Health Care Reform From a Common Sense Perspective
I have some real concerns over the health care debate going on in this country.
I do believe that the health care system needs reform, but I do not believe that the government needs to call the shots.
Waste, corruption, and the government have caused the problems within the system today.
Rather than reforming the entire system at once, to me it would make more sense to take one problem at a time and fix it.
The waste and corruption within the Medicare system has reached unthinkable levels.
This waste and corruption has been traced back to lack of oversight within the government and its appointed agencies.
If you think about this reform as it is being proposed, the seniors are losing coverage and benefits, and the government is gaining more power.
It does not make sense to allow the entity responsible for the waste and corruption to have more power over the system.
I do believe that our health care system as a whole is the best in the world.
However, I also believe that all parties' involved, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, and our federal and state governments all share in the waste and corruption within the entire system.
As a licensed life and health insurance agent for more than 10 years I witnessed this waste and corruption first hand.
I had to deal with insurance companies dropping coverage, changing policy wording, and failing to pay benefits.
There are 2 major reasons for this behavior on the part of the insurance companies, both of which can again be traced back to the federal government.
First, due to the lobbyist and the large amount of money they bring to Washington, our legislators have allowed this behavior.
Second, these companies are not allowed to cross state lines, this keeps the pools of insured people smaller.
Common sense tells us that the larger the pool of people, the wider the burden can be spread and the cheaper it is for everyone in that pool.
From a personal standpoint I have witnessed the corruption on the part of the hospitals.
In 1997 my daughter was kicked in the face by a horse, we were lucky our doctor was the greatest, and she healed with no lasting effects.
Being in insurance, I knew the importance of reviewing the hospital bill, as the insurance company did not know what had been done.
In reviewing the bill I found over $9000.
00 of over charges in a $63,000.
00 bill.
This type of corruption on the part of the hospitals dramatically affects the premiums that insurance companies charge.
This overcharging is a large part of the waste and corruption within the Medicare system as well.
I have caught many overcharges in dealing with the medical bills for my father who passed away in 1992, and my mother who continues to deal with health problems.
Very few people will take the time to review their bills; the insurance company rewarded me with cash for saving them $9000.
00 on my daughters' bill.
Had I not gone over the bill the insurance company would have paid the bill with no hesitation.
I am a believer in the free market, and I believe that doctors, hospitals and insurance companies should be able to profit from their services.
But it is the responsibility of the legislators and the American people to make sure that they are not taking advantage of their patients and insured.
We as citizens must take charge of our own care, and hold these entities accountable for their actions.
Another area of corruption that I did not mention earlier is that of the personal injury attorneys.
Doctors would be able to offer their services at a much reduced cost, if they did not have to pay such tremendous amounts in malpractice insurance.
There should be limits put on these malpractice suits, and I believe that no one should be able to sue in the case of elective cosmetic surgeries.
God gave you your body, if you feel it necessary to change it, the consequences are yours.
Here again these lawsuits have grown, due to lobbyists and the massive amounts of money they bring to our legislators in Washington.
All of these points that I have covered are pure common sense, do not depend on the federal government to take care of this oversight for you.
You must hold your doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies accountable for the services that you receive.
The government can help in setting guidelines, which will make it more difficult for any of these entities to take advantage or to overcharge.
My final point is that we as citizens must make it clear to those in Washington that they are there to represent our needs, ideas, and opinions; not to tell us what our needs, ideas, and opinions are.
We must remember that we are responsible for holding those we do business with accountable for their practices.
I do believe that the health care system needs reform, but I do not believe that the government needs to call the shots.
Waste, corruption, and the government have caused the problems within the system today.
Rather than reforming the entire system at once, to me it would make more sense to take one problem at a time and fix it.
The waste and corruption within the Medicare system has reached unthinkable levels.
This waste and corruption has been traced back to lack of oversight within the government and its appointed agencies.
If you think about this reform as it is being proposed, the seniors are losing coverage and benefits, and the government is gaining more power.
It does not make sense to allow the entity responsible for the waste and corruption to have more power over the system.
I do believe that our health care system as a whole is the best in the world.
However, I also believe that all parties' involved, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, and our federal and state governments all share in the waste and corruption within the entire system.
As a licensed life and health insurance agent for more than 10 years I witnessed this waste and corruption first hand.
I had to deal with insurance companies dropping coverage, changing policy wording, and failing to pay benefits.
There are 2 major reasons for this behavior on the part of the insurance companies, both of which can again be traced back to the federal government.
First, due to the lobbyist and the large amount of money they bring to Washington, our legislators have allowed this behavior.
Second, these companies are not allowed to cross state lines, this keeps the pools of insured people smaller.
Common sense tells us that the larger the pool of people, the wider the burden can be spread and the cheaper it is for everyone in that pool.
From a personal standpoint I have witnessed the corruption on the part of the hospitals.
In 1997 my daughter was kicked in the face by a horse, we were lucky our doctor was the greatest, and she healed with no lasting effects.
Being in insurance, I knew the importance of reviewing the hospital bill, as the insurance company did not know what had been done.
In reviewing the bill I found over $9000.
00 of over charges in a $63,000.
00 bill.
This type of corruption on the part of the hospitals dramatically affects the premiums that insurance companies charge.
This overcharging is a large part of the waste and corruption within the Medicare system as well.
I have caught many overcharges in dealing with the medical bills for my father who passed away in 1992, and my mother who continues to deal with health problems.
Very few people will take the time to review their bills; the insurance company rewarded me with cash for saving them $9000.
00 on my daughters' bill.
Had I not gone over the bill the insurance company would have paid the bill with no hesitation.
I am a believer in the free market, and I believe that doctors, hospitals and insurance companies should be able to profit from their services.
But it is the responsibility of the legislators and the American people to make sure that they are not taking advantage of their patients and insured.
We as citizens must take charge of our own care, and hold these entities accountable for their actions.
Another area of corruption that I did not mention earlier is that of the personal injury attorneys.
Doctors would be able to offer their services at a much reduced cost, if they did not have to pay such tremendous amounts in malpractice insurance.
There should be limits put on these malpractice suits, and I believe that no one should be able to sue in the case of elective cosmetic surgeries.
God gave you your body, if you feel it necessary to change it, the consequences are yours.
Here again these lawsuits have grown, due to lobbyists and the massive amounts of money they bring to our legislators in Washington.
All of these points that I have covered are pure common sense, do not depend on the federal government to take care of this oversight for you.
You must hold your doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies accountable for the services that you receive.
The government can help in setting guidelines, which will make it more difficult for any of these entities to take advantage or to overcharge.
My final point is that we as citizens must make it clear to those in Washington that they are there to represent our needs, ideas, and opinions; not to tell us what our needs, ideas, and opinions are.
We must remember that we are responsible for holding those we do business with accountable for their practices.
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