The Health Care Debate is in full swing. Tune into any one of the last News Shows these days and see people yelling at our nation's debate over health care via these worthless town hall meetings. Recently, a man was injured as he was yelling "Obama is a Socialist" at one of these town hall meetings. Turn out the man had to go to the hospital, where they found out he had no HEALTH INSURNANCE! Now, of course, he wants to sue someone and is taking "donations" to pay for his health care. Yet, he was the vocal voice of decent, against the President's Health Care plan to cover 50 Million un-insured Americans. We spent 2.5 Trillion a year on Health Care in the U.S. Yet, we rank 27th in the World with regards to the quality of our health among other nations. How is this possible? IF I told you I would give you $50,000 to buy a BMW, and you got a Fiat, would you be upset with that purchase? We spend a fortune on health care, more than any other nation on earth, and yet the state of our Health among Americans is some of the worst in the world? Huh? Infant Mortality Rates? The highest among industrialized nations. This is the death among newborns, averaged per 1000 births. Currently 7.5 deaths per 1000 among babies. For African Americans? Double it. 14 per 1000 babies born.
How did it get to be such a mess? 15 Years ago, then President Clinton's wife, Hilleary Clinton was given the task of trying to reform the system. Opposition from the Insurance Industry and the Pharmaceutical Industry quickly squashed this attempt. Socialized Medicine was the outcry. Our nation was not a Socialist Country. Universal Health Coverage would mean fewer services, waiting in lines for MRIs and other diagnostic studies, etc. Today, we hear the same outcries even as our health care costs have DOUBLED. Managed Care, HMO's, PPO and Large Insurance Companies have increased deductibles, increased co-payments, restricted access for pre-existing causes, and have made FORTUNES in the last 15 years. Some of the wealthiest companies in America are Insurance Companies. Aetna last year gave their top retiring CEO, 40 million dollars in retirement. Yet, over the course of 15 years, 50 million Americans have joined the ranks of the un-insured.
So, what is the President attempting to do? He is attempting to stop the continued growth of health care, put an end to massive profits and fewer benefits to average Americans; he is trying to reign in the Managed Care Networks, HMOs, PPO, and large monopolies that control health care. He is trying to get the large Pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of average medications by having a competing Governmental plan. Medicare Part B now has private companies that will compete with larger drug companies for lower medications. Why can't we create a system that is affordable, effective and covers the un-insured? That is the question and task, and this is what the President is attempting to do.
Kill the elderly? Take away your drugs? Have death camps for the un-insured, fly foreign martins in from Pluto to infect the un-insured and send them to Mars to die? Do you believe everything you hear and see on TV? Alarmist are swarming and large Insurance Companies and Pharmaceutical Companies are doing whatever they can to stop the President from addressing this major problem. Fear and Profits is the motivation here. Not services or helping the sick.
If we do not address the costs of Health Care in our country we most certainly will continue to have economic difficulties. Nearly 1/3 of all the costs of health care are Administrative. Paperwork. Insurance Company bureaucrats telling your doctor and you what is covered and what is not covered. This is not the Hippocratic Oath most of us took upon graduation.
Support your President and let's hope we can fix this massive problem.
Dr. Tyler Scott Nelson
Nelson and Nelson
