On this very warm, humid evening, I'm sitting here on the porch, trying to take advantage of the southwesterly breeze sighing gently through the pine tree branches. Every now and then I can feel a faint hint of coolness. Free background music comes courtesy of the annual August cricket chorus. From a highway stop-sign corner a mile away, the occasional deep BRRR sound of vehicles driving over rumble strips comes wafting in on the breeze. That is followed by the revvings of acceleration, sometimes very loud......especially from motorcycles and semi-trucks. I'm not a biker, but a motorcycle ride surely would feel pleasant in this very muggy night air. Ah.....if only......
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Lately, I've paid scant attention to the health care reform debate. At most, I peruse the letters to the editor each day in the newspaper and read the opinion columnists. Everyone silently bleats out their often narrow and misleading point of view.....so I might as well join in. I speak from the stand-point of a self-employed small business person, of course. Most of the ranting letters in the paper appear to be written by employees of large companies which provide insurance coverage for their workers The letter-writers seem convinced that health care reform will "re-form" their coverage into something they won't like, and actually it sounds like the letter-writers see no need for health-care reform in the first place.
I would beg to differ. I try not to think about health care for myself very often, mainly because I can't afford much of any. My husband and I do carry a family health insurance policy, but visits to the doctor are a last resort, due to astronomically-high deductibles. As self-employed people, we are stuck paying expensive and continually-rising health insurance premiums. It leaves us feeling helpless and angry.
Of course, it could be that we're better off not going to the doctor. I stole a couple of healthcare reform links from Sempringham's blog......this one is very eye-opening and shows how easily we can be misled and used by healthcare providers. The other link I stole is this one, to a column in The Washington Post. Stay broadly informed, folks, and don't be sucked in by the scare-mongering rantings and tactics of the healthcare reform nay-sayers. Reform is needed; healthcare costs need to be brought down; the strangle-hold of greedy insurance companies and health-care providers needs to be broken. Perhaps people with posh insurance coverage don't realize that, so when you listen to an opinion, look deeper to find out where the point of view originates from.
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19 comments:
Always amazes me how so many will listen to the fear mongers and believe it. You are right... it's time for reform.
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Our insurance deductable has gone up.
Brought daughter to the pharmacy to get her very necessary meds. If I had bought all of them, it would have been over three hundred dollars. We will have to wait a bit for the other two. Three different meds, each over $1oo. each. She is a college student.
How is she supposed to pay for these on her own?
I am really tired of the brown shirt bullies who are disrupting all the town hall meetings. I agree with you Jeannelle. Things have got to change and soon!
I have taken little time to sit on the porch and enjoy the night air. Sounds like I need to return to that practise.
We need reform everywhere.
First of all "Jeanelle" (giggle!), I fell into your first paragraph. Beautifully written and so descriptive. I want to sit there right next to you and enjoy the peace.
Secondly, thank you for sharing a positive post on health reform. I cannot enjoy health insurance because it is unaffordable for me. I roll the dice with my health. Is this what our country is all about? Health insurance for the wealthy and employed? I feel like an immigrant in my own country. Wait...cept they manage to get health care.
::::hugs::::
Farm Wife,
I have health insurance.I can afford it. I can afford being taxed, too in order pay for those who do not have it or have inadequate insurance.
I do not want to live in a country that makes people make choices between heath and rent or food. I do not want to live in a country that the majority of the Members of Congress walk away from the chance to help 47 million Americans that have no insurance. That is not my America. It is not my America to have civilized debate interrupted by lies and hate speech. I want to reform health care. It may cost me something, but we who can owe that to those who cannot do it themselves.
We need heathcare reform. If we do not get it now, I doubt that I will live to see it happen.
