A Slippery Slope - Part 1

There is a strong possibility that legislation which would significantly alter the American healthcare landscape will come to the floor of the House this week. I hesitate to call it "reform" because it does not create any real reforms that will actually help people. There are so many problems (and uncertainties) with this legislation that they have to be broken down by category. If you want to understand how bad this would be for you, your family and our nation, then keep reading.

Let's first agree that our healthcare system is not perfect. There are plenty of things that could use tweaking, but don't let anyone tell you the system is broken. That simply isn't true. If it were "broken" as many say, why do we have the highest survival rates for breast and prostate cancer in the world? Why do patients from all over the world come to our hospitals for testing and surgeries?

So, let's break it down and see why this legislation is flawed and why overhauling a system that most people are happy with isn't the right thing to do.

Control
This is what the current legislation is really about... the government taking control of the system and eventually forcing you into a government-run plan. It would eventually eliminate private insurance and drastically affect your freedom of choice. And, it would likely be irreversible. The reason why countries like Canada and Great Britain continue to utilize a government-run system is not because it is hugely successful or popular, but because they can't get rid of it. They're stuck, and we will be too if this legislation passes.

Price & Cost
The price is truly astronomical, estimated to be $1.6 Trillion. Most of us can't even begin to wrap our minds around that number.

The cost to small businesses, who employ the vast majority of Americans, would be most telling. Instead of providing incentives, the current legislation would penalize (i.e. TAX) small businesses if they don't provide healthcare to their employees. When costs go up, small businesses don't hire workers or buy new equipment. How will that help our economy in a time of recession? Obviously, it won't. Not to mention, this has already been tested in our own country... in Massachusetts, which has been an abysmal failure.

The cost to individuals and their families is also concerning. This new system would drastically impact your freedom of choice and ability to see your physician in a timely manner. Adding all of the uninsured to the rolls would overwhelm the system which is already short on primary care physicians. It would also likely limit your ability to see a specialist quickly and have testing, surgery and other procedures in a timely manner. How would you like to wait a month or two to have a brain tumor removed or to have an MRI to diagnose what might be a life-threatening condition? That is exactly what happens in other countries that have healthcare plans similar to the one being proposed. Not to mention that there is talk of taxing individuals if they don't have health insurance. Remember, they have to pass the cost on to someone.

Shouldn't you decide what's best for your health, not the government?

Competition
Finally, one of the major strengths of our system is competition. Competition results in innovation in medical technology, new medications, and safer, more efficient practices. Under a government-run system, there is no need to be better than the next guy and patients will suffer the consequences.

What's Missing?
More than 90% of Americans have health insurance and more than 80% are satisfied with their coverage. So, why does the current system need to be thrown out completely when changes could be made to make it better?

The current legislation is inherently flawed. It only works to expand access to healthcare for the portion of the population that does not have coverage. It does nothing to control costs. While the idea of expanding coverage is laudible, if costs are not controlled the plan will fail. This is exactly what has occurred in Massachusetts and it is bankrupting the state.

In fact, the changes that could make our system better aren't even a part of this plan. It does nothing to fix problems in the system that make the price of healthcare higher for everyone. These include abuses and insufficiencies in the system, such as the abuse of emergency rooms for non-emergent reasons and many others such as frivlous malpractice lawsuits and fraud. As well, the plan does not address medical malpractice reform which almost all experts agree would help cut healthcare costs significantly.

Remember, this is a government that (over many years) has bankrupted Medicare and Social Security. Even if this plan did address the important issues, which it doesn't, the federal government isn't competent to implement such changes in a responsible way.

Please reach out to your senators and reps and urge them to oppose this bill. If passed, it will not help the people who need it and will irreparably damage our nation's medical and economic systems. Let your voice be heard loud and clear!