Health Care Summit

I'm so tired of "health care reform". I wish people would call Obama's version of "reform" what it really is: Income redistribution. The bill does nothing to address skyrocketing costs head on. Will it affect costs? Yes, but not directly, and the effects are more likely to be bad, causing prices to go up due to the likely massive increase in demand.

Republicans are asking Obama to look at the causes of high medical and insurance costs and address them individually. Sounds like common sense to me if you're actually trying to fix the broken system. The problem is, they're not. They want high earners to subsidize insurance for people with low incomes. Universal health care is NOT health care reform. It is what it is. Health care coverage for all.

In a perfect world, everyone would have health insurance. I don't think anyone would say otherwise. My issue with universal health coverage is that it's dishonest to imply you're reforming the system. If it's universal health coverage fine. Do not call it health care reform. Do not say it's going to be budget neutral. Do not say it's going to bring down costs when anyone with any sense knows driving demand up causes prices to go up.

We need to go back to focusing on costs. When people look at the suggestions put forward by Republicans, they know something is wrong. People know allowing insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines will help, but they know it's going to be like putting a band aid on a gaping wound. That may be one thing that will help lower costs, but it's a minor issue in comparison to problems that are only going to get worse. We need to look at the underlying causes and address each one individually.

Let's be honest, the elderly consume so much of the supply, they have to be driving costs up. What's worse, the government limits how much it's willing to pay for different procedures. This drives up costs for privately insured. Also, how much of our health care costs go toward paying for other people that can't/won't pay? To me, it's common sense that these have to be the issues that are addressed and any other 'fixes' will be pointless. Below are a few of my suggestions.

1. Allow insurers to sell insurance across state lines.
2. Tort reform.
3. Better credits/write offs for medical schooling. Right now tuition can be written off, but usually when a person is in school, the deduction is minimal due to a lack of earnings. Let the student defer the deduction to a date when it would maximize savings and when they pay back their student loans give them a better deduction.
4. Increase limits on medicare reimbursements.
5. Decrease the number of people on medicare. Honestly, is there anything else we can do? This is the 800 pound gorilla in the room that everyone wants to pretend isn't there. How does the math work where 1 working person pays for 1 retiree's social security and medicare benefits?

The USA is headed for a Soviet-style implosion unless we go back to limited government. Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country?