Many people are suggesting that the Democrats (or Republicans, for that matter) could avoid the need for real cost controls by various methods, such as selling insurance across state lines, or an "insurance exchange" for individual insurance. They suggest that the sicker risk pool made up of those not in group plans could be expanded by eliminating pesky regulations that make insurance in some states more comprehensive than others.
They say they want incremental change but then they are sneakily trying to avoid all of the changes that other countries all use that could incrementally make healthcare affordable. We're left with nothing.
This is from an article by Marmor, Oberlander and White
"All other rich democracies concentrate purchasing power to counter the medical industry's efforts to increase costs."
" If, as in Canada and Sweden, overall medical costs are on public budgets, then officials have powerful incentives to restrain increases in medical costs to avoid reducing the funds for other public programs or having to raise taxes. "
"In other countries, such as Germany and France, insurers are nongovernmental entities (sickness funds) that are financed through payroll contributions from employers and employees. The governments of these countries regulate insurers and help them control costs. Germany, for example, regulates the level of social insurance contributions (taxes) paid by employers and workers, thereby limiting the budget for all sickness funds."
We really need the nation to understand that its a life or death matter to get real cost control. Without real cost control, millions of Americans can't afford REAL healthcare, they will get increasingly expensive, abbreviated, healthcare, that increasingly kills people.
"Lower prices for medical care are the major explanation for the much lower medical costs of all the other rich democracies relative to the United States. Competing explanations—that the U.S. population is particularly unhealthy or that Americans use many more medical services—are largely false. In a detailed examination of health care spending patterns, the McKinsey Global Institute concluded that the United States population is "not significantly sicker" than that of Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or the United Kingdom. The McKinsey Global Institute also found that "U.S. patients consume approximately 20% less prescription drugs" in 9 therapeutic areas than do patients in Germany, Canada, or the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the average number of hospital days per year in the United States is the second lowest among 12 comparison countries, although American patients receive more inpatient surgeries and imaging services than patients in most peer countries . Other studies similarly conclude that "the prices of care, not the amount of care delivered, are the primary difference between the United States and other countries" in health care spending."
These problems are crucially important to getting affordable health care.
Obama must not sell us out. Its not an option.
And "leading" is not leading us to the insurance and drug company-sponsored slaughter.
Strangely, the Obama administration is ignoring other nations' time tested tools for making healthcare affordable, and is instead, trying to avoid discussing them by sending us on a four year long "wild goose chase".
Its a question of taking action.
Democrats, your saying NO to the drug companies and the insurance companies is not negotiable for America. You can't sell us out and get away with it.
They have been living high on the hog while American families are bankrupted
because, you, "our" politicians take handouts from them,
and give them handouts in return.
Things must REALLY change.
The private insurance model, such as Massachusetts's,
has huge weaknesses, intolerable waste, and no ability to control real costs.
That's why we are seeing huge premium hikes, everywhere.
To preserve their profits, and insulate the politcians
from responsibility in return,
they take more and more money away from care,
leaving Americans with terrible, worstening
healthcare they still can't afford..
Politicians, stop trying to cover cost hikes and your
lies up with denial.
This isn't rocket science.
The rest of the world DEALS with it!