In response to Ben's post.
Ben -
I appreciate that your opinion of my thoughts is that they aren't very deep :) but I beg to differ. I don't claim to have all the answers but I do think my thoughts on the topic are fairly mature.
I'm sorry about your personal experiences where you feel like your family has been wronged by the healthcare industry. I'm sure like anyone that's affected your views on the subject so I'll try to be as objective as possible.
To my argument about healthcare not being a provision of government per the Constitution, you argue that it is because life is mentioned as an inalienable right. But that's the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution. Not that referring to the DoI isn't useful to understand the context of the Constitution somewhere, but healthcare isn't mention in the Constitution, even remotely.
Additionally, you take it out of context a bit. The argument that the DoI makes is that the Creator has given people these rights and since the government derives its authority from the people, not the Creator, that these inalienable rights are not things that government can ever restrict. And at least in this instance, that's true - the government has made no law restricting people's access to healthcare. There's zero support anywhere in the founding of our nation that lays the groundwork for government supported healthcare (neither in the Constitution, the DoI, the Federalist Papers, nor anywhere else that I read). You don't address this.
On your first point, you refine your argument a little bit. Initially the discussion was around "healthcare" now it's health services needed to live. Every state that I'm aware of is legally bound to provide health services to people regardless of their ability to pay (EMTALA). Now this is only for life threatening issues, not preventative care, etc. I think the official term used is "stablizing, life-saving treatment." I think this is probably appropriate and it exists today. No new legislation is required.
Both of your last two points really focus on "disaster scenarios." Again, not preventative care or regular checkups or anything like but but major stuff. I don't think your insurer should be allowed to "conjur up" reasons to cancel your coverage. If you read one of the last points from my initial post, I said I think one of the things government can and should do is "provide increased responsiblity on the providers for inappropriately denying coverage." This directly addresses your "broken promises" concern.
On your third point, you again talk about the disaster case. I agree most people - myself included - would be wrecked by a $100k medical bill but it comes down to being responsible and ensuring that insurance can't wiggle out of their responsiblity. If I had purchased the $80/month insurance rather than going to Starbucks every day then that's minimized. Even if I don't purchase insurance, but make providing for my own healthcare my personal responsiblity, I can afford to have regular physicals done and things like that where it's much more likely to detect things earlier when they're easier, cheaper, and more successful to treat.
Toward the end of your response, you note that everything isn't black and white - some things are grey. And I wholeheartedly agree. The problem with a government run program is that it has to be all black and white with reams and reams of legislation to cover every possible scenario. There's no room for grey. They can't make judgement calls about who genuinely needs help and who's gaming the system.
I'd rather have the opportunity to keep more of my own resources and make an individual decision about how to use those resources to help people that are devestated by medical catastrophes. That's what I've done in the past and what I'll continue to do in the future. Further invovling the government in healthcare only makes that more difficult.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
My Healthcare Solution
I know I don't update this as often as I'd like so thanks to Ben for his question and prompting me to do so!
I'm not of the opinion that it's the role of government to provide a "solution for those who cannot afford healthcare" - any more than I believe the government should provide a solution for those that can't afford a home, dog, BMW, cellphone, 2.3 kids, or many, many other things.
I don't think people have a right to healthcare or health insurance. I don't think it's the government's role to provide or administer either. I don't find that authority given them in the Constitution.
Healthcare is definitely broken and there are many reasons why. It probably starts with the things we priorize in life. I realize there are exceptions but I'd challenge the notion in a heartbeat that most of the uninsured "can't afford" healthcare. For every 3 people you show me that "can't afford" healthcare I'll show you at least 2 people that have a cell phone, cable or satellite TV, and went to Starbuck's at least once in the last month.
I think the only real solution to healthcare or most of these other issues is in increased individual responsibility. I realize that's a tough pill for some to swallow because it's not something we see practiced today. It's virtually nonexistent. You can't find it in government, business leaders, sports stars, Hollywood, or the public schools. I know there are exceptions but as a rule, we as a society don't treat individual responsibility as something to be esteemed.
My solution is that we as individuals take that up personal responsibility as our mantle and champion it in everything we do. I as an individual want to help people around me that want to help themselves. I have in the past and will continue to do so in the future. I believe that people are far more effective and efficient at helping others than government is and when government steps in it makes people less effective (because they have fewer resources to help with due to increased taxes) at helping and dilutes the perceived need to help.
How many of us help with things we believe are other people's jobs? Certainly we all have to sometimes but when you go to eat, you don't go get the food out of the kitchen for yourself - that's someone else's job. When you're at work, you don't typically empty the trash in your office or vacuum. Others are paid to do that for you.
When government comes in and says we're going to fix healthcare, we all just assume - even if only subsciously - that it's now someone else's job. This is exactly the reason that under Obama's proposed plan you'll see a lot of employeer's drop coverage, btw and it's exactly why this is the wrong approach.
The right approach is to tell people that it's their responsibility and not to look to the government for help. Provide an education on healthcare, provide increased responsiblity on the providers for inappropriately denying coverage, provide reasonable limits on malpractice, and reduce the insurance lobby. Looking to the government to meet all our needs is not the right answer and history shows it's not a very good solution, either. The last time people looked to the government instead of helping themselves they ended up stuck at the Superdome waiting for buses that never arrived.
I'm not of the opinion that it's the role of government to provide a "solution for those who cannot afford healthcare" - any more than I believe the government should provide a solution for those that can't afford a home, dog, BMW, cellphone, 2.3 kids, or many, many other things.
I don't think people have a right to healthcare or health insurance. I don't think it's the government's role to provide or administer either. I don't find that authority given them in the Constitution.
Healthcare is definitely broken and there are many reasons why. It probably starts with the things we priorize in life. I realize there are exceptions but I'd challenge the notion in a heartbeat that most of the uninsured "can't afford" healthcare. For every 3 people you show me that "can't afford" healthcare I'll show you at least 2 people that have a cell phone, cable or satellite TV, and went to Starbuck's at least once in the last month.
I think the only real solution to healthcare or most of these other issues is in increased individual responsibility. I realize that's a tough pill for some to swallow because it's not something we see practiced today. It's virtually nonexistent. You can't find it in government, business leaders, sports stars, Hollywood, or the public schools. I know there are exceptions but as a rule, we as a society don't treat individual responsibility as something to be esteemed.
My solution is that we as individuals take that up personal responsibility as our mantle and champion it in everything we do. I as an individual want to help people around me that want to help themselves. I have in the past and will continue to do so in the future. I believe that people are far more effective and efficient at helping others than government is and when government steps in it makes people less effective (because they have fewer resources to help with due to increased taxes) at helping and dilutes the perceived need to help.
How many of us help with things we believe are other people's jobs? Certainly we all have to sometimes but when you go to eat, you don't go get the food out of the kitchen for yourself - that's someone else's job. When you're at work, you don't typically empty the trash in your office or vacuum. Others are paid to do that for you.
When government comes in and says we're going to fix healthcare, we all just assume - even if only subsciously - that it's now someone else's job. This is exactly the reason that under Obama's proposed plan you'll see a lot of employeer's drop coverage, btw and it's exactly why this is the wrong approach.
The right approach is to tell people that it's their responsibility and not to look to the government for help. Provide an education on healthcare, provide increased responsiblity on the providers for inappropriately denying coverage, provide reasonable limits on malpractice, and reduce the insurance lobby. Looking to the government to meet all our needs is not the right answer and history shows it's not a very good solution, either. The last time people looked to the government instead of helping themselves they ended up stuck at the Superdome waiting for buses that never arrived.
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