Care vs. insurance

The Star’s editorial “Access for all to affordable health care” (7/12, Opinion) says, “All Americans must have affordable health insurance.”

The problem is access to health care. Why not substitute “care” for “insurance?” Insurance companies are the problem for middle-class Americans. We pay thousands of dollars a year per person for insurance, and then when we need health care, we still have to come up with thousands of dollars to pay what insurance companies won’t pay. They often deny coverage or cut off the policyholder after a claim.

Why can’t a nation as great as the U.S. have a single-payer system like Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany or France? If that’s socialism, so is public education, our highway system, our police and fire departments, the military and all institutions we pay taxes for so we can utilize the services when needed.

  Why is health care the only system designed to make huge profits for big companies instead of providing for the people, as a government should do with taxpayer money? 

Your editorial says we should give more money to Big Insurance. Change “insurance” to “health care” and you will be an advocate for the people, not for Big Insurance.

Bill Pryor
Overland Park

Comments

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

Jazz I agree, what about those that are also legal and coast in comfortable "poverty"?

[gcomeau]

P.S. And chalveyob... please don't tell me you are living in such a daze that you are under the impression the US system DOESN'T ration care?

What the heck do you think is happening when tens of millions of people are left with either no or totally inadequate health insurance? You're rationing care by cost. There's only so much to go around, so only people with sufficiently large bank balances get to ride the ride.

And what do you think is happening every day when insurance company accountants are telling doctors whether or not they're allowed to perform a procedure or prescribe a treatment?

Care is rationed in ALL systems because nobody has unlimited medical resources. The only difference between the US and Canada in this regard is that the Canadians ration based on medical urgency with the doctors in charge of the decision making, while in the US care is rationed largely based on the size of the patient's bank balance and how successful the insurance agency is at getting their lawyers to wriggle them out of having to pay for things.

[gcomeau]

The level of ignorance being displayed in these comments is staggering.

Kee: That Canadians flock across the border to the U.S. for medical care is a *myth*. the last time anyone actually bothered to study it because the U.S. insurance industry was spreading the story to anyone who would listen they surveyed 18,000 Canadians.

A whopping 90 of them had received care in the U.S. in the last year. That's 0.5%. And almost ALL of those just happened to be travelling in the States when they got sick/injured and needed to go to a hospital... which their scary awful Canadian health care system proceeded to reimburse them for. The very very tiny fraction of a percent left who actually travelled to the US for the purpose of medical care are usualy made up of idiots like Shora Holmes, who has been all over the news lately telling everyone she had to go to the Mayo clinic to get her deadly life threatening brain tumor removed because the doctors in Canada were going to make her wai for surgery and OMG she was going to die!!!!

Her "deadly life threatening brain tumor"? It was a Rathke's cleft cyst. She could have easily waited to have it removed. But she panicked, refused to listen to her doctors who told her she was a lower urgency than other people (that is how wait list placement is determined in Canada btw, the DOCTORS do it), and spent $18,000 dollars she didn't have to because she panicked. But all youhear in the Us is "Oh My God!!! The Canadian system was going to make some poor woman wait and wait to have her brain tumor removed and she was gonna die!!!"

Either that, or you're dealing with rich impatient people for whom the concept of waiting your turn is simply unacceptable and who don't mind blowing their money to jump the line over the border.

And NoMoreMrNiceGuy. Really? Does everyone know single payer systems blow chunks? Is that why Canada is able to cover their entire population, for less money than the US spends only covering a fraction of theirs, and still produces equal or superior health outcomes? Is that why the US health care system was ranked 37th in the world... behind EVERY other industrialized western nation who uses a form of universal health coverage? while they spent about 50% MORE money than any of those other nations just to get that amazing 37th ranking? Is that why EVERYONE KNOWS single payer system are horrible?

[Kee]

Kate here is another great column on Shifty.
http://wmsa.net/news/MiscNewsSources/swva_091207_shifty_powers_dies.htm

Class act all the way, he will be missed

[Kee]

Gosh Bill if we go to the single-payer system where will all those citizens of Canada go for their health care?

[Jazz-Man]

I want someone else to pay for mine but not just anyone, I want the illegal that sells drugs and has a bigger house than mine in someone else’s name to pay mine. It’s time they start doing something for a change. I know people who have been in the country for 20 years and have yet to pay taxes, get free healthcare at Truman and all they do is sit back and hope the drugs they ordered make to KC on time.

[pontesisto]

If you would like to help pressure Congress to pass single payer health care please join our voting bloc at:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

Because single payer systems blow chunks and that is a fact. basically those us of that ALREADY pay for those that choose not to, end up paying even more and receive less. Typical socialism. Indeed, let's limit what those in the medical profession can earn but exclude bottomfeeding ambulance chasers that make the laws for their benefit.

[GCYL]

“That has nothing to do with a socialistic socialistic effort such as Medicare, Social Security or V.A. Hospitals.” – Me

There’s a theory behind proof reading reading but I can’t remember what it is.

[GCYL]

“If that’s socialism, so is public education, our highway system, our police and fire departments, the military and all institutions we pay taxes for so we can utilize the services when needed.” – Public Education

The fallacy of that statement has been thoroughly debunked Billy. Every form of government maintains various forms of infrastructure to increase its tax base and sustain their country. That has nothing to do with a socialistic socialistic effort such as Medicare, Social Security or V.A. Hospitals. Speaking of which, please explain to us Billy how these true examples of our socialistic efforts cry out “Yes We Can!”.

By all means build a better mousetrap but do it with out your mandatory need for me, my family, my employer and more of my tax money. Can you do that Billy?

[chalveyob]

Very possibly the dumbest letter I have ever seen. You are proof that public education is a complete failure! Socialism implies the governmant taking over private industry, last time I checked there aren't any private highway builders, or armies, or police forces, or fire departments. Just admit, you want someone esle to pay for your health insurance! The only other option is that you are stupid enough to think the government can do it better! The countries you mentioned with single payer systems are all having to ration healthcare because they can't keep up with the costs. You can have a failed government system, I will keep my private insurance, and I won't be paying for yours!