Great response Reamus!! I am an RN and work in an Oncology clinic. You cannot believe the time and energy MD's and healthcare workers have to go though to get coverage for certain meds and treatments for those patients who already have insurance, just because of what one insurance company will cover and what some won't.It is not a time when someone is ill, when they have to go through the stress of what will be covered. I also don't understand why more people and industries wouldn't be for it--alot less money coming out of there pockets and would make us more competitive in the market place with those countries that already have national health insurance. I just wish more people would read and understand the issues instead of listening to FOX noise.
While I do understand the need for health care and insurance reform, I am still very hesitant. I just hate having the government in control of every aspect of my life.
I am fearful of not being able to get a plan that suits my needs. I am fearful I will not get to choose the doctors I want. I am fearful of not being able to have procedures done for months because of waiting lists. I am fearful of having to drive to far away cities to have certain procedures done. I am fearful that I will have such high taxes that I won't be able to pay my other bills any longer. I am fearful that the government run program will no longer allow you to appeal the decision of what will be covered/not covered. I can just think of so many things that aren't being detailed and talked about.
We already pay for the health insurance of those that can't afford it or those that are elderly w/ Medicare and Medicaid...now much more can we afford to pay in taxes?
I just don't know. I don't know the right answer or the right program. I am just hesitant that we as a country are going to jump in w/ both feet and have a entirely bigger problem on our hands.
Not only that...if this new government health care program is good enough for the working class, it should be good enough for Congress and the President too. Do you think they will enroll?
I do have health insurance through my employer. My out of pocket contribution just tripled...basically I got a pay cut in order to keep my insurance. I'm fortunate and thankful to have the coverage.
After the tornado in Parkersburg last year and talking to FEMA reps, I am a little less sympathetic to those that won't get up and try to help themselves...there are far to many people in the USA that are willing to sit down and only take handouts.
Thank you for allowing me to give my opinion.
Angela --> sorry I don't have a blog, but I'm from Central Iowa
Hi, Blue Ridge Gal,
Ditto! I agree with you!
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Hi, troutay,
I'm sorry to hear your daughter must take meds, but am thankful there are meds out there to help her. And, that's another problem.....the terribly high cost of pharmaceuticals. I know of pharm salespeople who live very high off the hog.....and I know of pharm sales reps who buy lunches for the employees of a doctor's office, all in the hopes of selling more meds, I'm sure. The system definitely needs an overhaul. Blessings to you and your daughter in this situation!
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Hi, Gail,
Yes, do try to relax and sit on the porch more often! You probably have very humid weather down in Arkansas, too. Take care!
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Hi, Deb,
Thanks for dropping by the porch! I'm sorry to hear of your situation, too, with no health insurance because it is unaffordable. That shouldn't be! Health insurance and health care services should not be unaffordable.....its a ludicrous situation and should not be happening! Blessings to you as you roll the dice! I do the same....though I have insurance, it is for catastrophic illness, which hopefully will never happen.
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Hi, Reamus,
Thank you for airing that view! Good to hear it! Hopefully, many in your situation feel the same.
Its so telling.....the debates being disrupted the way they are, and most likely it is instigated somewhere along the line by big insurance and pharm companies worried about losing their profits an control over the health industry.
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Hi, Sue,
Thank you for you input! Its good to hear from someone with a view from someone who works in health care and sees what is happening. Its good for you to speak up!
The discrepancies between what insurance companies will cover and not cover.....that should not be happening. That insurance companies can arbitrarily set the standards is not right at all.
Thank you again for commenting. Let your voice be heard!
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Hi, Angela,
Thanks for your comment! My response is so long, I have to put it into a separate comment. Coming up next......
Hi, Angela,
Thank you for commenting! And, you are a fellow Iowan....good for you. Its a good place to live. I'm sorry you were involved in the tornado devastation last year. We were fortunate, but it was close....the tornado destroyed a road-full of farmsteads just a couple miles south of us.
