I had a long conversation with my favorite physician, who has operated on me twice successfully. He is an incredibly kind person without an ounce of greed or pretense. Like other physicians I have spoken to, he spoke eloquently about the terrible times he consistently has with private health insurance companies.
While he praises Medicare for its simplicity and certainty, he has absolutely nothing positive to say about private insurers. They take up huge amounts of time of him and his staff, trying in every possible way to deny services to their customers (his patients) and also to pay as little as possible to him. His endless struggles with the insurance companies make his life miserable. Meanwhile all he cares about is giving his patients the very best care and not making them suffer because of their insurance carriers.
Like so many of us he sees the need for major reforms of our health care system, but remains pessimistic about what Congress and President Obama will eventually deliver. He is incredulous at how executives of private insurers make vast amounts of money while making physicians and their patients suffer endless annoyances and negative impacts on health care. And they get away with making people pay more and more money for worse and worse insurance.
He also has many stories about patients that do not take medications for long term chronic conditions because they cannot afford prescriptions. He gives out as many samples that he can get, is angry that people in other nations pay much less for brand name drugs, and feels terrible for his patients because the health care system has let them down.
What would be the ideal solution to the current health care mess? My doctor believes that opening up Medicare to everyone would be wonderful, and the system could be opened up immediately. I totally agree. There is no sound reason for Congress to protect the private health insurance industry. But of course they always have and always will because it is the source of huge amounts of money for political campaigns.
While no one should be forced into Medicare, just making it available to all who want it would be fair. If private colleges compete with public ones, and private for profit hospitals compete with nonprofit ones, why shouldn't health insurance companies be put in a similar position?
Corruption blocks true and necessary health care reform. Remember that the next time you vote.
Very unique approach to this dilemma we seem to find ourselves in. I do remember that my folks over 7 years ago needed a "medicare supplement" which back then cost them over $4000 a year for the two of them - without the supplement they still got very major bills for their part of the healthcare. Thanks for writing this piece. Marijo
I never thought of everyone going on medicare. Maybe that could work. I was in the medical field for many years and I can't say enough negative things about the Insurances that people have to put up with. I could write a book about that. My pet gets better medical help than most people.
» left by Terri, RN, BSN from CO (8 hours 12 minutes ago.) New Comment!
I absolutely agree. As a nurse working in many fields over the past 13 years, I think that insurance companies make it very difficult for medical staff to care for patients. I think Medicare for everyone is a great idea! Sure there is a lot of work to be done to make that happen. But think about it. People would not have the stress of paying expensive insurance premiums and deductables. They would not have to worry about getting medical care if it is needed for them or their family member. Perhaps that would decrease some stress and promote better health overall? Patients could get preventive care and avoid costly hospitalization or the cost of treating a chronic problem that lingered on for too long without the proper care because they did not have insurance in the first place. That would save billions! And what would families do with the money they saved from paying for health insurance? They would buy houses, cars and send their kids to college. What a concept!
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