Excellent post. The burden of healthcare on small businesses and their employees is just too much. I think the following is very telling in how we got started down this awful road.
This is a transcript of the 1971 conversation between President Richard Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman that led to the HMO act of 1973: John D. Ehrlichman: “On the … on the health business …” President Nixon: “Yeah.” Ehrlichman: “… we have now narrowed down the vice president’s problems on this thing to one issue and that is whether we should include these health maintenance organizations like Edgar Kaiser’s Permanente thing. The vice president just cannot see it. We tried 15 ways from Friday to explain it to him and then help him to understand it. He finally says, ‘Well, I don’t think they’ll work, but if the President thinks it’s a good idea, I’ll support him a hundred percent.’” President Nixon: “Well, what’s … what’s the judgment?” Ehrlichman: “Well, everybody else’s judgment very strongly is that we go with it.” President Nixon: “All right.” Ehrlichman: “And, uh, uh, he’s the one holdout that we have in the whole office.” President Nixon: “Say that I … I … I’d tell him I have doubts about it, but I think that it’s, uh, now let me ask you, now you give me your judgment. You know I’m not too keen on any of these damn medical programs.” Ehrlichman: “This, uh, let me, let me tell you how I am …” President Nixon: [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: “This … this is a …” President Nixon: “I don’t [unclear] …” Ehrlichman: “… private enterprise one.” President Nixon: “Well, that appeals to me.” Ehrlichman: “Edgar Kaiser is running his Permanente deal for profit. And the reason that he can … the reason he can do it … I had Edgar Kaiser come in … talk to me about this and I went into it in some depth. All the incentives are toward less medical care, because …” President Nixon: [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: “… the less care they give them, the more money they make.” President Nixon: “Fine.” [Unclear.] Ehrlichman: [Unclear] “… and the incentives run the right way.” President Nixon: “Not bad.” -Matt On Dec 9, 2009, at 3:26 AM, Matt Larsen - Lists wrote: > I realize that the request went out to stop this thread. However, > health care represents more cost to my business than my Internet > backbone, so it has quite a bit of bearing on my ability to do > business > and I consider this to be a good discussion to have. > > --- > > Our current health care system is a terrible mess. There is best in > the world health care available in the US - if you are very well off > or > have outstanding company provided insurance. People that are very > poor can get some basic help. Everyone in the middle is screwed - > stuck paying almost intolerable monthly premiums for shoddy insurance > and oftentimes even shoddier care. The system has been optimized to > benefit drug companies, insurance companies and the administrative > wings > of our hospital systems. It is extreme capitalism - designed by > lobbyists - and it needs to change before it strangles the life out of > the middle class. > > This is also not a partisan rant. I don't have a lot of confidence > that the current administration is going to be able to come up with > something that will make enough of a difference. I wish the Democrats > spent more time trying to figure out how to root out the corruption in > the current system instead of how to plug taxpayer money into the > leaking dike. The corruption has always been there, but the last > Republican administration was happy to provide fertile ground for that > corruption to grow and really take off. I'm equally torqued off at > both parties! > > I have several personal, painful examples of the failures in our > health > care system. > > At our staff meeting earlier this week, I found out that our health > insurance premium was increasing by $1100/month. There is no > increase > in benefit for my employees or anything else that would justify this > increase. My monthly bill was $5600/month before, now it is going to > be $6700/month. This is for a business that has 7 full time > employees > and one part timer (who is the wife of another employee). Health > insurance is now costing me ~$1000 per employee, per month. That is > $84,000 per year! We are scrambling to find a new provider, and > should > be able to transfer to another health insurance company in January > sometime - but it is going to cost us a ton in lost time and > productivity, along with another round of policy transfer costs. I > know, because we have had to do it four times now in the six years we > have been in business. The insurance we have is pretty minimal - > high > deductibles and no frills at all, no one is really old or particularly > unhealthy and no one is really happy with it. I'm giving some > thought > to bringing back the "you are on your own" system that my dad used to > implement on the ranch. Each employee gets $x/month to pay for > insurance or put into savings for health care expenses - and it is > their > responsibility. I have a feeling that plan is not going to get a > lot of > acceptance. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. > > Here is another example. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and had to > get a CPAP machine. I used to play in a band with the guy who sells > the CPAP machines and found out a lot about how the business side > works. > I had to pay $350 for the machine. He billed my insurance company > $1500. The insurance company only paid $900 because he has to > provide > them some kind of discount. The insurance company had a new reason to > raise my rates. Everyone had their finger in the pie. Amazingly > enough, could have bought the same machine online for $500, but > instead > our health care system is set up to increase costs at all points along > the transaction path. Good for capitalism, bad for consumers. > Unfortunately, this example is inconsequential when compared to the > far > larger examples of gross abuse of accounting and paperpushing that is > driving our health care costs through the roof. > > The most painful example has to do with sanitation. Apparently, our > hospitals have some problems with basic sanitation and view > sterilization procedures as "unnecessary and