NATIONAL HEALTHCARE – A POISON PILL

Whose fault is it?

     We Americans have been trained to blame someone. It can't be our fault that health care is so expensive, so we find someone else to blame. It must be their fault.  But who are they? Politicians? Insurance companies? Doctors? Lawyers with outrageous lawsuits? Drug companies?
Why is Health Care and Health Insurance so expensive in the U.S.? Why are politicians so eager to have National Health Care? The politicians who insist we need National Healthcare have a much better health plan than the average citizen will ever have. Will they get rid of their plan and use the same plan as the rest of us? Not likely; unless the citizens insist on major reforms. Do we really want to just mimic national health plans that have failed so miserably in other countries. Michael Moore's movie was supposed to shed some light on it, but instead he used the movie to tell more half truths and lies. John Stoessel interviewed Michael Moore for his special on ABC and asked why he was so misleading in the movie. He could not answer the question. If health care is so good in Cuba why doesn't Michael Moore go there and get in line with the rest of the citizens in Cuba?

Back to the question, whose fault is it? It is the fault of every politician and legislator at the National and State level of government. They are the ones who pass the laws. They are the ones who enable the abuses. They are the ones who voted themselves a much better health plan than the rest of us; Consequently, they have no idea on how to solve the problem; except..... you guessed it, to pass more laws and declare, that the only solution is a Government sponsored Health Insurance Plan paid for by you, the lowly taxpayer. What better way to add to the bureaucracy, have another pool of money to play with, allege and find more abuses and pass even more laws. (Did you know that US legislators double the number of laws on the books every 20 years?)

Government sponsored Health Care???? Are you kidding. The Government can't even secure our borders. They can't track 12 million illegal immigrants. The Government can't communicate from one law enforcement group to another making us vulnerable to social predators and international criminals like the Russian Mafia. They cannot even process passport requests in less than four months. The State and Federal Government cannot get aid to areas suffering catastrophic incidents. One billion dollars was miss-appropriated and given to the wrong people by FEMA in Louisiana after the Katrina Hurricane. Since when has government done anything efficiently and without loss of taxpayer dollars? In New York City alone there was a reported 3 billion dollars in Medicare Fraud over the last two years. That is 3 billion dollars of your tax dollars. Can you imagine the graft and corruption that would exist with a National feeding trough of health care dollars? That is just the tip of the iceberg. Add up the corruption nationwide and we could all retire with benefits befitting royalty.

Is National Health Care really the answer?

     Here are some recent examples of National Health Care in other countries.
A 53 year old Doctor of Psychology in Montreal goes for a Physical. They see something suspicious. Three months later they do a biopsy and find it is uterine cancer. She asks how long before the treatment will start? She is told the earliest they can start her treatment is six (6) months. She is upset and finds she cannot buck the system. She finds a cancer clinic in Boston and goes for immediate treatment, paying the $60,000 cost herself. Why? Because she wanted to live.

A 22 year old nurse at a Windsor Hospital finds a lump in her breast. It takes her three months to schedule a biopsy. They find it is cancerous but cannot operate for three (3) months. She waits and has the cancer removed. Why is this so bad? Because she is one of the nurses in the national health care system.

A 71 year old woman in Essexville finds out she has Cancer. They tell her they cannot operate for nine(9) months. She does not have enough money to seek care in the U.S. The result; it gets out of control and she dies.

A thirty four (34) year old breaks his leg playing sports and goes to the hospital. He is told they will need to put in some screws and a plate. They set the leg as best they can and put a cast on it. His operation cannot be scheduled for six months because there is a shortage of bone surgeons. When his operation date comes around they must re-break his leg to repair it. It will never be the same.

A female member of the Canadian Parliament who has been pushing for National Health Care for years becomes ill. She knows she will not get the care she needs in the Canadian system. She secretly arranges her care in the U.S. She acknowledged that even she, as a long standing member of the Canadian Parliament cannot get pushed to the top of the waiting list; Even if she did, it would not be the same as the care she gets in the U.S.

In the US many of the hospitals have MRI equipment and other advanced technology. In Canada they may only have one machine in each city and it runs 24 hours a day, with a huge waiting list.

If you are a smoker you cannot qualify for an operation in Canada or England.

