I think I've asked this before, but it bears repeating.

As I understand it, the only problem with America's health care is that it can be expensive to get health insurance.

Firstly, this raises the question of the financial priorities of those who CHOOSE not to buy health insurance.

Secondly, is there some reason why the market can't offer bare-bones Health Insurance policies the way they do car insurance?

Thirdly,  Has Congress done any real investigating as to the reasons why health insurance is so expensive?  Has anyone even considered legislation/regulation that would lower the COSTS of the Health Insurance industry, or did they just jump straight to socialized medicine as a "solution"?

It seems to me that the greatest cost to the Health Insurance industry (at least, the one that drives up insurance prices the most dramatically) is paying the outrageous compensation claims in tort cases (malpractice, etc).  If malpractice insurance has to cover a doctor in case of a multi-million dollar decision in a court case, then malpractice premiums go up.  If malpractice premiums go up, then doctors & hospitals must charge more in order to maintain the same income.  If doctors & hospitals charge more, YOUR health insurance premiums go up.

Am I over-simplifying this, or exaggerating the impact of tort claims on insurance costs?  Doesn't anyone believe in Tort Reform anymore?  Even Republicans?  Do I have to consider Mitt Romney's semi-socialist plan as the best alternative?  




p.s. - This is why John Edwards is such a bad joke as a candidate.  CAUSE the problem, and then run for president on the grounds that you'll fix the problem?  Is he kidding?

http://glennbeck.com he's got some videos up of him after suregery I don't know if anyone heard about this but hes going back on monday still feeling sick you guys should see the videos about him talking about healthcare.

I'll have to check it out.  I usually listen to Beck in the a.m..  I haven't been as big a fan of his since he started his tv show.  I think that he's changed quite a bit, and recently he often talks about things that are out of his league.  But, I love his take on the War; and for coverage of the Border/Illegal Immigration there is none better.  It seems to me that Rush pays lip-service to the illegal immigration problem but doesn't talk about it/report on it as much as I'd like.

Let's not underestimate the impact that John Edward's and his lawyer buddies have had on health care!

We have nurses who are spending hour upon hour charting or documenting all aspects of patient care; instead of actually caring for patients.
We have doctors who are testing for every conceivable remote possility - just to protect themselves from liability.
The cost of liability insurance for doctors, hostpitals, clinics, nurses - is a huge part in of our health care problem.

Our health care system does need a fix!  I think the vast majority understand that there are problems with our health care system.  

The problems will become a lot worse, however, if the liberals get their way, and we try to nationalize our health care.  I will put my trust in the private sector to fix our health care problems any day, before big gov't!

I suppose one of the problems that health insurance is so expensive is the inevitable cost shifting from people who do not pay but cannot be denied services onto the people who can pay.  

Of course, this kind of system has to be illegal.  If I were a consultant and billed you for work I did at another, unrelated business I imagine I would be committing fraud.  But there seems to be no problem with a hospital performing services on patient x and then recovering their costs by billing me and my insurance company for twice as much as the services should cost.  

But, with millions of lawyers working for the hospitals they have probably come up with a way to do this and avoid criminal charges.

As in many floundering enterprises where prices are out of control, we see the hand of government regulation slowly steering a market (or attempting to) into an iceberg and they watch it sink under the weight of inflation and subsidization.

The issues with out health system stem all the way back to the initiatives of Roosevelt. Once he got the Supreme Court packed, if not by his original plan under the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937, he rammed the New Deal and social insurance through congress and marked the beginning of the progressive drain on our economy. LBJ delivered medicare and medicaid, and then we saw the rise of HMOs under further government meddling. Instead cutting cost, they drove the market to measures that have raised costs, and have developed a public that has a culture of wasteful spending on healthcare costs since much of it is padded from the end user.

People who advocate government regulation fail to observe the law of unintended consequences and massive historical precedent that backs it up time and again. Markets, like the weather and our climate, have forces that are beyond our control, but also seek equilibrium. Gov't meddling, however, can throw the whole thing off, at least when it comes to our economy.

In our world there will NEVER be the equality or egalitarian society that liberals seek. The best you can shoot for is the equal self-value of individuals and the freedom to exercise your abilities to your ends in this truly blessed land of America.