Letters from Linden
by JACK LINDEN
The Supreme Court began hearings on the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act last week. Some 26 states have filed suit with the court in their attempt to overturn the law. Incidentally, all of those states are controlled by Republicans.
The Republicans have been using scare tactics since the bill was before the House of Representatives and the Senate. Once the bill became law, the legal maneuvering began. Republicans along with the Tea Party ramped up their scare tactics.
The first scare tactic used said that there would be a bureaucracy in Washington, D.C to dictate what health procedures would be approved. Nothing could be further from the truth and the Republicans overlooked the fact that virtually any procedure performed by a medical professional has to be approved by an insurance company. The demands of the insurance companies are so great that virtually every doctor now has an employee just to log procedures. Ask any doctor about the logging nightmare and what happens when the proper code is not entered? How many times must the bill be submitted to the insurance company before the doctor is finally paid?
A second argument is that the government will force people to buy something they may not want or need. First of all, it was the Republicans, led by the Heritage Foundation, who first demanded that everyone should have insurance with a single pay status. The idea of a universal health care system was not first proposed by Democrats and certainly not by President Obama. It was originally opposed by the Democrats. Why are the Republicans now so adamant that it is socialized medicine? Why are they arguing that the government, under Democrats, is making Americans do something against their will? Talk about a flip-flop. The Republicans are doing it.
They are also citing the rise in the cost of insurance and blaming it on the Affordable Health Care Act. Yes, the cost of insurance has gone up but it has nothing to do with the Care Act. Insurance companies are increasing prices now because they know their profits will be reduced once the Act is fully instituted. Insurance companies enjoy a greater profit than any other industry except the oil industry.
Americans need to come to some reality when it comes to health care. First, we are involved in an industry where profit is made off illness or symptoms. We are not in a posture of paying for wellness. If we adhered to most doctors’ advice, we would be a healthier nation. Unfortunately we have come to live the life that gives us pleasure and then depend on the doctors and the health industry to get us well if we become ill. We do not practice the healthy habits that we are told to accept by doctors and other medical professionals.
The Affordable Health Care Act will attempt to change the way medical providers are paid. They will be paid for helping us stay healthy rather than treating us when we are ill. This is not to say that health care will not be given when we are ill, but the emphasis would be on healthy living.
The full intent of the Affordable Health Care Act will not be realized until 2014, but already there are benefits being realized. Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage because of the Act. Children are now allowed to be insured under their parents’ policies until the age of 26, saving families and individuals thousands of dollars. Seniors are also realizing savings in their prescription needs.
As more and more Americans are not covered by insurance, those of us who are, are paying for the health care of the uninsured. It is not only the poor who cannot afford insurance today. More and more individuals are dropping their coverage. We are paying for them.
The Republicans could do the American people a great service by accepting that which they once espoused. We don’t need a flip-flop when it comes to the health of Americans.
