Clear!

What's the hurry, the droids in Congress ask, about getting a health care bill in place so soon?

I can't believe these people are so very out of touch they are oblivious to the crisis of health care in America.
You know what their problem is? They are spoiled rotten.
While they enjoy a fat paycheck, and top notch Cadillac health insurance policies, millions of Americans are shut out. 

People I know have difficulty just getting access to the low income or free clinics.
They are so maxxed out they have to limit the number of patients they can even see.
*IF* they are seen, there is then worry about being about to afford expensive diagnostics test, or prescriptions.

It seems to me, the name of the game is *sky's the limit".
Insurance companies make deals with Doctors about reasonable & customary charges, Doctors then charge the max to get bargained down to an amount that is acceptable. Pharmaceuticals are so far out in left field... with absolutely no limits on what they can charge.

Ahh but health care makes up 1/5th of the nation's economy. It's a cash cow for profit.

Even people who are lucky enough to have health insurance-- a majority are not happy with a variety of issues.

Obama called this lack of a health care system "maintaining the status quo" in which 14,000 citizens lose their health care every day.


Random snippets:
"With the ever-higher premiums and the lesser and even denied care the present private insurers see fit to provide..there should be no reason not to go with the Public coverage. The Private Insurers even restrict us as to what Doctors we can see and what Procedures can be allowed. Is not that called Managed Care ? Those insured on the Public Plan, Medicare, do not have to endure those restrictions. So why should all those Private Policy Payers be treated so callously ? ( That is..those deemed Healthy enough to be 'insured' at all, by these greedy companies.)"

Yes what we have is the pay more get less program.

" Insurance Companies are 'For Profit' Corporations...not Health Providers. The only Health they care about is a Bulging bank account."

I'm seeing increased co pays & this year, my coverage only pays 80%-- last year it was 100%.

See http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/15/119...,

Here's a quote from that site:

"The US health care system ranks last among other major rich countries for quality, access and efficiency, according to two studies released Tuesday by a health care think tank.

The studies by the Commonwealth Fund found that the United States, which has the most expensive health system in the world, underperforms consistently relative to other countries and differs most notably in the fact that Americans have no universal health insurance coverage.
What's the h

"The United States stands out as the only nation in these studies that does not ensure access to health care through universal coverage and promotion of a 'medical home' for patients," said Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis."

* Please note the ranking was done in 2007. The only thing that has changed is 2.6 million lost jobs in 2008, and 65,4000 jobs were lost in January of 2009.

So really , the only things that have changed is more people have lost jobs, and probably lost healthcare (COBRA extended insurance coverage is a great idea, but is SO expensive it is beyond cost prohibitive. )

In closing, I wish we could pull the plug on Congressional health care insurance & require them to use the free health clinics. Then they would understand the hurry. 

To any politician who has the gall to ask what's the hurry, here is my response-- are you familiar with the medical term *flatline*? America's health care system is currently DOA ~ dead on arrival.  We don't have a system. We have predatory insurance companies running the show and all others are on their own. 

I think the key point about the Health care plan is that they are using this as a political hot potato & trying to make it divisive. 

It is NOT about supporting Obama..... because of course they will abuse that. 

It is about people working multiple jobs & turned away from the free health clinic because they are maxxed out. 

It is about not getting access to a specialists or care you need. 

It is about not affording the tests needed to diagnose & then probably would have a hard time affording the meds.  

It is NOT about supporting Obama- it is about supporting the millions of people in this country who are suffering, hurting & literally dying because they can't afford medical care. It is one of the top reasons why people go bankrupt in this country. 

We are the only huge industrialized nation without universal health care. 

Because even though Presidents come & go, the need for universal health care remains. 

It is a dire & urgent need- of the people. 

Take the frigging politics out of it. 

And the notion we must cut back on other spending to do so-- my answer is this:

Look at the War budgets. 

By all means-- cut back there. $890 billion dollars would have bought a decent health care system. Of all the things that government wastes money on, like Wall Street bailouts, and other pork barrel spending, this is something We the People really, desperately need.

It is not wasteful spending. 

It's not out of line- the hurry  & urgent rush to get Universal health care in place, in fact it is so critically late, it has been  fatal in some cases.  Yes, people are dying for healthcare in America.