Get the facts
Published on -11/12/2009, 8:50 AM
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The health care debate is reaching a climax in congress, and last week Fort Hays State University held a health care forum sponsored by Forsyth Library, FHSU's Learning Commons and the American Democracy Project. There were three presenters. Radiologist Marilyn Ray spoke about the fact that many people here in Hays die because they can't get the treatment they need. Donna Koenigsman told of having to send sick students home from the student health center without medicine because they can't afford it. And Sunee Mickle from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas spoke of her company's positions. The bottom line: They all support strong health care reform.
I found Mickle's positions illuminating because they were from an insurance company's perspective. She said Blue Cross of Kansas supports a strong mandate that everyone be required to have insurance and not be allowed to easily slip in and out of the system, thereby increasing the number of people in the pool -- especially younger people -- making it more affordable for everyone.
Blue Cross, not surprisingly, does not support the infamous public option, however, they do advocate for government subsidies to help people pay insurance premiums.
And instead of a federal health care exchange for comparison insurance shopping, Blue Cross advocates the idea of "state insurance marts."
This is a state-based approach to allowing people to shop for coverage at a central place where they could compare coverage options. She did mention a few provisions in current legislation that could cause premiums go up for some groups of people and suggested those provisions be removed .
The number of uninsured Americans is 47 million and rapidly rising. One trip to the ER with a CAT scan for a kidney stone or appendicitis can cost $5,000. Half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills. Estimates say by 2010 7 million will have lost their insurance because of the recession. As Ray clearly pointed out, America now claims the dismal ranking of 50th in life expectancy and 30th in infant mortality.
If this continues, we will have the best health care in the world, with the worst access to it.
The government is going to get involved at some level, folks, it has to.
All players at the table agree it is time for change. There are times when only government has the resources to provide the framework for systemic change. But attention has to be paid to these changes so that it works the best for everyone.
Turn off the windbags on Fox News and MSNBC and get out and attend forums such as this and learn about the facts. Most of these issues are not black or white as the media likes to portray. The best way to bring health care under control is to get everyone covered, and obviously, there are different ideas on how to get there.
Kudos to the entities at FHSU that for putting on the health care forum that explored some of those ideas.
Brennan Engle
417 W.15th
As a senior yourself, I am shocked you have no problem shooting yourself in the foot with the gov't cutting 500 billion from Medicare. I am shocked that you have no problem with the gov't adding another trillion to our deficit. I am shocked you support a bill that still leaves millions upon millions uninsured. A bill that polls show many doctors will retire. A bill with 2000 pages of legal jargon that stands to be a gold mine for all those liberal lawyers that plan to litigate all over the place. You are dead wrong and engaging in spin when you claim America's present healthcare system is all bad. If Americans spend lots on healthcare that's not necessarily a bad thing. For you to claim the bill will not adversely affect you as a senior or add to our out of control deficit clearly shows your politics is getting in the way of rational thinking.
(Posted by: No Matter)
FACTS: 11/13/2009
The negative responses to this letter are predictable--either ignorant or purposely deceptive. (1) The U.S. is the only developed country that does not provide some form of universal health care. (2) On averate US citizens pay twice us much as other countries, both as per capita and pct. of GDP. (3) U.S. citizens do not get better health care as evidenced by outcomes. (4) The insurance, pharmaceutical, and other "health care for profit" industries are pouring millions if not billions into the propaganda campaign to derail anything resembling real reform, and continue to line their greedy pockets. Americans, wake up! You're being screwed.
(Posted by: Bob Hooper)
Mr. Wilkie: 11/13/2009
You say the three presenters at Fort Hays support health care reform. Who doesn't? Everybody wants reform of one kind or another! Everybody should be "mandated" to have insurance? Constitutionally how can we force that? The 47 million uninsured is misleading. By now, everybody knows that. Many in that group don't need or want insurance. Are illegals in that group? Don't forget everybody and anybody is now covered in case of an emergency. Besides, Mr. Wilke Pelosi's House monstrosity still leaves millions uninsured. Comparing our life expectancy and infant mortality to other countries is comparing apples to oranges. The calculations are totally different from country. With all of our healthcare problems we are still far better off by far than most countries. Poll after poll after poll shows most Americans don't want government controlled healthcare. The negatives far outnumber any positives. Anybody claiming it's possible to make this deficit neutral with a public option is braindead. We can't afford it! It could bankrupt this country to the point we may never recover! Are you smarter than the whopping majority in this country that oppose more socialism? Anybody doing their homework knows Obamacareless is about power and control and not the real care of Americans. Why are you beating a dead horse?
(Posted by: 3Guesses)
public option: 11/12/2009
how will state insurance fairs keep insurance companies from their monopoly status? Teabaggers decry socialism at every bend in the road even as our capitalist overlords keep turning up the heat with their over bloated business models. To trust these businesses with this much power is absurd and they should be limited to within an inch of their existence. They have blown it.
(Posted by: redpink)
Attend Forums: 11/12/2009
For a fair, balanced perspecitve check out the Republican Plan, and forums that are not getting coverage in the MSM (main stream media). How can one say a plan, such as the House passed plan, that still leaves 6% of American uncovered is progress? This is smoke and mirrors to implment centralized government controls of another slice of our economy and move us to a socialist state. The good news is the opposition to these reconstructionist liberal plans will have such a backlash that these kind of ideas will have no traction for another 75 years.
(Posted by: Bert Wilke)
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