Health Care Independence Day
Would that there might be a time in the future when we might celebrate health care free from the 'tyranny' of government.
The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution are silent as to the role of government in health care. Could that be so because in 1776 life expectancy was only 35 years; that a new born child had only a 60% chance of reaching adulthood; that the cost of medicine then was incidental to daily life.
Today government accounts for nearly 50% of every health care dollar spent, setting the standards of care and reimbursement levels for the other half spent in the private sector. Every day in health care, in decisions that literally involve matters of life and death, we have ceded our "representation" to others.
On this special day when we celebrate our independence as a nation, we might also give thought as to who in the future will govern our health care.
Labels: Legislation
posted by Jon Rauser @ 4:21 PM
2 Comments
As President & Owner of a successful health insurance brokerage in downtown Milwaukee - 
2 Comments:
Freedom isn't free!!
Millions of "boomers" are joining the Medicare ranks this decade alone. The government's grip on healthcare will only grow stronger.
50% of all healthcare is "government paid" care already. That number is projected to reach over 70%. At what point will the overwhelming majority of government paid care effectively create an entirely government run system?
The only way that we can be free of government run healthcare is to put our own dollars and control in front of government subsidies. I don't see many seniors lining up to pay more now; in fact the system continues to grow with less and less comming out of seniors pockets. Persciption drugs used to be one thing that seniors paid for, now with part D drugs are covered too. Why question cost or need when something's "free"?
Unless the government underwritten majority has some finacial stake in the choices they make, I fear that market driven change will have little chance of curing our systems financial ills.
The U.S. Constitution is silent about the provision of health care. It was at our founding, and it still is.
This means that the federal government has intruded on what is either a state concern, or an individual concern. "We the people" never gave the federal government the obligation or right to involve itself as it has done.
Yet, it continues to meddle.
I am certain that if the founding fathers knew we would live to 80 in 2008, they would still give the federal government no role in paying for or providing health care.
So much for the constitution. Unfortunately, few politicians pay any attention to it.
Post a Comment
<< Home