In Canada and the UK the death rate from colon cancer is 39%; in the US it is 21%. What is the difference? Canada and the UK have limited access to the tests and treatment a patient needs to survive; treatments readily available in the U.S.

There are many more statistics just as bad or worse. Every patient is evaluated on a risk questionnaire. If you don't make the grade, you have to find your elephant burial ground and die. Is this the type of health care you want?

Would you like to hear a real person faced with brain cancer in Canada? Click here http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php

In England the national health care system is now charging co-pays. Many citizens are upset that 40% of the money they earn is used for national health care and now they have the additional burden of co-pays to see a doctor and other services. They complain they are now paying twice for the same service. It gets even worse, because the co-pays are expected to continually increase as the system goes broke. Eventually when the co-pay to see a doctor is 30#s, the poor will not be able to afford it. Then they will be right back in the same predicament; not being able to afford healthcare that is much more inferior.

Americans are use to private and semi-private rooms. Forget this amenity with National Health Care and a single payer system. The reality in countries with National Health Care is a 25 bed ward if you are lucky. If you think a doctors visit to your room once a day is insufficient now, wait until you have National Health Care. Doctors visit only the most ill and then only once every several days. Why? Because there are no doctors willing to work for the menial pay offered by a National Health Care system.

The reality is that every one seeking treatment in a national run health care system is evaluated on a cost benefit analysis. What is their income? How old are they? Are they a productive member of society? Do they own a business that employs others? What is the statistical chance they will die anyway in the next several years? The answers to these questions determine where someone gets into the waiting line.
Most older people do not have a prayer or any expectation of receiving the care or surgeries when they need it. Consequently, many must seek treatment in another country, paying cash for the surgery or treatment. Ask the younger citizens how they feel about the national health care and they will tell you it is great except for the 40% of their income that is taken to pay for it. Ask the older citizens over 65 that have serious medical problems and they will tell you it is terrible.

In some Scandinavian countries the citizens pay 65% of every dollar they earn in taxes. Is this where we should take our country? Right now only 50% of Americans pay any income tax. If we chase the 50% out of the country with even higher taxes, who will pay the bills?

On 03/25/08, the trustees for Social Security and Medicare in their annual report said that both programs are in serious trouble. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said "Without change, rising costs for Medicare and Social Security will drive government spending to unprecedented levels, consuming all federal revenues and threaten America's future". They project the Medicare trust fund will be wiped out by 2019. In 2041 the Social Security trust fund will be exhausted.

The present Medicare system takes 35% of the national budget. According to the Congressional Budget Office it will take 50% of the budget in just 10 more years, by 2018.  Imagine the cost of a national health care plan for everyone. The country will go broke or the system will break as it has in other countries.

What are the Politicians thinking? Do they have a magic wand to wave? Do they have a money tree? No, they are only saying what you want to hear to get elected. How can any U.S. politician be advocating better prescription coverage for seniors, better care for seniors and then advocate national healthcare, which in the long run puts seniors health care at the back of the line? Do they have a clue?

Taxes Soar
Even though health care gets much worse for the chronically ill and seniors in a national health care system, the taxes soar. Canadians pay 40 cents of every dollar they earn to support national health care.
EVERYONE PAYS. Companies no longer need to provide health care for their employees, but under a national healthcare system, all businesses must now pay a hefty tax to provide healthcare for the masses.

Who will pay for it?  The US tax burden as of May 2009 is $546,668 per household. This is four times the personal debt of each household, including mortgages, car payments, etc. This does not include the state and local tax burdens. The US tax burden is expected to double by 2012. National Health Care will add 1.4 trillion dollars in tax debt in the first 10 years. This along with the other spending will increase the Federal tax burden on each household to $1,200,000. Can your household pay this bill?

Will the rich pay for it?  What happens when you tax the rich? They leave as they have in New York, New Jersey and California. They will leave the US when given the confiscatory tax incentive. Then who will pay the bill? You.

Looking for an example of a US with a socialist agenda, then look at California. They are broke and going broker.

President Obama is insisting on national health care. He is advocating a plan administered by the government and subsidized by all taxpayers.  Total government control of healthcare is being disguised by saying if a person wants to keep their traditional health insurance they can. Who is kidding who? A government funded health insurance plan that costs much less then a private insurance plan will eventually put all the health insurance companies out of business.

A mandatory part of any national healthcare plan must be that all elected officials, U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives and all appointees have the same healthcare as the rest of us.

