With the Supreme Court set to decide whether or not the misnamed Affordable Health Care Act is constitutional, here's what went wrong with its passage.
I've never understood why this country always felt that being on the short list of nations without socialized medicine was a bad thing. History has plainly proven that the world comes to America to seek its medical treatment when their local care proves insignificant in saving their lives. Time and time again those who could afford made the effort to go to the country that has the care system where money is no object when it comes to a solution to their malady.
America has always been the place where a different approach to any problem has set a world standard. Think of the innovations of the telephone, the transistor, binary digital programming, the personal computer, the cell phone, Hollywood movies, social networks, what do they all have in common? The find a need and fill it nature of American ingenuity. Why can't the approach to health care for our citizens be the same way?
As this misguided legislation suffered its twists and turns and resuscitations on its way to a Christmas eve passage without bipartisan support I pleaded with my representatives to institute legislation to create a system with a public option and the give the insurance industry the tools to put that Option out of business. Reflect on this social right the same way social welfare and artistic endeavors are treated, but with a twist. Allow the genius of the American marketplace to serve the American people.
The fallacy of this legislation is in its top down mandates rather than its bottom up incentives. All to create an entitlement mentality of health care. Mandating youth coverage, birth control, preexisting condition acceptance, and wellness among other conditions in this legislation just creates untenable burdens before we even start to find out how to pay for this. In the short time this law has been known; we've discovered the alleged "affordability" of this program is nothing more than a myth.
The answer is the same thing that has made other insurance coverages affordable. How wonderful a day it will be when I'm watching TV and the announcer says "I've just saved a whole bunch of money on my health insurance by switching to GEICO." if you give the industry a way to widen its risk pool by offering the coverages that individuals want instead of the misguided state by state orientation of our nations current system, this would offer those "affordable" solutions.
One example is instead of mandated child coverage to 26, offer youngsters coverage just for catastrophic care. I rarely had insurance at that age because I couldn't afford it and whenever I did have coverage it didn't cover any treatment I sought. So, I went without because I rationalized that there were three ways I would need health care. Traveling - my car insurance covered it; injured at work - workers' compensation covered it; that left the in-between times that I was in neither of those places. So what did I do? I took care of myself, was safe, and avoided any trouble that would require medical assistance. On the rare occasion I did need a doctor it was cash and carry, which in the end saved me a boatload of what would have otherwise been missing wages withheld from my pay through health care coverage deductions.
With the Supreme Courts help, this nation can lead the way with an innovative solution. Not copy the rest of the worlds failed socialistic plans that are plainly bankrupting Europe. I look forward to America returning to its leadership of the planet and not wishing to be like the failed notions of the Old World.
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