Free Health Care – I Doubt it

Well, I guess it’s our turn to be ever vigilent of what Democrats have in store for us, might as well have fun with it. 

What happened to the FREE Health Care I was supposed to get?

Max Baucus , the head of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, laid down a marker on a health care overhaul Wednesday, . . . would not wait for the new president to move forward on the issue.

. . . .

Many details in Baucus’ plan match with what President-elect Barack Obama proposed during the campaign but it also includes elements, such as an individual mandate to buy coverage, that break with the president-elect.

Obama has proposed offering health care access for all Americans, but without a requirement that they be covered.

The centerpiece of Baucus’ proposal, which he developed independently over the course of the 110th Congress, is the creation of a “health insurance exchange,” where insurers could SELL plans to the uninsured.

Rest of story here 

Note this is not BO’s plan.  I’m pretty certain Barack Obama ran on a platform that he would not make it mandatory – people should not be forced to choose between making their health insurance payment over buying groceries.  A mandate is a tax.  Yes, something needs to be done about health coverage.  Yes, all children should have the benefit of health insurance.  Yes, it should be illegal for a health insurance company to deny coverage of necessary procedures, or dump them off the policy when they get sick, after years of paying into the plan. 

 

What do I mean by that?  Well, a friend of mine started having severe lower back pain several years ago.  Her doctor scheduled an MRI which revealed that her uteral cancer had returned (the dr. thought she damaged her back) – she had been in remission for many years.  She had been insured all her life, and made her payments faithfully.  Her insurance company denied the claim for the MRI because they felt it was an “unnecessary procedure.”  She died several months later and her family was still fighting the insurance company.  I’ve had a few claims of my own denied that I’ve had to fight.  

It’s difficult to find a doctor that will accept you as a patient if you have no health insurance so the uninsured is forced to go to the County Emergency Room.  Many of the doctors that will treat you, charge you more than what they receive from the insurance companies.

I don’t know what the best answer is to this problem, I personally liked Congressman Duncan Hunter’s plan. 

I’m guessing the plan Senator Baucus is submitting will give health insurance companies/lobbyists even more power than they already have.  Mega companies will lobby for the contracts.  It won’t be about who has the best plan, it will be who donates the most money to our representatives, which one is offering choice positions to friends/family in return for a favorable vote.

Yep, we’re going to have keep our eyes open and demand our Republicans fight back against the onslaught that will be brought upon them.