About the healthcare reform debate: My FIRST and foremost desire is that we get reform in our healthcare system. I wouldn't even care if in the end the government was not involved. But, you know what.....with big business now in charge of insurance and pharmaceuticals, there is no way that reform will happen unless the government mandates it. The big companies aren't going to do it on their own. They are all about making a profit and they are doing that quite handily right now. Why would they want "reform" which might ruin their happy world?
Where do you get your information about the health care reform debate, which is giving you that list of fears? Make sure you are taking a broad view of things.....not a narrow view. Listen to both sides of the debate. That is what I am trying to do.
Of course, I look at things from my own situation. My husband and I are self-employed. We must buy our own insurance. Right now we are paying $800 per month in premiums. We have a $15,000 deductible. There's no running to th doctor unless absolutely necessary, obviously.
I ended up with huge psychiatric bills a few years ago. At that time, the psychiatrist who did rounds in the hospital got $200 for looking at me and my chart for five minutes.....each time! That is outrageous, and I'm sure by now the fee is even higher. Health care costs need to be brought under control. This can't go on. Health care should not be unaffordable! Health care providers should not be allowed to charge such ridiculously high fees. Oh, too bad.....then they won't have the funds to go out and invest in farmland.....and believe me, many of them do.
I'm happy for you that you have an employer through whom you get insurance. Being employed off the farm is not an option for me; my work is here on the farm. It would be really nice if we self-employed people were able to buy affordable insurance that we can actually make use of....ie: no $15,000 deductible staring us in the face. Don't worry.....your taxes don't pay my health care bills.....I do.
I don't know what the answer is. We have the probably the best health care facilities in the world....every American should have access them.
Thanks again for your comment! Stop by again. Sorry I went on a rant!
It is unfortunate that people like Angela, she without a blog, seem to be relying on information that is anectodal and is not contemplated in reform. I have the SAME healthcare coverage the Mr President and every ther Member of Congress is eligible for. They ALL have it. They may not have chosen the same plan but every single current and former federal employee has it and can keep it for the rest of their lives.
Tell a sick parent of 55 wirht a sick child of 19 that they "already pay for Medicare." They may be pleased but not eligible. MEDICAID is a state progeram, It has NOTHING to do with this reform. Go to the website, read the bill. Better yet just keep your health insurance since you have it it and understand that you won't have to change that unless you WANT to.
You may not know what is the right thing. I do know that the right thing is to not tell that 55 year old parent who is sick that the first thing they have to do to get care for themselves and their child is to become poor. Is that what we do here? Why do we have Social Security? Where do the premiums for Part B Medicare (which covers MDs and all the rest) come from?
Find out, then get back to me, Angela.
Good words, Reamus! Thank you. I hope Angela comes back to read them.
Sure I came back to check things, always do. As for where I got my ideas, my words were just my opinions. I didn't get them from anywhere except my own head. I sit here and think about how necessary health insurance is to have and how everyone thinks that the government taking control of it is the answer. All I am saying is, is that the "answer"?
My first job didn't have health insurance, so I paid for it out of my pocket, 11 years ago, Wellmark BC/BS for a single person was $140-150 per month. My now husband lost his job six years ago and was self-employed for two years after that and paid his own health insurance, again Wellmark BC/BS, and I think it was around $180 per month. I know how expensive it costs for single. My sister and her husband farm, they pay out of pocket for their family health insurance too, which I'm sure is not cheap.
So, I'm not blind to the fact that it is VERY expensive. In fact, I will agree that we need a change. Does the change need to be government run health insurance plans, or should it be better regulation of pharmaceutical companies, and better regulation of costs at the hospital level? I don't know!
By no means do I think hospital charges are relivant when you are paying $30 for a box of tissues or for two ibuprofren (just examples here, not actual figures). I agree something needs to change.
The media comes along and says reform, reform, reform. That's all people hear. Well, I want to know what the reform is going to be, detail by detail. That's just who I am, I want details. Not just words being blabbered about.
Again, I was just stating my fears. If the government plan can calm my fears, great. Until then, they are and will be my fears.
