FreeOurHealthcareNow.com Says No to Socialized Medicine

The nation’s health is at stake

People in America have gotten used to freedom of choice. From a consumer finance standpoint, choosing an instant payday loan or online cash advance is a right no government should be able to take away. Many people hold a similar view when it comes to the thorny issue of healthcare in this country. The free market has given many people the ability to make choices that best suit their medical needs. However, a large (and perhaps mostly silent) group of people are finding that choice means nothing when none of the choices are affordable.

This is the group of people President Obama has in mind when he encourages America to move toward socialized medicine. This is a red hot button topic in politics these days. The concept of the cream of the income crop paying more into the healthcare system so that those less fortunate can have access to care has its supporters and detractors. Supporters cite successful examples from Canada, the United Kingdom, France and even the American Veterans Administration system of hospitals, saying that the level ground makes for a happier, healthier populace. Detractors claim socialized medicine subsidizes the irresponsible behavior of others who abuse their bodies and paralyzes private health insurance providers. Furthermore, they suggest that healthcare systems like those in Canada don’t always work.

FreeOurHealthcareNow.com says no

An unknown group is using FreeOurHealthcareNow.com as an online petition that people can sign if they think that socialized medicine is the wrong option for America. They are particularly concerned about government-run health insurance and care. Their petition reads as follows:

President Obama and Congress are pushing “reform” that will move America closer to a government-run system like Canada or Britain. If they succeed, most Americans will no longer be able to keep the insurance they have. Instead, they will be forced into a government-run health insurance market, with most people enrolled in a government-run health plan.

I support the following as key elements of any health care reform plan:

Choice: I support the right to choose my own doctor and to choose a health insurance plan that best fits my family’s needs and budget.

Access: I want to get the treatment I need, when I need it, without delay or denial and I want my health care to be patient-centered rather than government-centered.

Fairness: I want the same tax breaks employers get if I have to pay for may own health insurance; and I want government assistance redirected to those that truly need help.

Responsibility: I want more control to cover my own health care decisions and I want a system that encourages everyone to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse. I want insurance I can take with me if I have to change jobs.

In closing, FreeOurHealthcareNow.com prompts citizens to declare this: “I, the undersigned citizen of the United States, petition the U.S. Congress to stop any increased role of the government in my health care decisions, I also petition the U.S. Congress to protect my right to choose my own doctors and hospitals without delay or denial, to obtain care that is patient-centered, and to have health insurance that is personal, portable and best suits my needs.”

Americans will have the chance to choose very soon

It appears Democratic lawmakers are at least willing to put the socialized medicine option out there to see if it sticks. But most do not agree with President Obama’s hearty endorsement of it. They want to continue to offer improved private options.

But make no mistake, you must choose. If you don’t, you just might be hit with tax hikes.

David Espo reports for the Associated Press that senior House Democrats are “considering slapping an unspecified financial penalty on anyone who refuses to purchase affordable health insurance.” Furthermore, Democrats are considering a new tax on certain insurance benefits as a means of covering those who have been uninsured.

Choice A or Choice B

Private insurance or the government option are your choices. Under the House Democratic plan, “individuals and small businesses would be able to purchase coverage from a health exchange and the government would require all plans to contain a minimum benefit,” writes Espo. One welcome aspect of this is that applicants would be exempt from rejection or a higher premium due to pre-existing conditions.

Then there’s the Medicaid upgrade option. Democrats are seeking a uniform level of coverage across the nation. A revamped Medicaid would also up the payments to health professionals (thanks to a tax hike, doubtless).

“Play or pay”

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., who is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has confirmed that there will be a penalty for those who refuse to buy coverage they can afford. It’s “play or pay.” Waivers would be available for those who could not cover the cost of insurance.

“There is no use having a mandate without a contribution,” he said.

Democratic leaders hope to pass legislation in both houses by early August. Then they hope that a compromise measure will be ready for the president’s signature by the fall.

$1 trillion over 10 years

Financing socialized medicine as Obama envisions it could cost $1 trillion over the next decade, experts predict. Cutting Medicare payments to home health care, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, hospitals and others to cover the expense has been considered, but it is unclear how effective that would be at closing the expense gap. The idea welcomes a rash of other criticisms as well.

Locating areas for saving within the private insurance market is still underway, and this would perhaps be an ideal option to the majority of those concerned. Raising taxes on healthcare would go against the president’s previous pronouncements, but sometimes a politician has to do a 180 and be willing to go face down in the mud.

Getting rid of dead weight

Obama would be mostly alone there if he went with socialized medicine. FreeOurHealthcareNow.com would suey like a pig headed for a future in bacon. But Senator Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, would apparently be in Obama’s corner. According to Espo, she has been searching for a compromise that would hold government-funded healthcare as a last resort for those who cannot afford insurance, even after a Congressional overhaul of the current diseased system.

Personally, I’m willing to pay higher taxes for universal healthcare. The private system has had time to regulate itself via competition and it clearly hasn’t worked. If self-regulation were possible, I’d consider that first, to be sure. However, I look at healthcare and education as basic human rights (not privileges). If socialized medicine becomes a reality in America, I would like to see private companies be absorbed into the process rather than see them simply disappear. Of course some turnover would be inevitable, but I’d like to limit that to some of the top healthcare executive class (expensive dead weight). They’d serve America better hawking ShamWows or joining hands to form live border fences. Once in a while, consumers can pitch in with an instant payday loan or online cash advance to feed them. Because they mustn’t leave their posts near places like Juarez or the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. Leaving their positions is bad for our health.

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