A large part of the problem in dealing with the shouters is their lack of knowledge of the subject matter. While they rail against "Obamacare" and "Death Panels" and socialized medicine, and they say, "I want to keep my employer sponsored healthcare", they have no idea what their healthcare costs, or even what it covers.
This is because most people who have insurance from their employer never see the money they contribute. Employers contribute to the health care costs, and then they deduct your portion from your paycheck, along with your Fica and Social Security. What employees see is their gross pay, and their net pay, and that is it. This was brought home to me at work today.
I'm a stay at home dad, and I do my wife's medical billing as well. Today I spoke with a client who had a question about her deductible. Actually, she had a question about deductibles. It seems she has had "Cadillac Plan" with no deductible and low co-pays. When she received a bill from us, her first question was, "Is that really how much you charge an hour?" She had been a client with us for two years, and not once had checked to see how much she was being charged and how much the insurance company paid. She only looked at her bottom line, "How much do I owe?" Not that she is alone. Most people with good health insurance don't check the details.
She said that when she started with her company 5 years ago, part of the deal she negotiated was that they would pay her health care. She worked hard and didn't want to think about medical stuff. Now, 5 years later, that part of negotiating her contract is gone. Her company had to reduce their coverage because costs had out priced themselves.
This happens to companies every year. They try to keep good, affordable health insurance for their employees, but then comes the year that they have to make the choice. Sometimes they ask, "Would you be willing to pay 30% more to keep this level insurance?" Most of the time, they just change the benefit and hope the employees won't notice. And most of the time, the employees don't notice. . .until they need to use their insurance, and realize that their Cadillac plan is now a Chevrolet, and that anytime soon it will be a Yugo.
That was the experience our client had today. The Health Care debate hit her hard when she opened her bill. "Toto, I'm afraid we're not in Kansas anymore." I'm sure she still has no idea what her lifetime benefit is, whether experimental treatments are covered, or even if routine wellness is covered. Again, most people don't know these important basic coverage points, so I would not expect her to know them either.
So what can we gain from this observation? Quite simply: talking points. First of all, you need to do a little homework. One, know how much you pay for your healthcare. Check your pay stub and look at the breakdown. Second, know your deductibles and co-pays, and be able to explain what they are and how they work. Third, know what your lifetime benefits are. This is kind of a bonus point, but useful all the same.
If you know these basic facts about your policy, then you have a great deal of ammo when you are challenged about Health care. You can ask them about their plan. Simply stated, "If your plan is so good that you are willing to risk the future of America to protect it, then I want a piece of it." And that is true. If they have a great plan that doesn't cost a ton and gives them access to all the health care they need, then I want that plan. That's why I'm fighting the Shouters, and the Deathers, and the Birthers at every angle, with every argument that I can find. Most likely they will keep shouting. But they may go home and look at their paycheck when they get home, and then maybe they won't shout as loud.
Post Script
As I was writing this, a thought occurred to me. When people are yelling about how bad their taxes are, they usually are thinking about the difference between their gross pay and their net pay. For most people, the majority of that difference comes from their benefits, and not taxes. If this is true, ironic would not begin to describe that situation.