How many are really without Health Insurance?
According to a June 2, 2009 report on Fox financial news, there are 42 Million un-insured. The break out is;

-18 million between 18 to 34 years of age. 40% of these can afford Health Insurance but choose not to buy it because they see themselves as healthy and have other spending priorities

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-10 million are illegal aliens. Should our tax dollars pay for their health care? California is going broke in their effort to do this.

 
-8 million are children. 50% of them can be covered by SCHIP but their parents are not aware of the program. The remainder are children of illegal aliens who received citizen status because they were born in the U.S.

 
-The remaining 6 million are people who really do need assistance.

 
Knowing this, do we really need a National Healthcare system that is completely controlled by the government. Our politicians want it so they have another trough of money to use for their own purposes. Graft and corruption will be at an all time high.

Canadian Officials turn their head.
As reported on ABC by John Stoessel in September 2007, private health clinics are now popping up around Canada and offering services and minor operations for cash. Even though it is against Canadian law, the officials are turning their head knowing their citizens need the services and they too, may need them someday. Some Canadian provinces are now contracting with Hospitals in the US to take the most serious cases because they cannot take care of them in Canada since many of the specialists have left.
If you know of any cases like this please forward them to us so we can add them to our list.

Why is it so hard to get treatment in a National Health Care System?
Because any free service will have many takers, seeking better and better treatment. Eventually there is not enough money to support the system. Doctors are asked to take less pay. What do the doctors do? They leave for a better place. Hospitals are asked to take less money. What do they do? They cut back on the equipment they buy, they reduce the research into newer medicines and treatments. They pay for fewer specialists. The consequences are obvious, resulting in much worse health care and a tax on society that begins to cripple the economy.

Is the US system perfect?
     Of course not! But it is far better than the National Care that exists in other countries. Those who are healthy in a national health care country, believe it is a great system. For those who become seriously ill national health care is a terrible system.

Why do so many foreign leaders come to the US for operations and treatment?
Because they know the best health care in the world is in a system that competes for the health care dollars and where research on new cures and surgical techniques is rewa.

     Can our Health Care be better?
Of course it can, but not by advocating a single payer or government sponsored plan.
The recent legislation to upgrade the SCHIP plan by Congress will give free health care to children whose family income can be as high as $80,000. The SCHIP program already covers children at 200% of the poverty level for only $5 per month which includes all medical, dental and optical. Even though it is against the rules, some 17 states are now using the money to give health care to illegal alien adults.  Some are using the money for

income adults in general.  In Minnesota 87% of SCHIP dollars go to care for adults with the majority of them being illegal aliens. Why aren't all children in Minnesota covered if they can give 87% to care for adults?
The proposed upgrade to SCHIP is not intended to help low income children, it is a blatant attempt to piecemeal a National Health Care plan for the U.S.  Who will pay for it?

As asked by John Stoessel in the September report.......If you had national food insurance would you take the least expensive food? No, you would take the best available, driving the cost up until restrictions and rationing had to be implemented. Taxes would be increased to make up for shortages. Eventually the cost and restrictions would be so great that everyone would complain just as they do where seriously ill people can no longer get the care they need in a national health care system.
If our legislative leaders were truly interested in solving the problem instead of creating more bureaucracy and more feeding troughs for their best friends they could improve the system. Our health care costs are 50% higher than they should be because litigation attorneys are out of control. Malpractice insurance is driving doctors and hospitals out of business. Why can't the representatives and senators solve this problem.? Because most of them are litigation attorneys.
National leaders, Presidential candidates and others are telling us the only solution is a government run National Health Care plan. What makes it even worse is the parading of people who may have had a problem with their insurance company. Recently some legislators even sank to parading children who have received care in front of the public trying to make them think the children would have died without the new legislation. In fact the children were taken care of by the existing system.
Instead of solving the problem the legislators scream the only solution is a feeding trough of money called National Health Care, that they can use for their own miss-directed means. If the politicians really believe this, then they should be forced to live under the same plan as the average citizen just as the member of parliament in Canada did. Politicians are either vastly uninformed or are looking for more money. We know from the few examples we stated at the beginning of this article that government is inefficient and usually broken. We know from the experiences of the thousands from other countries seeking health care in the US that their system does not work.

