Other Issues Around The U.S. House Health Care Plan

SEARCH BLOG: HEALTH CARE

Nearly everyone concedes that the Democratic Party Health Care Plan simply doesn't address basic reform needs:

First and paramount, is the need for tort reform. This gargantuan issue has been successfully ignored by the trial-lawyer happy Democratic Party and they will continue to do so. But the effects have been recognized for a long time. It's in the Congressional Record. Of course, being in the Congressional Record doesn't make it so, but do your own math. The billions of dollars in added health care cost from jury awards leads to higher malpractice insurance costs which leads to millions of unnecessary tests ordered by physicians to cover their asses so that they don't have to face an award-happy jury.

Second is health maintenance versus damage control. If the Democratic Party feels it is necessary to penalize wealthier Americans for the poor habits of the poor Americans, then it once again has successfully avoided a major problem within our system. Lousy eating habits and smoking/drugs/alcohol... among other things... will chew up a great portion of the Democratic Party damage control plan because there is nothing in the plan to say to people contributing mightily to their own poor health that they have to change or don't look to anyone else to rescue them when their bodies fail. But that might lose the Democratic Party a lot of votes.

Third is the government's own antiquated health advice about eating a high carbohydrate, low fat diet that has led to all sorts of innovative fat and meat substitutes that have created several generations of sick hearts and diabetes-racked bodies. Eat a lot of grains and fruit... loaded with sugars or starch that convert to fat through over-production of insulin... that leads to insulin resistance... that leads to diabetes.

[source: National Institutes of Health]

Why do you suppose so many pasta lovers are so fat? The fact that grain-based food is so cheap [corn, wheat, and rice are subsidized by the government] and the government continues to push bad advice makes the government about as bad for our nation's health as drug dealers on the street corners... and affect the poor who can't afford the damage control system more than any other class. This is perhaps the most misunderstood and neglected area of health care and maintenance.

Fourth is the drug industry that is continued to be incentived to produce pills as the solution for governmental and individual stupidity or ignorance. You can hardly blame entrepreneurs for recognizing a money-making opportunity when the government throws one at them. Billions of dollars for costly pills to control problems that wouldn't occur with some good information and personal effort. Sure, our bodies are not perfect and drugs do a lot of good for a lot of people. But there is a lot of misinformation leading to unnecessary poor-health conditions leading to unnecessary consumption of expensive pills.

No, its just so much easier to take away our liberties, over-tax the most productive segment of our population, and create a bureaucracy-laden system that delivers "you can't have it your way health care."

For a slightly different perspective, look here. [h/t Carpe Diem] Yes, and this can only be done if the four points above are addressed. Otherwise, you do what you did and you get what you got.

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