American Steps to Change
1. If you know someone that is struggling in a marriage reach out to them and listen to them on what brought their marriage down and be a sounding board for them to help them put things back together.
2. If you are married and someone’s marriage is falling apart go to dinner with the couple and see if you can help them find love again or attend a marriage counselor with the friend purely to help them understand their lives.
3. If someone does separate or get divorced and they are a single parent reach out to the kids so they can know you care and also be there to listen to them of what fears they may themselves have.
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Chapter 8
Healthcare Reform in America
“Your attitude determines your altitude. Our attitude effects our progress”-Victoria
Osteen
These days in 2010, you cannot turn on the television or turn on your computer, without hearing about healthcare reform in this country. The reason is, is because America has realized that in the next 20 years, we could bankrupt our country with the cost of healthcare or medicare because of the health of society. The problem is that people are living a lot longer than we had ever thought and without this projected years ago, it is costing the government more than it can afford. Our medicine and hospitals in this country are great and with our advances people are going to live longer. That is a good thing but also going to cost our country a lot of money as people age. Just a fact of life! News outlets are obsessed with reporting on it because it could change a system we are so accustomed to. I am more than familiar with this subject because of being a employe benefits consultant, helping companies find the best employee benefits at a good cost, and this is thrust in front of me everyday.
Many days I wonder about how broken our system really is, and if my career will still be around a year from now. President Obama has made it his number 1 objective to change the way healthcare is administered in this country but this is something that is not receiving bipartisan support. The reason being is that if Universal Healthcare ever comes to be my services will not be as needed because the government plan will be controlled more by our government, with the public option. The fact is 9 out of 10 Americans do realize that our current healthcare system is broken or outdated. It is the authors belief that indeed it is broken, but it is also my desire not to see a complete overhaul of the system. Changes do need to be made but a complete overhaul of our healthcare system would cost entirely to much money that our government seemingly cannot afford right now.
The system needs to be manipulated because as many numbers have shown as many as 40 million Americans have no healthcare in the United States. A lot of that is because poverty has really grown in the country and also because many cannot afford healthcare anymore. Some can afford the healthcare also but choose not to take it to give themselves some more disposal income for their own use. A nation of sick and unhealthy people will never be a strong nation. The biggest problem in our country is that for a very long time people’s incomes have not held up near the same as the inflation of healthcare and benefits. If you go out and look for a job some of the salaries offered to you are like salaries offered almost 10 years ago. The trend of the rising cost of healthcare is this country ranges from about 17-24% yearly and people just cannot afford that burden of cost any longer.
Every year in this country people are either losing their jobs or going another year with no raise from the previous years in income. Or I see in many Insurance jobs large companies want someone to take a job that is 100% commission. That means if you take such a position it will take time to grow your book of business and you will not have the means to afford health care benefits. The problem is that health insurance trends are rising at a level that many have to decide if they want healthcare benefits or put gas in their cars and eat. I think it is safe to say which direction a lot of people will go towards.
It is not difficult to do the math here. You add a 15% hit to one’s take home income a lot of years sooner or later many will not be able to have healthcare any longer. The hard cold fact is that if you are the 10% of Americans that make over $100,000 a year you can probably get by paying more money for healthcare like you had the year before. But what about the other 90% of the middle class, or poverty stricken Americans and their healthcare budgets? I see this countless times as I go into companies and many say I will go without healthcare this year because they cannot afford it. Many people would love to have benefits but with the cost in our hospitals rising and the cost of care it has become where people cannot afford it. I understand wholehearted why the President wants to bring about change but the matter at hand is who will pay for it.
The issue is that we are a capitalist country and a great democracy. That is a good thing but unfortunately we have many people that want to make a lot more money than they should be making. Democracy is good but with that comes situations where companies and some individuals get full of greed and want to make incomes that are very high. I watched a recent program on television called Inside America and the commentator stated that some of our larger insurance carriers made billions in profits last year. This can be a good thing in a capitalist society, but a bad thing if many people that are ill cannot get medical coverage in the US. A person that is a CEO or President of a company deserves to make a nice income but if profits are high at many companies then a decrease in premiums should be something they can do for the industry they are in. Insurance carriers that popped up in the 1940’s and 50’s were established at first to allow Americans to get medical care when they needed it no matter their health. Now many companies really only want to cover many of the healthy people so their profits can rise and the sick are literally left out in the cold.
