure raising tax’s is the only way. This could be fiscally irresponsible. But, the insurance industry insists on a minimum 30% profit. They do not want you, or companies, to use multiple insurance brokers to try to drive down fees through competition. If two insurance companies know that they are bidding for your business through two different brokers, they rescind their bids. If they do not make their 30% profit margin for the year, they raise your rates to compensate for last year, and raise it some more to guarantee it for the coming year. This is what our health insurance company has done to our company insurance plan. So is that collusion? The medical profession is the gate keeper to new doctors. They determine how many doctors the system kicks out each year. How many qualified students are turned down by medical schools each year? We need more doctors. Imagine what would happen to pricing if we did. Is this collusion as well? We need more clinics to compete against hospitals. We need pharmacists to have the right to prescribe medicines instead of waiting to see a physician. That is the way Europe does it. Having universal coverage is not an inalienable right written in our Constitution. But, it is a human right to have access to health care. The system needs to be fixed. Fostering real competition in insurance and health providers would go a long way to making it so. Let’s try to remember the Hippocratic oath. It should be the mainstay of any intrusion by the government..

John Vlahakis