Health Care? Common Sense?

Health care is one of the most vital issues for children starting while they are still in the womb. The current system we have in the United States really makes no sense at all and makes it extremely hard for young mothers to get the care they need for themselves and their children.

The basic concept behind having health care in the United States of America is that you have to be able to work! It is a “perk” of working and how good a coverage you get depends on what size and what type of company. If you work for a large corporations in a competitive industry you get great benefits, if you work for a non-profit providing social services work it is not so great, with many layers in between.

• Higher paying job = better coverage= less out of pocket health care expenses.
• Lower paying job = less or no coverage = more out of pocket health care expenses.

Basics of healthcare in USA:

• employers with 50 or more full time employee’s are required to supply healthcare or pay a penalty
• employers contract with insurance companies to create and purchase plans for employees
• employee’s who work full time can then enroll or “purchase” health insurance from the employee (full time hours vary by company range between 32 – 40 hrs. a week, IRS = 30+ a week)
• the insurance companies contract with doctors, hospitals, labs, drug stores and pharmaceutical companies to provide services, what fee’s the insurance company will pay and what comes out of the patients pocket.
• if you do not work or work for a company not providing insurance options you may qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, if not you can try to find affordable coverage on the open market. Or you have no coverage and hope you don’t get sick or have an accident.

It is a competitive, profit driven process that grew out of worker shortages during WWII. The current system design mostly benefits the stockholders of the insurance companies. Insurance by design is a form of gambling, they collect premiums for services they are betting you never need. DOES IT MAKE ANY SENSE?

COMMON SENSE QUESTIONS:

Why do we trust our health care to financial insurance companies?

Do we expect an insurance company to approve medical services if it is going to cause them to lose money? they go out of business if they lose too much money.

When you are facing a financial down turn what it one of the first things you think about cutting? for many it is health insurance, if they are healthy, employers cut employee benefits and health insurance companies deny services

Is it a good thing to have so many non-medical levels (middle men) deciding on what healthcare is right for you? I know I would rather the decision be between me and a trusted healthcare provide with cost not being a factor.