If you are lucky enough to work and be on a company plan a lot of times you can get great health insurance. But if you try and get on some medical insurance’s and you need an individual plan your health better be almost perfect these days, because you can be denied. Just this morning on Good Morning America there was a story about a child out in Colorado who was denied getting on an individual plan with her parents because the company deemed her under a good weight. The child went through a battery of test and is healthy but because she was underweight companies did not want to cover her. They felt because of her being underweight ill could come her way in the near future. The fact is that anyone of us can get ill on any given day.
The child had a medical condition that was not serious but caused her to be under the right weight for her age and her size. She was denied and it left her parents wondering if she would be able to get health insurance. We are a wealthy nation and a great nation and we might need some healthcare reform so a baby like her can be protected. If you own your own business or need individual coverage you may have to pray really hard these days. Many people today, are owning their own small businesses and will need individual care but companies look at anyone with any kind of a condition based on the amount of premiums they are collecting on an individual. That means if you have depression or high cholesterol it can be very difficult in your area to get some carrier to cover you.
The problem is our system is that there are many entities that want to make money and ill people do not fall into that equation. Once again it gets back to morality and doing things the right way so we can all live better lives. There are some insurance carriers unfortunately that are putting the companies goals and revenues way before the health of people. That is no true of every insurance company in this country by any means but there are companies and I have seen it that are more looking at the dollars to be made then the proper care of people.
I myself have fallen victim to this when I applied recently for health care insurance. I work out 3-4 times a week and take Omega 3 and great vitamins everyday and am really healthy. I have never touched a drug and do not drink alcohol a lot because my health is extremely important to me. But an insurance company said because I took one kind of a medicine they would not offer me the plan I wanted. I am not going to cost an insurance company a lot of money after they collect my premiums, but they denied me from my plan I wanted anyway. I got rejected from coverage for a generic medication that I take because of fear something could happen to me in the future. So I have seen this first hand and that is why I completely agree that there are some reforms that must take place with healthcare.
Many carriers that offer group and individual policies need to get better and put people’s healthcare before making the green backs. Particularly the carriers that were mentioned before that are making the billions in profits. Much of this profit could still have gone to save some peoples lives and that is what they are there for. Many people genetically cannot help when they are born that they inherit some bad medical conditions. But when things come up then these people in this great country are at the end of the road and sometimes without care. If you do not have insurance and something comes up like an operation or therapy some will not have it done in our country because if they do they will have to pay for the services they no longer can afford.
President Obama is reaching out for change in the healthcare system and is getting a lot of resistance because it is change to our country. Some other Presidents in the past have tried the same thing but it has not worked to get laws passed. The fact is that there are fundamental changes that truly need to occur. A complete overhaul of the system, I believe would not benefit this country in anyway because we cannot afford it at this time. We are more in debt as a country then we have ever been and a complete overhaul will cost way too much in my own opinion to our taxes and some feel monies could be taking away from medicare, when we really have an aging society. .
Several years ago our government enacted a law that allowed for the aggressive payment of prescription drugs for Medicare with the seniors. Many believe that the United States with the society ever so much older, will not have the monies to pay for this commitment.
In my lifetime some of the healthcare reform has to happen so that no matter who you are you can have affordable healthcare in the United States. If we do not cover many more Americans then many will enter and clog up our Emergency rooms and doctor offices with no means to pay for things. Then the people that do have insurance will be the ones that have to pay for this indirectly.
Luckily for me my wife and I, we have jobs so we can stay on our medical coverage, but many are not so lucky. I can stay on my plan but I am expected to pay out $700 a month for coverage with a high deductible. So when I am in meetings with my clients I feel their pain because I have pains of my own. I am in no favor of a complete overhaul of our healthcare system or a Universal Healthcare plan and have never been. But I am in favor of developing a mean where people either through healthcare plans or a partial government plan where all can at least buy into an insurance plan no matter their health. If we do not do this we will truly have a society of many ill people will no means to help anyone of them. That is not a good thing.
