An Opposing View to Obama on Healthcare

Originally posted on Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com, here: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/financial/an-opposing-view-to-obama-on-healthcare.html.

It seems the US president is on TV virtually every day touting how the government needs to take over more and more of the healthcare system. Moreover he continually tells the world how US insurers are evil, drop coverage at will and raise prices at levels which are too high.

While you have to admire the idea that lower prices are better, the reality is most of the US knows the government is the least competent at running anything and everything - except the defense of the country - and I am sure many will take issue with their competence here as well.

Consider, our public schools are lousy and the US ranks 28 out of 30 among developed nations in math and science. No one ever walks out the Department of Motor Vehicles office, the Post Office or passport renewal office and says - Wow!!! Let's have more government run programs.

In Canada, where they have government run healthcare (the end goal of many progressive politicians) there are more and more cases of patients having to fly to the US for better healthcare. This weekend in fact the Toronto Sun reported on brain cancer patient Kent Pankow who had to come to the US for Avastin to treat his illness.

Avastin is approved in Canada but it seems the bureaucrats haven't gotten around to approving it for brain cancer. Thankfully the treatment seems to be working and in response to the news getting out the Canadian bureaucrats are passing the buck (or as they say in Canada, passing the puck ).

The point is the there is a reason why almost all people with healthcare in the US are scared to have the government overhaul it and take more control.

You can read the article for a glimpse of the potential future of US healthcare.

BTW: I don't want to seem insensitive to the need for change in the healthcare system but it is obvious that proposals our politicians have shot down so far like tort reform (less frivolous lawsuits), increased healthcare portability and increased competition would help a great deal.

The fact Washington hasn't been able to achieve any of these reforms yet shows you just how impotent and disorganized they are. I for one am horrified by the prospect of having Washington tell its citizens what procedures and medications they can have. You don't think special interest groups will have access to better care for example?

At least with insurance companies, there is a choice - you can switch. Once the US government takes control and puts many of the private insurers out of business, we are stuck - possibly forever.

Apologies for getting off topic in the blog - if you have a differing view - please feel free to post your comments.

Tags: insurance, obama, politican, tmcnet