Healthcare is such a personal thing…
– From the health insurance plan I choose, to the way I choose to pay for it, Healthcare is a personal thing.
-From the way I choose to take care of myself through diet, and exercise, and education – and even disease management, healthcare is personal. (Conversely, the way I choose NOT to take care of myself is a very personal thing, too.)
-Even the way I choose to access healthcare is a personal thing. I can pretty much choose the provider I want based on the insurance plan I choose, and the finances I choose to put toward my care (and the level of risk I’m comfortable with). Today, my personal healthcare system may include providers in Costa Rica, South Korea, Miami – or even Marshfield, Wisconsin for crying out loud! It’s MY choice; it’s what I choose.
Right now, MOST U.S. citizens have the same freedom to build their own, personal health and healthcare plan/system. Most people can buy; can sell; can measure – they can even prescribe within the system they’re in. Most people can choose whatever medical care they care to have – and care to pay for…soooo, what’s so wrong with this picture?
The More the Merrier?
I’m guessing that the people who belong to the MTA and the people who read this magazine have the same freedom. They also have a huge stake in maintaining healthcare freedom not only because it’s their business, but it makes the MOST sense for anyone with a half a brain. More choice makes more sense for more people, don’t they? More choice means better healthcare for more people, doesn’t it?
The President of the US doesn’t think so! The same can be said for a WHOLE bunch of well-intentioned, but totally knuckle-headed citizens who are hell-bent on limiting healthcare choices and increasing Government control over MY care! (WHAT’s up with that? Am I missing something? Why is that SO hard to swallow?)
“We ALL want to reform healthcare,” Senator John McCain said the other day. We DO? “WE” who, John?
In August, when “We” were at Town Hall Meetings with pitchforks and torches – threatening to tar and feather legislators’ backsides for messing with our healthcare – who’s the “WE” who came forward and agreed a government takeover would be something we all wanted? Did you mean, Michael Moore? Hillary Clinton? The Brits? The Canucks?
And why, John, are you rushing so ‘f-in fast to jam a massive overhaul down consumers’ collective throats by Christmas? All we really want is to slow down and maybe, talk a little bit about it? We just want to know what we’re getting into.
WE are, indeed, in favor of reform that gives us more choices and better care and lower cost, but we’re not stupid, John. We know that’s NOT what your reform plan has in store for us. (And what really burns my cork: Whatever God-awful plan YOU do finally hand down to us, legislators still the freedom of your own private health plan…a plan WE pay for, but can’t use! How does THAT work?)
Lawmakers have no incentive to get OUR plan right. (I mean, what are we going to do – NOT SEEK MEDICAL CARE? Opt Out? Vote you out of office?)
You guys will screw it up – just to show us that you can get “something” done, but you have NO skin in OUR game –no concern about consequences. That’s certainly not reform WE ALL want!
A Very High Opinion of Yourself
You have a huge set of ‘stones to think you can do MY care better than I can – and can for all 300,000,000 Americans, too! YOU guys propose micromanaging a $2-Trillion Dollar Enterprise? You’re going to screw it up for everyone (except for you and your family of course, who still have the best care in the world)!
The Government will eventually take over healthcare to control of the juiciest part of the US Economy and consolidate its power in a time of crisis. I don’t want to sound like a bomb-thrower or stubborn old coot, but the 1400-pages of rules and regulations will not help my healthcare one iota (well, maybe there’s one or two iotas in there for me – but I haven’t read the whole thing). The current proposal is not going to make the best system in the world even better so, why are we ALL in favor?
Harvard Professor Regina Herzlinger wrote, “Who Killed Health Care.” She is a strong voice against a Government takeover of Healthcare. “Healthcare is in the midst of a ferocious war; four armies are battling to gain control: Health Insurers, Hospitals, the Government and Doctors!” “Yet you and I, the people who use the healthcare system and who pay for ALL of it, are not even combatants. And the Doctors, the group whose interests are most closely aligned with our welfare, are losing the war.”
“The American People must win this battle,” she writes. “A system controlled by the insurance companies or hospitals or government will kill us financially and medically – it will ruin our economy, deny us the healthcare services we need, and undermine the important genomic research that can fundamentally improve the practice of medicine and control its costs. The current system is well on its way to doing all of these terrible things right now.”
Now I REALLY am worried
When a Professor from a very liberal college writes something like that, you KNOW it’s time to get back on the tread mill, cut down on the booze, start eating better and – move to Costa Rica or something.
Herzlinger continued: “There is only one group that can prevent this damage: Consumers – you and me – working together with our doctors. I wrote this book to raise a battle cry for American consumers of health. I want you to know why we must win this war. I also delineate the battle plan that will enable us to turn healthcare into a system that is responsive to your needs and my needs – a consumer driven healthcare system.”
There has been no stronger proponent for a true, consumer driven healthcare system than the Medical Tourism Association. Since its inception, the Association has been introducing consumers to a whole new marketplace in healthcare: new facilities; new providers; new procedures; new IDEAS!
MTA has been reforming healthcare by introducing consumers to more opportunities, and making healthcare more responsive through more competition – NOT more regulation. It seems a smarter way to go; oh so simple, too.
Unfortunately, even with the MTA weapon, consumers might win a battle or two – but not a war against the Government sponsored healthcare. The Government is going through the motions right now – dividing the spoils in the legislation: What the Insurance Companies get; what the Hospitals get; what Big Pharma gets.
As the “debate” moves forward this fall, the tone will appear much more civilized than the Town Hall Riots that occurred this summer. Once back in the safe, friendly confines of Washington DC, The Three Wolves will be seated at the table with the Lamb. The vote as to what’s for dinner will be civil, and democratic, but definitely NOT what we ALL want!
A benevolent dictator, Michael Bina believes the BEST healthcare system in the world is the one he controls! So yeah, on a micro scale, Bina’s as bad as the bureaucrats – but freely admits it: michael@intellectualmarketing.com
