During this morning’s Morning Business in the Senate I heard Arizona’s Jon Kyle use the current financial straits that Medicare is in as an argument against the “public option.” He’s right, that Medicare’s financial condition is perilous, to say the least. That it is, however, is not traceable to the basic premises underlying the program. Medicare, like Social Security, is in serious trouble because repeated administrations have repeatedly seen both programs as cash cows they could rob, to make the federal financial statements appear better than they were. The deductions from their paychecks for Medicare and Social Security that Americans were weekly sending to Washington were dumped into the General Fund. If the executive branch, with willing support from the legislative, had kept its grubby paws out of the cookie jar, both programs would be on a sound footing today. Kyle’s argument is intentionally and knowingly bogus BS.
Mitch McConnell (KY-R) brought up a few examples of folks from countries that had a single-payer system who died of brain cancers, unable to secure timely testing. “In government programs like that, many come over here for treatment because in their system they have to wait for care.”
Okay Mitch, I can sing that song. More than a decade ago, I had a very young family member who was battling cancer. (Because I have not secured the permission of the parents, I am not at liberty to disclose the identity of that family member.) The doctors recommended a particular therapy. Months and months passed, with the insurance company denying every appeal. And at the tender age of 23, the patient succumbed. (I think it’s relevant to note the deceased was a straight ‘A’ student through public school, a 4.0 GPA college undergrad and MBA student, and a student who earned that MBA; posthumously awarded to the parents by the governor of the state at the memorial service.)
Was it the insurance company’s fault that the patient died? It was cancer. Who can say, one way or another, for sure? All that is for certain is that the insurance company said “No” to the patient and the doctors and the hospital, and that beautiful person did not reach the age of 24!
There are other facts that are equally for certain, however. Such included for certain facts are that, while both Medicare and the VA treat those who are most likely to demand medical services, and while the administrative costs for Medicare and the VA are seven and five percent, respectively, the administrative costs for the private insurers, businesses that cherry pick for the very healthiest customers, those the very least likely to make an insurance claim, are in the 30 percent range, and that $400 BILLION is needlessly consumed in their care denying bureaucracies and seven- to ten-figure executive compensation packages. (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Raz2R_82ugE)
Care denying bureaucracies? Not only was a direct family member of mine affected, mortally as it turned out, millions and millions of American insureds are effected every day. The interests of the for-profit, private insurance industry are inimical to the very idea of healthcare delivery. In point of fact, in the words of Senator Sanders, “They are not in the business to provide backing to healthcare, they are in business to make as much money as they can. The more claims they deny, the more money they make.”
But there were two other senators also making speeches this morning. Prior to McConnell and Kyle, Illinois’ Democratic Senator Richard Durbin and New York’s Democratic Senator Charles Schumer propounded their take on the issue. Both spoke ardently on behalf of the inclusion of the “public option” in any reform effort. By tomorrow morning (June 10, 2009), their speeches should be available at CSPAN.org or YouTube.com, if they haven’t found their way to either site by now.
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One of the senate hearings on the topic is this coming Thursday. More will follow. Regardless, either we will have some aspect of “reform” by the end of this year, or we’ll have none for perhaps another 20. Next year is an election year. No politician is going to do anything adventuresome or courageous in 2010.
You can sit by and hope for the best. You can pray. However, neither have ever been shown to be helpful in moving others to do what you want them to do. That’s because those you would move can’t hear you . . . until you make it impossible for them not to be able to. I recommend sending a letter, not an email, to one of the three sympathetic senators I mentioned. Even if it’s only a phone call or an email . . . just do something on behalf of yourself and your family and your country’s economic future. Or, perhaps you have something more important to take care of?
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Senator Richard Durbin
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
