Readers of this blog will know that I am an avid supporter of Bill Richardson's candidacy for president. I have no doubt that with his vast and varied experience in all aspects of government, he is easily the most qualified candidate. I have supported him on this blog and I have donated to his campaign.
As Badtux the Snarky Penguin says, we've tried the attractive candidates with good hair and that hasn't worked out. Maybe we should try the competent fat guy with bad hair.
But I've promised myself that I'm going to be honest on this blog. And if I'm going to be honest I have to admit that the "universal health care" plan that Richardson is proposing is disappointing at the very least. He has accepted the same mistaken notion of the other major candidates -- that the only thing wrong with our system is that it doesn't cover everyone.
Richardson has promised to cover everyone with health insurance. If you can afford it, he's going to guarantee you the same insurance that our congressmen get. But if you're not lucky enough to be able to afford that, then you get something less. Our veterans will be covered with a "heroes" card and improved veteran's hospitals. The elderly and the poor will be left with Medicare and Medicaid. Still seems like the best care will be given to those with the most money.
But as unfair as that is, that is not the major flaw in his plan. Like all the other major candidates, he wants to leave the insurance companies in charge of our health care. Instead of getting the care a doctor recommends, you will get the care that the insurance company will pay for.
Of course, these insurance companies are in business to make as large a profit as possible. The more care they deny to their customers (victims?), the larger profits they make. They have a built-in incentive to deny the newest and most effective treatments, because these will cut into their precious profits.
Our health care problems will never be solved until we remove the profit motive from health care coverage. We also need to put doctors back in charge of making medical decisions. It is ridiculous to let insurance executives decide what treatment we will receive.
We need a government-run single-payer system, but sadly, not a single major candidate is brave enough to support it. Kucinich does support it, but he will probably be out of the race by the time Texas holds its primary.
I think the time is ripe for single payer. When I explain it to friends and family (liberal or conservative), most are open to it. EVERYONE I know hates the current health care debacle and more of the same is not going to fix it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting column on France's healthcare system in the Boston Globe:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/08/11/frances_model_healthcare_system/
One of the items that caught my eye: "However, the average American physician earns more than five times the average US wage while the average French physician makes only about two times the average earnings of his or her compatriots." The knee-jerk reaction of physicians in this country is therefore to resist a system such as this and without the support of physicians, a single-payer system will not come to pass.
Why don't we take the best from the French, Canadian, British, etc., and then create our own system?
ReplyDeleteWe don't have to completely copy anyone to develop a much better system than we have.