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.