HEALTH CARE!!
Another serious issue, that the Democrats, and the Republicans want to address, is the health care industry, in this nation.

The health of the citizens of this nation, should be of concern to all of us, because, if we live long enough, we all will find ourselves, having to go to this industry, to have our health checked, and if something is wrong, to have it fixed.

One of the biggest concerns about health care, is the fact that, in a lot of instances, there seems to be an inequity in the types of care that is given. The rich, have their own private doctors, and can afford the best of care, with all of the best, medicines, and equipment, while the poor and middle class, have to rely on insurance companies, like HMO's, and PPO's, or the government run Medicare, and Medicaid, for their health care treatment.

The problem is, that, while these insurance companies help people a great deal, they are limited in how much they can spend on certain treatments, and because of that, they have to refuse to pay for them, based on one simple fact, and that is, cost. And this is where the Democrats really take issue, with the Republicans.

You see, the HMO's and the like, are all privately run businesses, that, like any business, seeks to make a profit. However, the government run Medicare and Medicaid, are run as what is supposed to be, a non profit status.

Being in a business to make a profit, means that, in order to do that, you must, of necessity, take in more money than you spend. Therefore, with this being a multi billion dollar business, it has to follow some guidelines that even the smallest businesses have to follow, and that is, watch out for wasteful spending.

I am sure you have heard the term, 'experimental treatment.' It is a term, that identifies a treatment, as not being a proven method to help cure a person, or make them a little more comfortable with their condition. The first time I heard of this term, was when people, would say, that their insurance wouldn't pay for their treatment, because it was experimental, meaning it had no 'long term' track record, on which to prove that it was a definite help. If an HMO is going to spend money on something, just like you and I, they want to make sure, they are getting their money's worth.

In this day and time, all sorts of procedures, medicines, and treatments come out every day, claiming to help in the treatment of diseases, ailments, and other problems. The problem is, that there is no way to prove that these things work, without clinical trials, and reports being made, and then the entire medical profession, approving it. Therefore, these HMO's, refuse to pay for them.

Medicare, and Medicaid, government run health care for the poor and elderly, is funded by our tax dollars, and therefore, they have a source of unlimited funds, even though congress, has to approve it, every year.

With the high cost of medical treatment, HMO's are limited in what they can spend, and still make a profit. Medicare, can pay for treatment, without having to scrutinize, every little thing.

As a result, the Democrats, are backing a plan, that they themselves have conceived, for what they call, 'National Health Care.'

What they want to do, quite frankly, is take health care, out of the hands of the HMO's, and expand Medicare, and Medicaid, to include everyone. That way, no one would have to worry about, having to pay for treatments, that their HMO's don't cover.

But, there is a big problem, and that is why the Republicans, refuse to go along with it.

In order for this plan to work like they say, all of the HMO's, would have to go out of business, which, if people sign up for this 'national health care', is a very real possibility.

One thing that needs to be recognized is, that if these businesses are forced to close, thousands of union jobs, will be lost.

Then, we have to look at abuses that are inherent in the system.

You see, with their plan, people will not have to pay for the consequences of their own actions.

People that smoke, drink, use drugs, fornicate, and otherwise abuse themselves, or put their health in peril by doing things, they shouldn't, would not have to think about having to pay anything for their treatments, because, the rest of us, the taxpayers, will pay for it. When people can get something for free, like health care, then they will tend to be more reckless about what they do, and not have to worry about getting the money together to pay for it. With HMO's, and their co-pay systems, people are more likely to pay attention to what they do, knowing that money will come out of their own pockets.

The problem with government run health care, is that when it started out, medical costs were not very high, and not that many people were on the rolls. The program was initially designed help the poor and elderly, get needed medical treatment, when they couldn't afford their medical bills.

But, as time went on, more and more people began to turn to these government programs, when they either retired, or got laid off of work, then decided to stay on them, because they were, after all, free. Some would even get jobs, but still not report that they had jobs so they could still stay on the rolls.

Next, came fraud, from within the system itself. Workers, and their friends, as well as some doctors, began to find ways to bill these programs, for services that were not performed, or were at highly inflated prices, and the system, paid them, no questions asked.

All of these things, add up to one thing, wasted money out of our pockets, because the program, has no way of policing itself, to find fraud.

The Republicans want the whole system, either reformed or privatized, to cut out large scale fraud, and abuse, thus saving us money.

