Great Video About "Public Option" Healthcare

This is a great video that illustrates why a government run 'public option' is not really about competition. It seems the healthcare bills publicized recently are more about giving more control to our Federal Government and less about real solutions.

This is How I Feel

It seems odd that the Dems and Obama are trying to go ahead with a public option to healthcare reform when all of the evidence points to the fact that it will simply increase costs and decrease quality for everyone. Of course, Obama could always just disagree with the guy who happens to have a PhD. in economics. I mean, if the dictionary is wrong, who's right?

I still say that expanding healthcare coverage and reducing costs are competing goals that cannot be achieved at the same time.

Great Rebuttal of Flawed Logic

This video is amazing! It takes an argument started by a "Progressive" and totally destroys it. Amazing!

A Voice of Reason in the Health Care Debate

Doctor Vance Harris, quoted at CNN, brings up some very valid points about some of the issues with health care reform. The doctor points out the increasing difficulty of finding primary care physicians for the current crop of patients, a problem that would only be exacerbated by flooding doctor's offices with more individuals.

Dr. Harris points out that his real icome has gone down, even as his office saves hundreds of thousands of dollars by suggesting treatments other than the most invasive techniques. His educational contributions help patients monitor their own condition and curb the need for expensive treatments.

His point is that, in the healthcare reform debate, "No one is talking about [the growing lack of primary care physicians] on the national level." Instead, we have people yelling it's their 'right' to have high quality health care. High quality healthcare is kind of hard when there is expected to be a 39,000 primary care physician shortage by 2020.

This is What I'm Afraid Of!

One reason healthcare in the US is expensive is because America (and American companies) generate almost HALF of all medical innovations in the world. This includes new, life saving procedures as well as new prescription medications. Now, if Health Insurance Reform passes, with some sort of public option to "increase competition," where does that leave innovation?

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was afraid of.

Relevant Healthcare Numbers

This article from Hot Air lists some pretty good numbers to keep in mind as we discuss and debate the possibility of "Universal Healthcare."

Some highlights that caught my attention involved the "Health Care Ranking" for the U.S. by the World Health Organization. What was relevant was his statement that "no U.S. citizens travel" to higher ranked countries when they have a life-threatening illness. Especially check out the link on how the ranking system works.

Also of importance is the information on how our current government-run health systems are working out right now. Massive fraud, extremely high costs and no real funding. And they want to expand this? Incredible.

Check out all of the links to see the source for the numbers. A well researched, well put together article.

The Health Care Bill is not About Choice

The following video is a great summation of why the healthcare discussion currently in Congress is so important. Remember, any 'public option' healthcare program will have "changed [our nation] in damaging ways."



It is obvious the Obama administration is interested in a full single payer system. One thing to keep in mind is that any plan with a public option will not increase choice, but decrease it. It will do this by squeezing out the small companies first, as Democratic Representative Schakowsky from Illinois pointed out.

SO, can the president please explain how attacking smaller businesses and forcing them to close (with a large number of lost jobs) will "help increase competition" in the healthcare insurance market? It won't. Further, he knows it won't. He knows the "public option" plan is just a step towards fully socialized healthcare.

Call your Senators or Representatives and tell them to vote against a "public option" in healthcare.

Hat Tip - Hot Air

A Good Review of Why We Don't Need Government Run Health Care

Reading this Wall Street Journal article about government run health care is a quick review of why our private system is a better alternative. The author gives five reasons a government run health insurance system is a bad idea.

Of course, one strong arguement for individuals who believe in freedom is kept in the introduction. "If Democrats enact a public-option health-insurance program, America is on the way to becoming a European-style welfare state." This thought disturbs me, since America has an incredible system now. Swapping it out for watered down 'freedom' is not my idea of progress.

The author's final warning should be reason enough for all of us to call our Senators and Representatives to block government run healthcare, "Defeating the public option should be a top priority for the GOP this year. Otherwise, our nation will be changed in damaging ways almost impossible to reverse."

Hat Tip - Hot Air

Reasons We Don't Need Universal Healthcare

Universal Health Care seems to be in vogue again, even though the Democrats tried this before and it failed to pass. Part of this may be because the President Elect stated health care was a "right" of all Americans. However, I have to disagree with the constitutional scholar. No where in the Bill of Rights or Constitution do the Founding Fathers indicate that access to the best medical treatment without regard to cost is a fundamental right of all Americans.

In Mr. Obama's argument, he even qualifies the right because we live in a "rich" nation. How does he think we got rich? It's because we had free enterprise and freedom of choice.

There are three major problems with any Universal Healthcare System we may implement. It would increase overall healthcare costs, it would degrade the quality of service, and it would take away our freedom and limit choice.

Contrary to popular belief, a government run health care system would not be any less expensive than our current private payer insurance system. When the need for a universal healthcare system is put forth, usually there is an anecdote of someones mother or grandmother having a hard time paying for something. However, anecdotal evidence does not mean the conditions are universal.

Instead of having privately run institutions with limited boards, we would instead have to develop a large bueracracy at the Federal, state and local level to manage our hospitals and clinics. The higher taxes needed to fund this additional bueracracy would come from our taxes, which are already stretched to pay for current government projects. With both the out-of-pocket expenses we would have to pay and the higher taxes needed to fund the the bueracracy, the American public would indeed end up paying more.

Another consequence of moving to a universal healthcare system would be a degradation in service. Other countries with universal healthcare have slow ambulance response times and long waiting periods for treatment. Now why would we degrade a life saving system just to save a portion of the US population a little money?

Finally, have the Federal Government involved in making decisions about our healthcare and lifestyle will take away choices from Americans. According to 2006 numbers (some of the most recent), 38% of America's uninsured population earn $50,000 or more. That's almost 18 million people who have decided, on their own, that they want to spend their money elsewhere. How can the Federal Government suddenly decide that these people can't make that choice for themselves any longer?

Taken to it's absurd limit, the American public would lose lifestyle choices because of perceived problems from some lifestyles. This means that, even though McDonalds may still offer french fries, you may not be able to eat them. Of course, managing these 'waistline cops' would simply add to the cost of the healthcare budget.

All three of these problems relate to the fact that, in the United States, government was not meant to take the place of businesses. Government should have a limited role in our daily lives.

Hat Tip to Carpe Diem for the uninsured statistics.