Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Nationalized Health Care, Pt2 -- Not Democrats

This is the continuation from the previous article, Part 1 of the same name. In the case of private health insurance providers, though, they still have to incur high administrative costs and expensive marketing rates. As much as 25% must be recovered in the cost of their health insurance premiums. These won’t go away and will, ultimately, be passed onto the employers and their workers. The continual rise of healthcare costs will also take their toll. As far as the current health care system, composed of doctors, hospitals and the large networks, the Democrats have no intention of setting service rates nor forcing then into government service. A system would be set up where medical providers will still set their own rates. Then the doctors and hospitals will negotiate with the health insurance companies over charges, much as they do now. The Democrats would, however, expand on current government systems, such as Medicare and Medicaid. With more then 85 million enrollees, these do carry a lot of weight. There are numerous complaints by medical providers who insist that they are underpaid and overburdened with regulations.

Last, but not least, concerns the topic of the 47 million Americans who now have no health insurance coverage. This is the “meat and potatoes” of an effort resolve this very shameful situation that our nation is in. It’s fairly easy to take cheap shots at radically new ideas that are not well understood. It’s often easier to suggest a band-aid and then offer excuses later, when it doesn’t deliver. What the Democrats promote is “a new public, government-sponsored [health] insurance plan open to everyone under 65” as the Tribune words it. The current government means, Medicaid and Medicare only cover some of the very poor, some of the severely disabled and the elderly. This is woefully lacking for a country as rich as ours. So the goal is to help tens of millions of mid- to low-income Americans who can’t get coverage in our current health care system due to pre-existing medical conditions, poverty and a host of other justifiable reasons. This could turn out to be one of the biggest boons for the wellbeing of our nation ever resulting from an election campaign.