Your letters: healthcare

Who’ll pay?

Whenever politicians want to spend more money, they always talk about waste, fraud and abuse. They always come up with a number, in the billions, in “savings” by eliminating the trio. They never eliminate waste, fraud and abuse without spending more money.

President Barack Obama spoke of a $1,000 hidden tax that we with insurance pay that is passed on to us from those who get care but don’t have insurance.

He acknowledges that this is not fair. He states that the care these people get is the most expensive. Is he promoting legislation to end this unfair tax you and I pay? No! In fact, he said that we would be “better off” paying to insure these people. Thus, you have the Democrats’ plan to make health insurance “affordable” to those without it. Make someone else pay for it!

Before anyone jumps on the government-solution bandwagon, consider this: If you have health coverage that you pay for yourself, no matter what you pay, 50 million people supposedly can’t afford what you pay now. So, are your premiums going to go down? Don’t count on it! Only by subsidizing it can government make insurance “affordable,” which means you and I will pay.

Social Security and Medicare are facing insolvency. The system is broken. It has unfunded liabilities to the tune of $60 trillion! Forget the $2.4 trillion “trust fund.” It doesn’t exist! You and I have paid into it, but they have spent it and replaced it with government bonds. Look at it this way: A $2.4 trillion surplus was taxed from you and me, but it is going to have to be collected again!

— Brian D. Schwan, Ventura

Public plan essential

I am writing this letter to those who voted for Barack Obama. Candidate Obama promised healthcare reform would be one of his top priorities. By his inauguration, the U.S. economy had been left in shambles by the previous administration, and President Obama has had to take drastic measures to try to set us back on the course to prosperity.

Obama did not abandon his healthcare reform promise, and this can still be accomplished in spite of the well-financed special interests that have defeated healthcare reform for more than 30 years.

We rejected the Republican politics of fear, and voted for hope and change. We need to speak out to prevent special interests from killing healthcare reform yet again. They remain determined to prevent any public plan, and spend millions for misleading ads and in political contributions to defeat this aspect of healthcare reform.

I support a public plan as essential to true healthcare reform, and I’m not deterred by the scare tactics and distortions invented and paid for by special interests that rake in billions from the present system. Competition is good for consumers. Without it, costs keep rising. Healthcare costs continue increasing for consumers, businesses and government, approaching 10 percent annually. The public plan provides competition that will not exist without it. If the insurance companies, drug companies, hospitals and doctors develop efficiencies and cost-cutting measures, while providing excellent service, we have been assured that no one will be asked to give up a plan with which they are satisfied.

If you voted for Obama, trust him when he says that reforming healthcare and controlling those costs are critical parts of economic recovery. Elected officials must hear the voices of the 72 percent of us who say we want healthcare reform with a public plan. Get involved and let your elected officials know we need healthcare reform with a public plan!

— Stuart Wing, Moorpark

Immoral situation

With the high cost of deductibles and the 300 percent increase in premiums, I can’t afford to go to the doctor, even though I have insurance. I do realize the main problem in reform is whether you are a Republican or a Democrat. The lobbyists for the insurance companies control the politicians through donations. Even though I do not see campaign finance reform on the horizon anytime soon, the least we can do is push politicians to accept a government option, reduce costs and see to it that every American has the right quality, affordable care. To heck with the insurance industry’s control over us. I am tired of it getting between me and my family’s care.

My wife just went to the dentist and needs six crowns at $750 apiece. Our insurance has a 50-50 policy, with a maximum outlay for them at $1,000 annually. This is dental coverage. My medical is just as bad. I need a knee replacement and can barely stand the daily pain and, even though I have insurance, I cannot afford one.

They keep raising premiums while lowering coverage. It’s immoral. Heaven forbid a family member gets a serious illness or injury. Can you spell devastation? I urge everyone to get involved. If you don’t, you are part of the problem. Be part of the solution!

— Charles Rowe, Ojai

Educate yourself

The Washington Post recently reported that the healthcare industry is spending $1.4 million a day in the halls of our government to lobby against healthcare reform. I would really like to know how much more is being spent on advertising and on radio and television to influence citizens.

Voters have learned all too often that if enough money is spent, people can be influenced to vote against their own best interests. If you are one of those who has been talking against healthcare reform, ask yourself where you came by your information. If you got your opinions from the radio or the television, please take the time to read the facts about the real truth.

President Barack Obama has said that if healthcare reform does not take place this year, it won’t happen at all. I believe him. I’m doubtful if it can even be pulled off. This should have been done 12 years ago. If healthcare reform had been enacted under President Bill Clinton, we might not be in the desperate financial condition we are today.

A good friend of mine is against healthcare reform. He calls it socialized medicine. He doesn’t worry about his family because, as it happens, he is employed by the federal government and has excellent healthcare. The only other person I know who is against healthcare reform is on Medicare. He tells me that Medicare is far better health insurance than he had through the large corporation he worked for all of his life. Evidently, the government does a pretty good job with healthcare insurance.

I am one of the fortunate few who has health insurance, but my costs have tripled in the past few years and our company no longer offers health insurance to new hires.

Please stop listening to the convoluted logic that is being spread by the media. Don’t form your opinions on what you are told. Read carefully and consider. Or, if you can’t take the time to educate yourself, stay out of the discussion.

— Patrick Justus, Newbury Park

U.S. crippled by costs

As a citizen of this great country, please do your part in ensuring that it stays viable and prosperous for future generations by spreading the honest truth about the need for healthcare reform.

