A Reply to a Comment on My Health Care Story

“Obamacare does say that it will lower the cost of insurance. I do not understand how that is possible, proponents keep saying it will be deficit neutral, but they never actually explain how.” If you get people into the doctor sooner, they can get their medical problems solved early when the solutions are cheaper. Expensive co-pays and deductibles can keep people from seeking medical attention until the situation is dire (like yours).

Sure, that's why we need reform. Obamacare won't help that problem.

“Obamacare solves the access problem by making it worse. It adds millions of new patients to a system that is already barely able to keep up with those who are already in it.” What you’re really saying is that you’d sacrifice the health of millions of other people as long as you don’t have to wait a bit longer for care. Think about that.

No, I'm saying that Obamacare doesn't help those millions. It will just make it worse for everyone.

“Not to mention the thousands of doctors who have said they will likely quit if the bill is passed.” There are maybe a handful of Republican shills who have said that, but thousands? Sources please. It makes no logical sense for doctors to give up their $200k/year jobs just because the government offers an insurance plan along with the private companies.

Yes, sources would be good. A survey that shows what doctors really think.

“Here’s how we solve the access problem. More doctors. The government should make it easier, and more lucrative to become a medical professional.” First off, being a doctor IS lucrative, and aside from the government giving them money, how would you propose they make it more so? And second, how does having more doctors, who are getting paid more, somehow make healthcare more accessible to people who have little money? It doesn’t make sense.

Is it? You get hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans and spend years of your life learning to be a doctor, then you have to pay off all those loans. Plus, doctors spend a ton of time at work. It's an extremely stressful job, especially when you have someones life in your hands. In the end you may get a nice 6 figure income, but you also work really really hard for it. Oh, and the more doctors you have, the more competition you have, thus prices go down, thus more people are able to afford better health care.

“First off, I’m a free American, forcing me to spend money on insurance when I don’t want to is wrong. It is the Government totally overstepping it’s bounds.” Nonsense. You’re forced to pay taxes, which buys roads, schools, police, fire departments, military, etc.

Yeah, and most of those are services that the Government should be providing us for the security of our country. I can't keep track of every mile of road I travel on to pay the correct state and county however much would be fair for the wear and tear I put on the road. Thus, the government pays for it with my tax money. It's a similar story for most of the other things you mentioned. Health care is totally different. I can keep track of how healthy I am and how much I need to spend on myself to keep healthy. I chose who I pay to help keep healthy. There's nothing in health care that requires the government to intervene in order to pay or provide for my health care. Also, what kind of health care I buy for myself only effects me. It doesn't effect others. I have heard people compare it to auto insurance. I don't have to pay auto insurance, I can just not drive. The only way to avoid mandated health insurance would be to kill myself. Where's the American freedom in that?! That sounds more like something from a dictatorship to me.

“The way to solve the cost problem is relatively simple. Increase competition.” There’s already a good amount of competition. The barrier we’re running into is that cheaper, quality insurances doesn’t make money for insurance companies.

Really? Where's the competition? Cheaper, quality insurance would make a profit if reform actually addressed the underlying problems that cause the high cost of health care. Obamacare doesn't do that. Oh, and I personally don't like insurance in general. I think the whole concept is flawed and that there are better ways to pay for health care.

“Break the insurance industry away from being connected to employment. Allow insurance companies across state lines.” How does that help?

Competition = lower costs/more options/etc.

“Cut down the amount of time doctors have to spend doing paperwork.” What paperwork should they not do? I’ve seen the stuff that my doctor keeps track of, and it all seems pretty important…you know, like patient info, insurance info, etc. If the paperwork isn’t important, why would they be doing it? I don’t think it’s as simple as you think.

Pointless government paperwork is what I am mainly thinking of. People would need to look at all the paperwork doctors do, and then see if any of it can be eliminated. Oh, and I think there is some paperwork done that patients don't see. So, that's just an idea that should be looked into.

“Stop frivolous medical lawsuits.” Whether or not a case is frivolous is up to the courts to decide on a case-by-case basis, not the legislature. I think what you mean is to cap damages that can be awarded in malpractice suits.

But congress could tell the judges to punish lawyers and their clients that waste the time of the courts with said lawsuits, and award the doctor who is being sued money for time wasted. Or something like that, again, it's just an idea that should be looked into.

“Help the manufacturers of medical equipment lower their prices with tax cuts.” Which costs us more money for no reason.

How would it cost us more money? All it would to is make it so that those companies pay fewer taxes... That would only effect the Government. I don't see your logic.

“More doctors.” Sounds good, but pretty much anything that the government does toward that end is going to cost more tax money, which I thought was something you opposed.

Maybe. There probably are some things that they could do that wouldn't cost more money. And I would rather they spend money on more doctors rather than spend a trillion dollars on a horrid piece of legislation like Obamacare.

Submitted by david.reagan on