President Barack Obama today in his weekly address -- underscored the urgency of acting now -- to accomplish real, sweeping and fundamental reform of health care delivery in America:
. . . ."This is what the debate in Congress is all about. . . . Whether we'll keep talking and tinkering and letting this problem fester as more families and businesses go under and more Americans lose their coverage -- or whether we'll seize this opportunity, one we might not have again for generations, and finally pass health care reform this year. . . ."
4 comments:
Our boyfriend Barak's comments are certainly inspiring. There is something wrong with the picture however. 77% of the population are happy with their medical care. I for one am not convinced that the entire system is broken. Instead of focusing solely on physicians, hospitals and pharma and we need to expose insurance company and pharmacy practices as well. Speed in passing a bill does not insure it to be a good bill. Will anyone stand up and point out that we do not have the money to fund everything for everybody? "Seize the moment" for whom?
I agree with you, but interestingly enough, the above address by the President is focused specifically on reforming health care insurance practices.
In addition, I think some pharmacy practices -- like discouraging generic use, or charging three times as much for diabetic-monitoring kits in impoverished, urban areas (because the poor have few alternatives), etc. -- all need to be addressed as well.
I do think the bill will slip past August -- and I do think we ought to realize we are talking about rationing -- so we ought to make the rationing decisions, consciously. And in the open.
Do stop back!
Namaste
See page 16 of HB 3200. I am no fan of insurance companies, do not get me wrong but this part of the bill surely will drive them out of business as it makes illegal the writing of new policies. I do not trust the expertise of that same government who seems to be failing with the stimulus plan to also ration my health care.
Two notes -- One: apparently, at the moment, the House version is less likely than the Senate version to see most of its provisions passed. It is too early to tell. So, we shall see.
Two -- I think any prediciton of the death of the health insurance industry is rather "Chicken-Little"-esque. I do think, at the moment, the insurance lobby is offering to "kick-in" the least, to solve the health care problem, so it is natural that the sharp end of the stick would be pointed at insurance, at the moment.
President Obama's speech, again, just last night, made repeated reference to insurance practices "needing reform".
There's a lesson there.
Just as there's a lesson in the wisdom of PhRMA, jumping in first, and offering the $80 billion doughnut-hole filler. It took pharma (mostly) out from under the microscope.
But Chairman Waxman still expects more from pharma (and that's part of the House version's process, BTW) -- so we shall see.
Thanks for your thoughts! Do stop back.
Namaste
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