With the skyrocketing health-care costs many Americans fear rising insurance premiums, having their medical procedures denied or loosing their health-care coverage through bankruptcy, job loss, medical injury, roll purging or recission. Recission is when a person, who took out a policy in good faith, is refused treatment as the insurance company claims they were not told about their being treated for a minor ailment. Three insurance company executives were recently asked by members of Congress if they would commit to not canceling policies for sick enrollees unless there was intentional fraud. All three said they could not. They believe the Wall Street share holders would stop investing if their for-profit insurance companies did not deny enough claims, drop enough sick people or jack up enough small business premiums with high claims. Aetna Insurance Company's stock went up when they shed eight million policy holders.
With 45.7 million uninsured, America has more uninsured people than the entire population of Canada.
Although three quarters of Americans polled support a public health-care option, the industry is spending more than 1.4 million dollars a day to block it.
The health care industry does not want competition especially from a more efficiently government plan. The expenses of the government-run Medicare Program is around three percent, the health care industry's profit is around twenty percent.
The health-care industry claims a public option would put a government bureaucrat between a patient and their doctor but places an insurance company's CEO between the doctor and their patient. Managed care horror stories abound.
Many uninsured and under-insured Americans wait hours in long lines at emergency rooms and in tents and animal stalls at health-care expeditions at fairgrounds for care. The medical care of the uninsured is payed by tax payers.
There's nothing wrong with companies making a profit. However, it's wrong when the health care industry creates more uninsured and under-insured people.
Health care reform that includes a quality, affordable public plan would level the playing field and keep the for-profit companies more honest. To compete with the Medicare Program they would have to operate more efficiently.
America spends more than anyone on health-care yet ranks 37th in the world. We lag behind to protect the for-profit health care industry. To boost the U.S. economy remove the burden of health-care from businesses, the record profit margins from insurance companies and the tens of millions of dollars spent on lobbying by the health-care industry.
The question of quality, affordable health-care in America is one of human rights and morality.