But I do fall in the category of the other 90% that think some changes need to be addressed in our system. Here in the US, we have some of the better world doctors and many superb hospital systems that do things the right way. We also have the finances to have the best healthcare system, but unfortunately there are many American citizens that are not being helped with illnesses. If Americans are not on some brand of insurance and an illness creeps into their lives and they get something done they cannot afford they will be labored with bills. If they have to pay these off they will lose homes and their livelihoods and many of these people have families.
One of our powerful Presidents Thomas Jefferson said in our own Declaration of Independence , “ that all men are created equal”. That is a correct statement that we are all equals but if one has a little more money than the other they are in many cases treated differently. Since they were blessed to have money they will be able to get the best care while others do not. It is my opinion that because about a quarter of healthcare goes to administrative and technology costs, we must find ways to better streamline this. Our President is looking into this to better do these administrative things at a better cost to lessen hopefully the cost of care for many Americans.
Also just like Medicare, the government would benefit on offering a plan for individuals that are ill and or are an individual that cannot buy insurance. I am not saying that anyone should just assume the government will pay for all services but help out with some of it. Put it at a competitive price but still allow for a comprehensive plan that will allow for the sick to not get even more ill. If people have insurance instead of waiting they can be check by a doctor and so many diseases can be reversed if at the early stage of it. We may have to take baby steps and start to offer healthcare options that cover some things but not always everything. That way the cost of these kinds of insurances might be affordable to get more people on insurance. Then if a procedure does come up then it could be one they have to pay for but at least many of the procedures they once could not get they would be able to get now. You do this and Emergency rooms and doctors office would not be inundated with so many people with no healthcare.
On the subject of Emergency rooms if I had a dime for every time a young person said to me in meetings, “I do not need to purchase health care because if I show up in an ER room ill they have to treat me.” I could be a millionaire and probably not have to work. Laws need to be passed not making it so easy for people who have money but chose not to worry about healthcare till they need it. Many people who can afford healthcare in this country just choose not to buy it because they feel they should not have to pay for something they may not use. But then when they blow their knee out many will show up at the Emergency room and ask for care. If this does not happen then people like you and I that have insurance, have to pay higher premiums that are cutting into our own incomes greatly.
Lastly preexisting conditions are asked of me almost everyday in my line of work. People are always asking me if they will be left out to dry if they have some kind of a medical condition and it scares so many people. In most states if someone has a group policy a lot of the carriers will cover a preexisting condition, but can raise the price if they are a medical underwriting state. Meaning that carriers take a look at the overall health of a group, and then establish the cost of the premiums for the whole group. Some private care companies that have done a lot of good things need to make some changes in healthcare and do it right. Preexisting conditions is something that does have some bipartisan support of Republicans and Democrats alike that changes need to be made on how preexisting conditions are handled.
People also fear that Medicare could be gravely affected with the implementation of Universal Healthcare in America. There are seniors who have paid into medicare their whole lives who are fearful that some services could be cut back to help finance a Universal Healthcare option. That would not be fair to them after they paid into a system all their working years. Some business owners of companies that hire people feel they will be taxed help pay off some of the formation of this law as well. We are going to have to find a happy medium with healthcare reform in this country because it is broken. Broken in someway but also one most also realize again all the lives that good healthcare plans have done to save lives.
For instance my father was allowed on Medicare early because of a terminal illness he had with a liver transplant and cancer. He was able to get the transplant that at that time cost over $300,000 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. A gentleman died in Michigan in a motorcycle accident and the liver was taken from him and frozen and was flown by concord jet to New York, where it was in my father in less than two hours. My father’s life was saved and he just pay a minimal deductible and without healthcare insurance thru the government his life would have been over. At no time did any carrier or person jump in and say they would pay for the liver transplant or for a lot of his anti-rejection medications. Some of these medications were $900 for a single 30-day prescription. My father’s story is just one of the millions in this country that had super outcomes. After all, that is what insurance is; the spread of risk amongst a mass of payers. The amount of lives that have been saved in this country by great insurance is a number I do not know but probably in the millions. So insurance is a great thing but we need to find a way for many more people to have it in this country.
