Health Care

Today we will take a break from the everyday baby talk and talk about health care. I've written before of my views of capitalism vs. socialism and my views on welfare and hand-outs. Lack of affordable, good quality healthcare is a major problem in this country. What is the solution? Well, I don't know. There is no possible way to have a perfect solution that will please everyone. We could have "free" universal healthcare. But most of us realize that nothing in this world is free. This would come at a much higher income tax/business tax rate. MUCH higher. You like your paycheck? I sure do like mine. At least the part of it that actually goes into my bank account. After taxes, medicare, social security, health insurance, etc. about 30% of my check is gone. I wouldn't be able to pay my bills if another 10% was taken for this "free" health insurance. What then? Check out this table from Wikipedia to see some comparison. Countries with "free" healthcare have much higher tax rates. I think I would rather keep my own money and be responsible for my own healthcare. Check out Belgium and Germany! Yikes! I realize that they probably don't have to pay extra for their own healthcare. It's included in their income tax. But the plans Congress is coming up with will cost us money, plus we still have to pay for our own healthcare plan! Then when our companies decide that they can't afford the extra taxes that they face, they will cut out healthcare benefits, and we will all be on the govt. plan! And we will be considered "RICH" and will have to pay more money for less quality of care!!


Of course something really does need to change. Many companies don't offer health insurance. And many people make too much money for Medicaid, but not enough to afford to pay $500 a month to buy their own policy. So people with good jobs are penalized and have to pay outrageous amounts for healthcare while non-working people or low income people get healthcare for free.

I like the idea to require companies to either provide healthcare plans for employees or to pay a fine, but some companies are not doing well right now. So money spent to healthcare WILL equal lost jobs.

Some of my ideas:

1. Govt. or private insurance pays for birth control for anyone who wants it. Less babies that are not wanted, less welfare, less Medicaid, less spending.
2. Govt. or private insurance pays for stop-smoking aids!! Get people to quit smoking/decrease healthcare spending!
3. Make people pay at least a LITTLE bit for Medicaid and for Medicaire. Maybe they would be more selective about unnecessary dr visits, tests, and emergency room visits. $5, $10, something that makes people think, "Do I really need to go?" I don't want people not being cared for when they need it, but I do think twice before going to the dr, and I think long and hard before going to the ER.
4. Work harder to prevent and expose Medicare/Medicaid fraud. It's out there. It's eating up our money.
5. Expand programs like CHIP to cover more children. Make people pay a reasonable amount.
6. SPEND LESS ON OTHER COUNTRIES!! How can we justify giving money away and going to war when people here are dying?? Our infant mortality rates is much higher than other developed countries.
7. If people are on any type of welfare, all of their personal spending should be tracked. They should have to meet with a financial advisor. They SHOULD NOT be able to spend money on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and then take MY money to buy food or pay rent.

You don't like my ideas? Think I'm mean? Think Obama should save us all?

Would I like to add - Govt to provide free healthcare to everyone.?? Yes, I would. But at what expense? A soaringly high deficit? That would put our country in grave danger. Soaringly high income taxes? Business taxes? Job losses, home foreclosures, major economy pitfall. So I don't have all the answers. But I do have ideas. I should be a lobbyist.