Dakota Beacon

National statistics, indicate approximately 15 percent of those in this country don’t carry health insurance.  That’s about 45 million people.  This includes approximately 12 – 15 million illegal aliens.  Of the rest, approximately half could afford to purchase insurance but choose not to do so. 

Health insurance premiums have risen at double digit rates for many years.  No one likes it when bills increase.  However, politicians see this as an opportunity to grow government.  With rare exceptions, none of whose names come to mind, elected officials have jumped on the bandwagon of “health care reform”, in short government control over health care. 

It’s interesting that isn’t the case with fuel prices.  The cost of a gallon of gasoline has, over the last ten years, risen at a much steeper rate than the price of health insurance.  What steps have been taken to reduce gasoline prices?  None, in fact, the opposite has happened.  The current administration has revoked coastal leases shutting down exploration off our west coast.  Exploration of prime oil sites in Alaska is prohibited.  Billions of taxpayer dollars are thrown at bio-fuels.  This even though the cost of a gallon of bio-fuel is significantly higher than gasoline and results in increased grocery bills.

To “fix” health care we are witnessing an attempt by the Federal bureaucracy to take over health care.  This is being promoted as “compassionate” and necessary to save our health care system.  The “take over”, regardless of how one tries to explain it is virtual total government control.  Every proposal to date does this, some in one way some in another.  The bottom line is complete federal control. 

Unfortunately no one is asking any of the right questions and none of the proposals address the root causes of the rapid increase in health care costs.  None of the bills addresses tort reform.  HB 3200 doesn’t mention the impact of litigation on health care costs, let alone address it. 

Litigation has forced the health care industry to aggressively practice “defensive medicine”.  This means when you go to the doctor or hospital they run a battery of tests.  Many of which, but for the threat of litigation, a responsible physician would not run; thus, higher bills.  The cost of medical malpractice insurance has become one the doctors and hospitals major cost items.  Relentless and unfounded litigation has forced these costs on us.  The same is true of pharmaceutical companies.  It is estimated that every new drug brought to market carries multi-billion dollar liability coverage.

The time it takes to bring a new drug to market in the U.S. dwarfs the process in other countries.  It is not just time that is the problem.  It is the degree of testing and the astronomical costs imposed that are the primary driver in the escalating cost of drugs in our country.  None of the proposed legislation addresses this.

All proposals mandate everyone must purchase health insurance.  All proposals set up a federal bureaucracy telling insurance companies what must be covered.  Failure to buy a policy results in penalties; so much for freedom of choice.

The debate has simply ignored is the fact today health “insurance” really isn’t what insurance was designed to do.  Today, health insurance is looked at to pay for virtually anything and everything related to health care.  It’s priced accordingly. 

If auto insurance was looked at as health insurance, it would pay for oil changes, tires, regular maintenance, fuel, car washes, windshield wiper blades and likely annual professional cleaning.  Imagine the cost of that insurance. 

Why has health insurance gotten so out of control?  It has a lot to do with government involvement.  Until the advent of Medicare, government had relatively little role in private health care.  Health insurance was exactly that, insurance.  We paid for regular health care needs out of pocket, including prescriptions. 
If we want to fix “health care insurance” we must return it to what insurance is intended to do – insure against the major and unexpected happening, not to fund everything that happens to us.  In addition we need to implement tort reform and reform how the FDA handles drug approval.

On the other hand we can adopt the 100% Solution.  If you like the way Social Security, Medicare, Medicade, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the VA and our national debt has been handled the same people want to totally manage your health care.