But, the Democrats want to paint it as trying to cut out government run health care, putting the poor, middle class, and the elderly, at risk. They also cite cases where HMO's, have not paid for treatments of people, and the person, regrettably, died.

Now, as tragic as this is, let me say this. With all the red tape that new discoveries in medical treatments have to go through, because of the Democrats' own policies of tying up approving these drugs, and other treatments, for years, it is their fault that HMO's have to turn people down, for treatments.

Also, HMO's know just about how much certain treatments cost, and will not pay that full amount, but what should be the going rate for the treatment. Usually, it is the doctors, that refuse to do something, based on the fact that they want what they ask for, or they will let the person suffer.

Anytime they ask a price from Medicare, or Medicaid, they get what they ask for, even if the price is grossly inflated, no questions asked. This practice, of paying what the doctors ask, is what sets the stage for doctors, setting prices as high as they are. If a doctor, can get $5000.00 for a treatment, that costs, about $3000.00 or less, anywhere else, then that is what he will charge. And, if it is not paid, then too bad, you can just suffer and die.

If anyone is responsible for the problems that we are having in this nation's health care industry, it is the fault of the Democrats, and some doctors.

Some time back, a device called, a lithotriptor, I believe, which is used to break down kidney stones, was OK'd for sale to hospitals. Now, while all hospitals wanted to buy one, only 2, were approved for the Detroit area hospitals. If I am not mistaken, Henry Ford hospital was one of the hospitals to get one. Who was it that approved only 2?? Democratic congressmen, along with other behind the scenes, individuals, that had a vested interest in the deal. By there being only 2 in our area, maybe the state, doctors had large demand for treatment, which translated in to over inflated prices. If more hospitals had these machines, then the prices would have dropped dramatically. That was over 20 years ago. I don't know if there are more of them in use today.

When new drugs come out for treatment of diseases, it is not uncommon for it to have to wait, month's, even years for approval. And, without that approval, HMO's will not pay for it. For good reason. What if the drug, turns out to have side effects, that worsen your health, and the HMO pays for it. They then, will incur more cost, in trying to get you well.

How many of you, that were around in the 50's, remember the disaster of the drug, Thalidomide?? It was designed to relieve (I'm only guessing, menstrual cramps, or something along that line), and was sold fairly cheap. However, women, that took the drug regularly, then got pregnant, gave birth to babies, that were grossly deformed. Many of these babies lived, and some died. But, the care for the living children, was life long, and expensive.

The drug, was finally taken off the market, but the damage was done. The government, today, is, or rather, we are still paying, for their treatment. That was one of the worst examples of what can happen, if treatments, and drugs are readily paid for, without a proven track record. That is a risk the government (Democrats) are ready to take because, you and I will have to pay for it, and if anything goes wrong, we will pay for that, too. No one thinks about suing the government, legislators for their foul ups. HMO's, say no, for good reason. In many instances, they are protecting, not only their money, but your health, and life.

Now, as I said earlier, being cautious, sometimes costs lives. You know, the Democrats, seem to always go out and find the exception, or the one that has really suffered, because of the red tape, that, they themselves put in place, to blame the Republicans with.

Another problem with the government controlling health care, is, the waiting period, for certain surgeries and treatments.

The Democrats, envision, a health care system, much like Canada's. Make no mistake about it, it appears good, with all the citizens being covered. I don't believe there are any people over there, that are uninsured. However, everyday, hundreds, from Windsor, alone, flock over here for their medical treatments. Why??? Because the wait is so long to get the treatment they need. There system, because it covers everybody, means hundreds of people flocking to the doctor's offices, and the hospitals for treatment in so large a number, that they can't handle it. As a result, serious surgeries, may be scheduled months away, rather than within a week or two, let alone a few days, You could end up dying, while waiting for your surgery.

There are pros and cons, all over the place, however, I would side with the HMO's.

Talk about tax increases. If Gore and the Democrats, get their way, the question may very well be, 'How much of my paycheck, do I get to keep', rather than, 'how much did they hit me for today. Remember, for this program to work, someone has to foot the bill, and it sure isn't going to be the government.

I see a conspiracy here. I will address it later in this newsletter.


************************************************************************
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CONSPIRACY, IT'S REAL FOLKS

CRIME

EDCATION IN AMERICA

HEALTH CARE


HOME PAGE

TRACT LIST

NEWSLETTERS

TAPE LIST