We need health care reform that simultaneously improves health care services, contains per patient costs, and extends coverage to more Americans. Data shows health care expenditures in the United States are the highest in the world. This is true if expenditures are measured as a percentage of gross domestic product, or per capita.
For this huge outlay of funds, health care organizations such as the World Health Organization rank health care in the United States as mediocre. Certainly this low ranking is impacted by the 45 million U.S. citizens that have no health care insurance. For those without insurance coverage, they frequently wait until a crisis occurs, then show up at emergency wards where existing law requires their condition be stabilized before they can be released. Treatment at an emergency room is neither cheap, nor preventative in nature.
I have come to the conclusion that the best way to improve health care and maintain costs is to have a "public option" to compete with private insurance. The first sentence of the U.S. Constitution states government is formed to "promote the general welfare" of our citizens. It is difficult to pursue life, liberty and happiness when you fear your next health issue or hospitalization could lead to your personal bankruptcy. When private enterprise fails, our government has a duty to "step in."
For-profit insurance corporations are leading the fight against a public option. These are the same companies that are failing. They spend upwards of 30 percent of your premiums on executive salaries, advertising and paperwork. They deny pre-existing conditions, and put profit in front of patient care. Additionally, there are too many geographic areas where only two or three insurance companies dominate the entire health care market. A government option would interject competition back into the health care sector of our economy.
A government option would allow individuals and businesses to purchase health insurance from a governmental agency. None of the public option bills circulating in Congress prohibit existing insurance companies from competing for your business. Public option legislation does not propose a single-payer system where health care must be purchased from a government agency. There are no "death panels", no coverage for illegal immigrants, and if you are happy with your existing coverage, you would be able to keep it.
My question is "what about the people that believe our health care system is broken, or are simply not happy with their existing health insurance coverage? Shouldn't these hard-working American individuals and businesses be given an alternative to existing health care providers?
For this huge outlay of funds, health care organizations such as the World Health Organization rank health care in the United States as mediocre. Certainly this low ranking is impacted by the 45 million U.S. citizens that have no health care insurance. For those without insurance coverage, they frequently wait until a crisis occurs, then show up at emergency wards where existing law requires their condition be stabilized before they can be released. Treatment at an emergency room is neither cheap, nor preventative in nature.
I have come to the conclusion that the best way to improve health care and maintain costs is to have a "public option" to compete with private insurance. The first sentence of the U.S. Constitution states government is formed to "promote the general welfare" of our citizens. It is difficult to pursue life, liberty and happiness when you fear your next health issue or hospitalization could lead to your personal bankruptcy. When private enterprise fails, our government has a duty to "step in."
For-profit insurance corporations are leading the fight against a public option. These are the same companies that are failing. They spend upwards of 30 percent of your premiums on executive salaries, advertising and paperwork. They deny pre-existing conditions, and put profit in front of patient care. Additionally, there are too many geographic areas where only two or three insurance companies dominate the entire health care market. A government option would interject competition back into the health care sector of our economy.
A government option would allow individuals and businesses to purchase health insurance from a governmental agency. None of the public option bills circulating in Congress prohibit existing insurance companies from competing for your business. Public option legislation does not propose a single-payer system where health care must be purchased from a government agency. There are no "death panels", no coverage for illegal immigrants, and if you are happy with your existing coverage, you would be able to keep it.
My question is "what about the people that believe our health care system is broken, or are simply not happy with their existing health insurance coverage? Shouldn't these hard-working American individuals and businesses be given an alternative to existing health care providers?
