The Cart Before The Horse?
May 5, 2009 at 4:57 pm pnemore 1 comment
It’s time to change the conversation about health care reform from protecting private insurance companies to protecting the American people. Senator Charles Schumer is quoted in today’s New York Times as saying any public plan included in health care reform must comply with private insurance requirements.
Senator Schumer has it backwards. Since when is health care for Americans about making things work for private, profit-making insurance companies? Isn’t the moral imperative to provide for the medical needs of American citizens? If we are looking to equalize public and private offerings, how about eliminating profits for private companies, requiring standardized benefits, notices, appeal rights, and full due process, with full and complete access by the public to all their records – as would be the case with a public plan.
Entry filed under: Health Care Reform, Public vs. Private Health Coverage.
CMA Health Policy Blog 
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doctorblue | May 6, 2009 at 12:47 am
I agree that if health care is a right, it should be non-profit based — and that has nothing to do with medical insurance companies. I am chronically ill and disabled because of medical insurance companies who withheld payment to doctors for months so doctors are no longer willing to risk doing surgeries they may not be paid for.
I won a Workers Compensation case in which I was awarded lifetime medical care for my injured hand. I can;t find a surgeon who will do corrective surgery on my hand because the insurance companies under Workers Comp failed to pay timely or at all too many times. Where is the justice here?
There is just too much money tied up in insurance to win this fight I fear.
-Doctorblue http://doctorblue.wordpress.com