Slow Learners

Repeat after me. “Private is not always better.” And, “Government regulation is not all bad.” These phrases represent the ideological thinking that has battered an already weak Medicare. Congress let the private insurers in and they are sucking life blood out of the system. Touch them, congress, and you risk a veto. We pay the private insurers more than the cost of original Medicare We are subsidizing the insurance companies. Welfare for the insurers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14mon1.html?tntemail1=y&_r=1&oref=slogin&emc=tnt&pagewanted=print

When will we learn that if we give money to people or companies, it has to come with rules. Take a long look at the German health care system. It has been in place for 125 years and the Germans like it. Yes, the doctors moan a bit. They earn one third less than American docs. They still earn more than lawyers and other professionals.

What makes it work are the rules which govern how the money is spent. While there are some 250 private insurers, what they charge and what they spend is regulated. Workers and employers contribute but for the employer, it costs less than in the US. In Germany, 0.2% of people are not covered by health insurance. Most of them are illegal aliens. In the US 18% or 47 million American citizens are uninsured. Are we so short sighted and stubborn that we refuse to learn from those who seem to be doing it right? The only answer seems to be sadly, yes. When we bankrupt Medicare, where will we go from there?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91971406

by Kae Hentges