I had mentioned Michael Moore in the ideology thread, and I got to thinking about his 2007 film, "Sicko".
Writer/producer Michael Moore interviews Americans who have been denied treatment by our health care insurance companies -- companies who sacrifice essential health services in order to maximize profits. The consequences for the individual subscribers range from bankruptcy to the unnecessary deaths of loved ones.
Moore then looks at universal free health care systems in Canada, France, Britain, and Cuba, debunking all the fears (lower quality of care, poorer compensation for doctors, big-government bureaucracy) that have been used to dissuade Americans from establishing such a system here. The roots of those health care systems are explored, and our failure to establish free health here care is traced to a) President Richard Nixon's deceptive support of the then-emerging HMOs pursuing huge profits and b) subsequent pressures for Congress to sacrifice sound health care in favor of corporate profit.
A group of Americans who became ill from volunteering at 911 Ground Zero, but were refused health coverage for their illnesses, are ferried by Moore to Cuba, where they receive the top-rate, free care one would hope they'd get here at home.
In his interviews, historical reportage, and typical sarcastic wit, Moore soundly condemns American health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, as well as the politicians who have been paid millions to do their bidding. He makes the case that there is something wrong with Americans that we cannot learn from the successes of other countries in providing better quality-of-health than we enjoy in the USA.
Ok, propaganda aside here... the Cuban government looked really good in this film and the use of Ground Zero volunteers was a piece de resistance....
There is food for thought here.
Why does politics play to people's darkest fears - higher taxes, less access and substandard care?
Look around you.
- How many people do you actually know who don't have health care insurance?
- How many of us have been without medical insurance?
- Have you ever been unemployed and decided not to accept your COBRA continuation because of cost?
- How many of us have ever been denied benefits while covered by insurance?
As some of you know, I've been denied twice - and used much of my savings on surgery for a "pre-existing condition". (Jeepers, why would I want to use my left arm, after all I should be grateful that I'm right handed!)
I do find some interesting history in Moore's docu-film. In 1973, the Nixon administration did push for emerging HMOs just as subsequent administrations pushed for PPOs, HSAs, IPAs, MCOs, POS, Social Security reform, Medicare reform, Medicaid reform.... and the newest, meaningless buzz phrase: Co-Ops.
Medicare & Medicaid were enacted in 1965 under Lyndon Johnson, and by the early 70's - the cost of Medicare was too high. So HMOs were formed... and really fostered by the belief that all Americans should have healthcare insurance.
What we used to have was major medical insurance. After HMOs, we have become accustomed to the lowest co-payments for office visits and prescription drugs. We get very annoyed if our co-payments and premiums increase while for others, those co-payments appear to be lower.
We have a lot of angry Americans who are concerned about their tax burden - and not really understanding that we are already paying for welfare services and state coverage for those who do not have healthcare insurance.
The biggest rising cost to Medicaid is nursing home coverage, not the coverage of healthcare insurance for the poor. It is a limited income program, tested by the individual states. It was a part of Social Security reform in the mid-60's.
Medicaid is a program that is not solely funded at the federal level. States provide up to half of the funding for the Medicaid program. In some states, counties also contribute funds. Unlike the Medicare entitlement program, Medicaid is a means-tested, needs-based social welfare or social protection program rather than a social insurance program. Eligibility is determined largely by income. The main criterion for Medicaid eligibility is limited income and financial resources, a criterion which plays no role in determining Medicare coverage. Medicaid covers a wider range of health care services than Medicare.
So what are we going to do about Medicaid? How do we care for the aging baby boomers? Where does that money come from? I haven't heard a peep about this from any source.
We're paying for this with our Social Security and local taxes. Meanwhile, people fear income tax increases to fund universal healthcare.It's the middle class that I worry about - not the poorest of the poor. After our social security tax, we pay local taxes for Medicaid.
I'm talking about people like me who PAY for our insurance and still get denied benefits because of tiny fine print. I'm talking about people who suddenly find themselves without a job and can't pay the exorbitant COBRA fees to maintain the health insurance that they once had.
We have angry Americans who feel that they paid into the system for years, and they are not about to lose their fair share to those who haven't earned it. They believe that something other than them should "take care of the poor and the unemployed".
Anotherwards, "Don't Tread On Me". But they are already paying and don't realize it. They pay in their local taxes - either income tax or sales tax. They pay in their insurance premiums and in their co-payments.
By the time I retire, I will be lucky if there's anything left for me....
And I'll leave you all with some rhetorical questions.
Why are we being bombarded with propaganda about substandard healthcare in other G8 countries? Why are we being bombarded with propaganda about how great our healthcare system is? (Yeah, it's so great that Kings and Queens and other Royalty want to come to our hospitals).
What do we as POTUS actually know about the healthcare in other countries? All we know is what the media is telling us on the right and on the left.
OK.... abandon the Government insurance agency, that's OK with me....just as long as I know that I'm eligible for catastrophic insurance coverage for my heart attack after I lose my job.
Give me some old-fashioned indemnity style major medical coverage that I can carry with me for all my life - wherever I move in the USA, and let me purchase some insurance options to make the other costs more manageable. I don't need much more than that.
I know people are worried and upset. But we have to look for solutions, not scream rhetoric at each other.
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