Health Reform 2009…Angels and Demons
January 5th, 2009
The New York Times recently reported on Health Reform Private House Parties. At this particular party, the participants easily sided with the angels: health care is a right, insurance should cover everything and coverage should be available from government and businesses. There, that was easy. Bet they had a nice time.
Partygoers were not asked for solutions and the devil is always in the details, so let’s use my favorite – flu shots.
First, the New York Times reported that party participants quickly agreed that “…health care was a right…” It makes me wonder; if health care is a “right,” what of “responsibility”?
- If I have a “right” to flu shots to help prevent flu disease, do I have a “responsibility” to get them to protect myself, reduce my medical care costs, improve economic productivity and protect others around me?
- If I don’t get the shot, infect others and cause them to be ill, am I responsible for the cost of their care?
- If others I infect miss work, am I responsible for the cost of temporary workers or losses incurred by their employer? Am I responsible to the government for the loss in taxable productivity?
- What if they die as a result of the flu I transmit to them? Am I culpable?
Second, participants also agreed “…that insurance should cover ‘everything,’ not just some services….”
- If a flu shot is covered and I choose not to get one, should I be required to pay for any doctor visits and medicines I need?
- Should my employer have the right to charge me for the temporary help that might need to be hired to replace me on the job?
- Should Uncle Sam have the right to tax me for earnings I would have made if I had been on the job?
- Should the cost of something so reasonably priced be covered for everyone? Really, I mean everyone? Even the wealthy who can well afford the cost?
Third, participants agreed that “…coverage should be readily available from the government, as well as from employers….” They agreed that individuals and businesses should have to pay a “small health care tax” to fund care.
- Who are they kidding, “small health care tax?” Have they looked at cost projections lately?
- And what about non-coverage barriers? Coverage is only one barrier to care. Ask those in rural areas, anyone not fluent in English or medically literate.
And yes, I’m still harping on flu shots. The season is not nearly over and there are plenty of doses left to protect the nation from the $87.1 billion – or more – that flu could cost us this winter.1
1. Molinari NA, Ortega-Sanchez IR, Messonnier ML. The annual impact of seasonal influenza in the US: Measuring disease burden and costs. Vaccine 2007;25:5086-5087.
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February 13th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Glenna, I think you are digging in the weeds a bit, but you made your point loud and clear- reform is not as easy as the angels many would like us to believe. Real reform will require in-depth thought about a litany of issues under the surface of every major concern that the public has nowand careful implementation on every major concern the public has now. We will need professionals (like yourselfyou) with keen insights to frame the issues and the solutions properly. I invite you, and anyone else interested in having a voice during this historic moment to visit http://www.fairmanagedcare.org and sign up to become a member. We are an emerging national grassroots movement focused on changing the debate about health care costs and holding managed care companies responsible for their behavior