belittling bureaucratic > intrusion." I read an article about this in the Atlantic monthly - > http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care - and instantly > felt a > surge of anger and sadness about this story of failures in our health > care system. The author of the article lost his father due in part > to > complications from infections that he got while in the hospital. I > lost my father in 2004, and although the "technical" cause of death > was > a heart attack, the heart attack was actually caused by a blood clot > that lodged in his heart. The clot was precipitated by the blood > thinners that he was on at the time that were part of the response > to a > staph infection that he got while he was in the hospital being treated > for something else. The Wall Street Journal - > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123854497651476109.html - suggests > that > nearly 200,000 people a year die because of clotting after surgery or > illness and that these deaths are preventable. The resolutions to > the > sanitation problems and preventable clotting deaths are basically > little > or no cost to implement, but they are seen as an intrusion. > Apparently, there is a lot of entitlement on the high end of the > health > care scale too, in the form of doctors and administrators that can't > be > bothered to do the right thing. Best health care system in the > world? I don't think so. > > All this being said, the prospect of government run, single payer > insurance doesn't bother me at all. It costs my business $84,000 a > year right now for shitty health insurance for my employees. I > would > gladly pay higher taxes to be rid of that burden - or at least get > it to > the point where we have a stable system that works the same way year > after year and covers the basic needs of most people. Anyone who > doesn't like it can just keep their insurance and go to the private > practices and pay whatever they want to. > > Whether you agree with me or not, you should take the time to read > this > article in the Atlantic about health care - > http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care - it was a painful > read for me, but a big eye opener and the best summary I have come > across yet about our health care system and its failings. Take the > time - you will not regret it. > > Matt Larsen > vistabeam.com > > > > > MDK wrote: >> Every country with a government run medical system.... Denies >> routine >> medical care, extraordinary medical care, or expensive medical care >> on a >> routine basis. This is why babies delivered by the NHS hospitals in >> Britain are less than 90% born in a hospital room or delivery >> room. The >> rest are born in hallways, waiting rooms, streets, cabs, or >> ambulances >> because there are no available rooms. And, this number hasn't >> changed >> significantly in years and will not change, because the government >> simply >> hasn't enough money to expand facilities. >> >> This is why in some cities in Canada, the wait for the assignment >> of a >> personal physician can take up to 5 years. The government can't >> hire >> enough doctors, and those that are hired have no incentive to take on >> greater case loads. >> >> This is why Veterinarians in Canada have near instant access to MRI >> machines, while people do not. Veterinary services are free >> market, >> people's service are socialized. >> >> In every case, the government balances it's books by simply denying >> services >> or delaying services to people. >> >> But, of course, if a government beaurocrat denies treatment, like >> was done >> for my mother, the patient just dies and we all mutter "ooh, that's >> so sad" >> and we go on our way, secure in the fact that it wasn't our failure >> to pull >> out our wallets and give to help the needy, but if someone dies >> because they >> themselves could not afford to pay for it (as opposed to the agency >> budget >> not having the money), we get to get all righteous and get on our >> soapbox >> and yell rants and raves and excoriate those selfish bastards who are >> refusing to give Congress a few more trillion dollars a year to >> spend in >> ways to benefit themselves politically. >> >> I mean, it's so easy, once the government has to decide, not you >> having to >> decide whether you have to sacrifice for charity, your conscience >> and self >> righteousness can remain fully intact - it won't be YOUR fault they >> died >> like my mother did, because Medicare refused treatment, right? >> After all, >> Medicare denies treatment to "covered" patients MORE than any other >> insurer, >> public or private, in some cases by more than 5 times as many >> denials as >> private insurance. Yet, Medicare has the largest percentage of >> fraudulent >> payments of any insurer, BY FAR. But, hey, if it's the >> government's >> responsibility, we're morally relieved of any personal >> responsibility for >> those who suffer for a lack, right? >> >> Or, are you going to tell us that government can buy unlimited >> health care >> for everyone? >> >> -------------------------------------------------- >> From: "Matt Liotta" <mlio...@r337.com> >> Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 4:59 PM >> To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> >> Subject: Re: [WISPA] Insurance.... >> >> >>> And I guess because you know someone from Canada/Britain/France/ >>> Spain/ >>> etc that swears the healthcare is worse then they make it out to be >>> and that the US is where everyone with money goes then it must be >>> true. Let's all just ignore study after study that shows every >>> single >>> first world country has it better than the US. Sure, I'll believe >>> Cuba >>> is hiding the real story. What about the other 30+ countries that >>> have >>> better healthcare at a lower GDP cost? Are they lying too? >>> >>> -Matt >>> >>> >> >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> WISPA Wants You! Join today! >> http://signup.wispa.org/ >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org >> >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe: >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >> >> Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ >> >> > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > WISPA Wants You! 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