As for Medicare and Medicaid, I know very little about it. I know they are health insurance options for low income and the elderly.
And, Reamus, blessed are the President, Congress, and other Federal empolyees past and present, for having insurance for life. I hope they realize how much that benefit is worth.
As for your analogy about a 55yr old w/ a sick 19 yr old child...I never said anyone should have to make a choice as to who gets care and who doesn't, or who is going to end up poor. I just said, I have a few fears. Fears of the unknown. Fears that there are people that aren't trying to better themselve and are solely relying on the government.
Yes we need to do something. That something includes not only health care reform in MANY ways, but also reform the mindset of many Americans - that our government owes us so many things. We need to step up and be accountable for ourselves sometimes too.
And while it might not seem like it to some I whole heartedly agree with this comment from Jeannelle---> " I don't know what the answer is. We have the probably the best health care facilities in the world....every American should have access them."
Thanks again for the great dicussion. I love it! The more I hear the more I think about the positive and negative that could come from this change.
Angela --> a central Iowan w/o a blog. :)
Angela,
Please, I do not disagree with you. I just want you to get the information so that you vcan be less fearful.
You keep implying that the government is going to take over health care. Thay are not. Google the Congressional Reasearch Service and health care and read what is in the House bill if you want to know what they are considering. I too agree with Farm Wife about everyone having access to the best care. That is my point.
Yes, I am blessed to have healthcare available as do all other federal employees. But we do pay for it.
Hi again, Angela, w/o a blog:
Thank you for continued explanation of your views, to help propel the discussion onward! I'll try not to use the term "reform" in this comment. Maybe "a positive change" would be better.
A government body (The Congress) is debating the health care issue, in the hopes of making changes in the system so it can better serve the citizens of this country. From that fact, some leap to the notion that government wants to "take over" health care.
Insurance and pharmaceutical companies have a strangle-hold on the health care process. Who has the power to loosen their hold? Obviously, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries are not going to do it themselves. Why would they want change? It would not be advantageous to their bottom line, which is PROFIT.
Enter the government, reportedly of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is trying to figure out a way to change health care so it serves us better.
Reamus offers good advice: Find the bill on the web and read it:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf
Find out if the fears you mentioned in your first comment are verified in the bill. The public ("government-controlled") health insurance is an OPTION---that means YOU decide whether you want to utilize it or not.
Funny thing.....we all think nothing of driving on the federal highway system. We expect the government to build and maintain the roads so we can get where we want to go. Do we consider that a "socialized" road system?? What would happen if roads were privately-owned?? Big road companies would charge fees for road use. Some drivers could afford it and some could not. Would any of us be in favor of such a system? Of course not! We consider roads a basic necessity and a right. I would say that describes health care, too.
Thanks again for your comments, Angela.
Jeannelle,
I love your analogy of the socialized road system...now that has me thinking!
So, the government health care insurance would be just that...insurance. Just like life insurance or car insurance or property insurance. All those are necessary, some are required by the bank, others are required by law. Some are more expensive than others. I realize it's not a equal comparison, but the government doesn't have insurance coverage for those things.
I guess I just don't want to see the government taking over the health care field, or any insurance plan. I didn't want them taking over the auto industry either. I just think the USA should be free market.
On the other hand, I don't mind government regulation. Regulate doctors, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, etc. They are the ones eating high on the hog here.
I am also very support of plans like Iowa has for kids, Hawk-I. Great plans for families to take out on their kids. I'm all for expanding upon them too.
I just don't want it to end up that the government is going to say what medical procedure are necessary and which ones aren't. I have a good friend in Canada, they don't have much bad to say about the government health plan they have. However, the dad did mention this...when they had their baby son in June of 2008, the government would not pay for the baby to be circumcised. That is considered a cosmetic surgery in Canada according to the government. They had to make an appt. for six months later, with one of the only TWO doctors in the whole city of Winnipeg (700,000 people), that would even do the procedure, and paid for the procedure out of pocket. While I don't want the government paying for boob jobs, I also wouldn't want scenarios like this playing out for other procedures.
