I hope the readers of the opinion page are as concerned as I am about how we are progressing with health care reform.
With close to 50 million of us without health insurance, and just as many underinsured, we should be concerned. With more than 50 percent of the bankruptcies being secondary to health care bills, we need to have reform. When companies are stopping benefits, going out of business and going off shore, at least in part due to health care expense, we must hold our representatives responsible to the need of the population.
One of the suggestions that would save consumers a great deal of money is to have a federal program that would be an alternative to commercial insurance. Medicare is a program that works and has a lower overhead (about 3 percent) than the overhead of commercial plans (usually in the range of 20-30 percent). This overhead cost provides no care and is a great burden to our country. The insurance companies spend money to avoid paying claims and earn greater profits. If they had to compete with Medicare, we would benefit.
Why is it that we are hearing less about a government-run plan? Why are we seeing more concern about socialized medicine? Are you afraid? You are meant to be. Medicare is not socialized medicine, since it does not employ the doctors or own the hospitals. Our VA and military health care systems are socialized medicine. They work very well. Nobody seems worried about them being socialized.
The reason we are not getting what we want despite more than 60 percent of the population being in favor of health care reform is the undue influence of the insurance companies, pharmaceutical industry and instrument manufacturers on our Congress. They contribute billions to elect our senators and representatives, who as a result are in their debt.
The big banks are also influencing our Congress. You can see how that works. We are paying for their greed.
The only way we can counteract this undue influence is to put our pressure on our members of Congress to produce meaningful reform. Tell them they are responsible for our health. Push your representatives to do something. Remind them that if we don’t get what we need, we can find others who might do a better job.
Physician Anthony J. Roon lives in Tulalip.
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