Excellent article, INDY. It might surprise you to find I do agree with him almost 100%. The first paragraph captures exactly how I feel about the current health care reform law. A lot of my objections in these threads have been more to the partisan hyperbole, not to legitimate concerns.
I too feel that the third-party system is the primary cause of the escalating cost of health care. I like the idea of health care savings plans (and I seem to recall you're a fan of them too). I wonder if we'll be able to make the move that the Jim Marshall advocates though, whether people will be willing to do it. I think many Americans who have health insurance have gotten used to the "overcare" approach and would be nervous about giving it up.
I also agree with Irvine that if we're going to reduce the deficit, we really have to look at the areas that are costing the most--defense, social security, medicare and make some hard choices there.
What I've always been interested in is a balanced and thoughtful approach to the issues, which is a lot drier than the screaming "Obamacare!" and "socialism" and "Tea Baggers!" but would be far more productive.
What parts of the article did you disagree with, and what parts did you like?
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too feel that the third-party system is the primary cause of the escalating cost of health care."
Wouldn't the Government take the place of the 3rd party under the current plan? ? Yes, a government agency is to be created. So they are the new 3rd party billing system . The Post office, Amtrack , 2,000 toilet seats, military contracts, everything the Government does, cost more.
You think getting approval for a CT scan is tough with insurance, think how tough it will be in a Government agency larger than all branches of Military, and everything you can think of, combined.
medicare- Wasteful fraud. The only way to lower the cost beyong reducing fraud, is to ration. There is no other way. Your mamogram is now age 50 is a good example. Was 40 last year.
social security,- The trust fund for social security was funded and in good shape, until politicians, Bush and this Congress, raided it and left IOUs. Now it is in serious trouble. You trust them with your well being in health care? They are going to run it cheaper? Impossible.
Will they borrow against the medical fund in the same fashion? Nothing to stop them.
These are 3 of the Tea Party issues. They don't have many. That's the real Tea Party
Medical savings accounts are a great idea, but your forgetting the fact that this bill, was created to control the healthcare $$.