What President Obama is looking for with what people call “Obama Care” is this Universal Healthcare, where all can get healthcare at somewhat of an affordable price. Obama has set an objective in this four year term that healthcare will be the Number 1 thing he tackles. It is his belief that he will get this done but some are so worried that a complete overhaul could hurt the country because of the cost. He believes that if something is not done that it will cripple the government and families with premiums and costs nobody can afford. Our system has worked in many ways to give people great livings to many doctors, surgeons and nurses but we are at a time that some changes need to be made. I think many are in agreement with that.
This has been a very controversial subject and will be going into 2010 as Democrats and Republicans alike have such a different vision for the right healthcare reform. The Democrats say with Universal Healthcare cost will get better and all should be able to get insurance at a better price. They strongly want to have free competition against the private Insurance companies in this country. Many Democrats and some Republicans love the idea of there being a day when people can even go over state lines and buy insurance in different states. Sounds like a great idea but how this would be done with provider networks that make up a plan in Texas having then a network in Maryland, I am not sure how that would work. Some support this because maybe people could pick up insurance offered by another state at a better cost than their state and it could make things more competitive.
The Republicans are saying that the system with preexisting conditions and other things is indeed broken and want some changes to the current system. But they think someone has to pay for Universal healthcare because nothing is free and they think it would be the populace of the country that will pay this. Some of the Republicans are also in favor of allowing people to cross state lines and buy insurance from carriers of other states for competition. So it is this authors belief in the next two to three years we will see some substantial changes in the way healthcare if rendered in this country but to what degree I do not know.
President Obama wants to set up an open market place (public option) to do a one stop shop to buy insurance and have people buy insurance right thru the government. The private insurance companies feel that the government will cut them out with the lower cost to the premiums. Private Insurance companies fear that then much of the population go to the government plans to save money. People though are frightened that if the government does get involved that it will want to manage the healthcare system and then may eventually raise the premiums. Plus many question how would the service be to people if it was managed by the government and how would such plans be underwritten to stay at a good costs?
The President wants Americans to understand that the government will be under the same regulations as private insurance companies. The problem for many Americans is that once again we have no idea who we can totally trust is really looking after us. The President wants to expand the choices for people in the United States to get coverage at a lower cost. He is fully aware that too many Americans today have to make the decision daily to pay for healthcare or put food on the table for their families. So I do commend him for taking on this tough subject but it will be interesting on what is done and what will not be able to be done because of the cost to Americans.
Many believe that with the 177 million Americans on Private Healthcare plans that about 2/3 of them would eventually shift their coverage to the public option because of cost. The government feels they could do that because of less administrative costs that burden many private insurance carriers. Once again we as consumers are so confused on who is giving us the correct information. No matter what side you believe or trust the system is hemorrhaging and needs some restructuring from its current state.
President Obama and the government are saying that changes needs to be done immediately because Americans cannot afford the cost of care and neither can the government. This could be an issue that needs something done and could be one of the biggest things that could crush or build up our country. Brilliant minds need to come together on this matter and make sure that right decisions are made because if handled wrong it could burden this country cost wise for many years. The other issue I have not heard addressed is the amount of Insurance and Benefits Consultants workers like my self, that could lose my job with changes.
After all, if as much as 2/3 of Americans would go to the public option our services may not be needed as much. So now you have a mess of thousands and maybe millions now unemployed with their hands reaching out for unemployment. Also many of these people have been in insurance most of their lives and might have to get into new industries that they are not familiar with. We are going to have to tread lightly because anyway you look at it, it appears that someone and their families are going to lose out big time.
Some people may not know the origins of Healthcare in the United States that started back in the late 1920’s and 30’s.
Insurance became such a valuable thing as industry grew in this country and people needed insurance when they got ill. The country became sophisticated enough to start to charge mon