When will our elected officials get it?
If you are an advocate for national health care then you are advocating fewer states rights and fewer citizens rights. You are also asking for higher taxes, fewer profitable businesses and a version of the movie "Soylent Green" for the senior citizens. Do you really believe that only government can make your decisions for you?
When Government wants to make decisions for you, it is because in their superior wisdom, the politicians believe you are not capable of making decisions that affect your wellbeing.
 No one advocates a total absence of national oversight, but a limited amount of interference in a citizens right to make their own decisions is what our constitution is founded on. You should be demanding the legislators wake up and start passing laws that favor the citizens and not the special interest groups.
We support some Federal guidelines regarding health care to prevent the mish mash of laws that drive health care costs up.
Support legislation to limit the lawsuits that are forcing doctors and hospitals out of business because they can no longer afford the malpractice insurance.
Believe it or not there are ways to solve the high cost of health care without destroying the system as they have in other countries. We can provide proper care for all of our citizens without creating a feeding trough for the politicians and special interests. Most legitimate insurance companies would welcome the chance to participate in a forum to make this a reality. National Controls would be required to prevent abuse of citizens and to prevent profit windfalls by certain companies.

Can we have a healthcare plan that will allow everyone who wants coverage to have it?  Of  course we can, but in a much wiser way then other countries have done. This means putting a political agenda aside that insists on total government control and enacting laws that work for everyone in a least cost way.

A mandatory part of any national healthcare plan must be that all elected officials, US Senators, Us Representatives and all appointees have the same healthcare as the rest of us.

An example of the above may be as follows;
--All companies offering group insurance would be required to offer individual insurance in every state they are licensed to do business. Individual only companies would not be required to sell group insurance.
--They would be required to offer a comprehensive plan, and an HSA plan.
--Income groups would be established by the government, by zip code, similar to those for the Medicare Plans. The areas would take into account the COLA and other factors such as average income.
--Based on a person or families income they would pay full price or a discounted price for the health insurance plan they choose.
--To receive the discount, individuals would be required to provide their tax return for the previous year with the application, the same as is required for Disability insurance today. This allows the low income families to pay less on an ongoing basis rather than wait for a tax refund. Most low income families live from month to month and cannot wait for a refund. They need lower cost from the beginning. The base would be set as low as $25 per month for the lowest income families.
--The insurance companies would be responsible for submitting the necessary documents to a government agency to receive the difference between what the person paid vs. someone who pays the full price.
--Companies would be required to sell a specified number of policies to non subsidized individuals to keep them from becoming a welfare type of provider.
--Each state insurance commissioner would still have jurisdiction over the insurance laws of the state.
--All states would be required to set up a revolving list of companies who would insure high risk individuals and families. The rate up for these individuals would be set at a percentage above the base price of their policies. This would ensure that all members of society would be able to get insurance even with medical conditions. Those with medical conditions would pay more and age rating would be allowed within a pre-determined amount. The discounts based on income would apply to them as well.
-- No state legislature would be allowed to pass laws that caused the rates in the state to be more than 30% above the national average. This would prevent large influential health insurance corporations from getting legislation passed in their favor as BCBS does now.
--Employers would be allowed to deduct the cost of individual insurance from an employees pay to avoid payroll taxes on the individual.
--Drug companies would not be able to charge more than 30% higher than the average cost of a drug they charge to the rest of the world.
--Lawsuits would be limited to a maximum award depending on the loss to the plaintiff.
--Any attorney who brings a lawsuit against any hospital or doctor will be required to pay 50% of the cost of the defending party attorney fees if they lose the lawsuit.
--Rates would be determined by the marketplace and not an overzealous State Insurance Commissioner. In Washington the insurance commissioner had the authority to hold down rates and within a few years 43 health insurance carriers left the state.

This allows private industry to continue searching for new cures, new ways of treating diseases, prevents a bureaucracy that in the long run does not work and eliminates the rash of lawsuits and awards that have crippled the health care industry. It will bring down the cost of malpractice insurance and prescriptions, the two fastest growing costs of health care in the U.S. Most importantly it allows the U.S. to provide health care for anyone who is interested in having it.

   As Thomas Jefferson said "A Government big enough to give you everything you need is big enough to take everything you have."
Once the country starts down the path of national health care we can never go back to the system the rest of the world envies. Let your Senators and Representatives know what you support.