This country is being crippled by rising healthcare costs and a culture of greed in our industries, specifically the insurance and pharmaceutical industries when it comes to healthcare. Nearly 50 million people are uninsured, and with premiums growing exponentially faster than wages are increasing, we are quickly eliminating the middle class and small businesses — the lifeblood of our economy. I have great medical insurance, but am afraid what would happen if I were to lose my job, or my employer were unable to continue to provide subsidized coverage. Having lived overseas in Canada, the UK and Southern Africa, it is horrifying to me to see Americans live this way — in some cases, worse off than some Third World countries. It’s unacceptable.

You have a voice. You are a citizen. It’s your duty to spread the word, to guarantee that this country remains strong and able to promote a healthy middle class. Please do so. Please help Congress pass real healthcare reform in 2009. For all our sakes.

— Nomsa Ngugama, Camarillo

Speak up

Congress and this administration need a practical dose of economics. Not just academic theory. I am talking about reality. Real data. Hard-working taxpayers understand the value of data. Making a decision, absent a thorough collection of all data, creates poor (and dangerous) change.

Congress quickly blamed industry for Medicare and Medicaid deficiencies, yet, failed to examine the congressional contributions to the problem. For example, federal requirements imposed on California and New York created fiscal catastrophe as the size, cost and significance exceeded the original vision of its creators.

Since Medicaid’s inception, Congress loaded up on additional covered requirements and provided minimal, inadequate federal funding. As there are no free lunches in healthcare, Congress essentially shifted about 43 percent of the ever-upward cost onto someone else’s tab (i.e., the states, private industry and private insurance companies) and the costs are ultimately passed on to the consumer.

Add to the above litigation. The fact that Congress seeks to implement a public program ensures not just congressional meddling, but also exposes every company and service provider to litigation. There are no caps on litigation costs — and the costs are always passed on to the consumer.

For example, in California, a federal judge’s 2006 decision seized control of the prison-health system and forced the state to pay billions for new health spending as demanded by the appointed federal overseer. Add a few Sonia Sotomayors to the court and the bench will continue to expand these demands on the states — again without full federal funding. As citizens, it’s our responsibility to speak up.

— Kellie Moore, Oxnard

Look at Canada’s system

The president’s blue-ribbon committee on healthcare appears helplessly in impasse. So far, no proposed system on the table has met with agreement, largely due to perceived costs. The Washington Post has noted, “Almost 30 key lawmakers helping draft landmark healthcare legislation have financial holdings in the health industry, totaling nearly $11 million worth of personal investments.” Could this have something to do with the impasse?

What if someone came up with a system that:

— Insured every U.S. citizen.

— Provided affordable healthcare for all.

— Resulted in a healthier nation.

— Led to more efficient reimbursement for doctors and other healthcare providers.

— Returned the power to doctors rather than insurance companies to make all medical decisions.

— Allowed U.S. industry to be far more competitive in the world marketplace.

— Could result in an actual reduction of total per-capita costs to the U.S.

There is a healthy example of such a system to the north. We may not want to replicate every aspect of Canada’s system, but, surely, it deserves our careful consideration.

According to the World Health Organization, our national healthcare costs per capita are about twice those of Canada. At the same time, it seems that the Canadians also enjoy a significantly greater life expectancy and a notably lower infant mortality rate.

The chief complaint against the Canadian and other such single-payer, universal health systems is something akin to “This is socialistic!” To this, I’d like to refer to a recent AARP Magazine interview with Lee Iacocca, the renowned capitalist and former CEO of Chrysler Corp. A few decades back, he had engineered a successful multibillion-dollar “bailout” loan from Uncle Sam, which saved Chrysler. He mentioned in the interview on healthcare that he had found his cars could be manufactured in Canada for up to 20 percent less.

Can you believe any standard bearer of our sacred, free, private-enterprise would turn down such a competitive-edge potential just to win a semantics argument over a health- system label?

— Bob McCampbell, Ventura

Window dressing

Why does The Star think the insurance companies need to be involved in healthcare reform? Why is it a bad thing if a government-sponsored health insurance plan is cheaper and drives them out of business?

Insurance companies and the big healthcare providers are corporations. By law, a corporation is obligated to increase profits for its shareholders. They take about 30 percent off the top for overhead and profit. The more care they can deny without getting sued, the more profit for them.

That is why our medical costs per person are about twice that of any other country. The other Western industrialized nations all have better health outcomes than we do. The reforms they offered to President Barack Obama are minor window dressing and will not solve the problem. I am very disappointed he is buying their line of baloney.

We can fix the system now or we can wait until it totally collapses and we are forced to fix it. It is estimated that 18,000 to 20,000 Americans die each year because they cannot afford the medical care and tests they need. That number will go up every year until we fix the problem.

— Alex Magdaleno, Camarillo

A new direction

Ever since President Harry Truman tried to initiate a national healthcare program, the Republican Party has always been quick to start shouting “socialism or socialized medicine.” The party is alive and well, at least the anti-national healthcare committee.

After the collapse of the Soviet republics, the term “socialism” no longer is understood to mean “communism,” but the term still is attached to those “socialistic European countries” like France, Germany and the UK. Are there some of us already on socialized medicine? You bet! It is called Medicare, and a host of senior citizens above a certain age is benefiting from it every day.

Last November, nearly 80 percent of the electorate chose to see our country take a new direction, away from the path we followed over the last eight years. Ignoring the old way of labeling every new health plan something we shouldn’t want, like “socialized medicine,” our new administration is coming up with a plan that may finally work and actually cover those 46 million or so of our fellow citizens who have no health insurance. Isn’t it time to cheer them on? It is the key to returning to a sound fiscal policy and restoring health to our economy.

— the Rev. John P. Fuller, Retired Episcopal priest, Oxnard

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