I'm checking out the website that was mentioned. I'm reading and learning and thinking.
Just trying to be well informed...it's good for the mind, body and soul. :)
Thanks again!
Angela - central Iowan w/o a blog :)
Hi, Angela,
And, your comment has me thinking....
Going back to the federal highway system.....because using the roads is free, there is no need to even connect the word "insurance" with it. Getting from place to place is a necessity and we are able to utilize the roads whenever we need to. The government maintains them for our use (using tax money, of course). Health care is a necessity, too.....like a road is. We deem basic education a necessity, too, and the government is very involved with that, providing public schools to attend free of charge. At the same time, private schools do exist and are an option for those who don't care for public schools and can afford the private school tuition.
Not sure where I'm going with this. Am wondering perhaps if health care could be free like public schools are (Of course, our taxes would be paying for the health care) but, then scenarios like you describe might occur, with certain procedures not being offered. (Don't forget, we already have many services that are not covered by insurance, and must be paid for out-of-pocket. Speaking from experience.)
You realize the outcry that will sound forth from insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, etc., over being regulated. Probably that outcry is already happening via the disruptions of health care debate meetings. If the government would really take hold and crack down on big business in order to lower costs for all of us, I'd be all for it. But, it will cause much kicking and screaming from the big companies. We all better learn to recognize that kicking and screaming, instead of falling into line with it, and I know you will agree as you mentioned the importance of being well-informed!!
Thank you again for your thought-provoking comments, Angela the Central Iowan w/o a blog!
Farm Wife,
Well said and the anlogies are apt. Information is power. If you have enough you can make decisions and not ne fearful of them.
Thanks, and thanks to Angela too for making us all think logically about it.
I guess where I was going with the insurance comment was, it is the law that we have liability insurance on our vehicles. It will also be the law that every person has health insurance, if they don't, they will get a penalty. My comparison of sorts was, we don't have government auto insurance plans (that I know of). I wouldn't want the government to next jump on that ship and provide a plan for that too. I guess, what I'm saying is where is it going to stop?
As for procedures not being covered, I think the people are more accepting of an insurance company not covering something, b/c it's a private entity. I however, don't feel that they would be very accepting of the government saying something wasn't covered. I think there would be an outcry of people saying b/c they couldn't afford a private plan and had to be on the gov't plan they couldn't get xyz (fertility treatments, gastric bypass, inpatient drug abuse treatment, etc. just things that many plans don't cover) done, or whatever. That's simply my opinion.
I have read (horror stories, I'm sure) online about doctors that won't take Medicare b/c it doesn't pay well enough, or doesn't pay fast enough. Is anyone afraid that Doctors will just say we won't accept the gov't plan?
Also, our gov't is broke...plain and simple. How is this plan going to be paid for? Roads I believe are paid for by gasoline taxes. I'm not sure about schools, except I think some of our income and property taxes go to them. This health care plan is suppose to be deficit neutral. I haven't figured that one out yet. Can anyone put it in plain man's terms for me?
Thanks again! Great discussion!
Angela --> Central Iowan w/o a blog :)
Hi, Angela,
In the perfect society that I envision in my head....health care would exist, but health insurance would not. That scenario is a fantasy, however. I think I was sort of trying to say that with the highway analogy.
I think you and I need to continue our quest to be well-informed, with a balanced view of the issues, not tolerating being misled by distortions and untruths.
And, I think we should both write to our Congressmen. I have already written to Chuck Grassley. Here's the link to his email form:
Senator Grassley
And, here is the link to Tom Harkin's email form:
Senator Harkin
Or, attend one of the senators' town meetings.
Thank you for your well-thought-out comments! Come back anytime!
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