Momnesia

Dying for Lack of Insurance (That's Me, Riding by on My High Horse)

I know that everyone won't agree with me, and that's okay. We're all allowed our opinions. And, generally speaking, I am conservative when it comes to government intervention. It makes me feel like someone else controls too much of my life, so I tend to vote against more state or federal controls, as opposed to against it.

But that's not the case with health care. I know it terrifies doctors and others who have learned how to work within the current system of insurance company collusion and come out ahead.

But the rest of us - those who make less than a doctor or a lawyer - are being priced out of health care. Heck, I HAVE insurance, and my company's policy is very generous (Thanks, Portico!) and I still keep my visits to the bare minimum.

Stories like this one remind me as to why I feel so passionately that health care is an exception to my rather nebulous and generalized libertarianism. I know one person I work with in particular won't agree. That's great with me, because I respect her and she's a smart and caring woman with well-reasoned opinions. Her arguments against my position only make me think more critically about the issue. That has a value worth more than any dollar amount.

But while I believe strongly that everyone is responsible for his or her own fate, and that government has no place in determining that (hello, public schools! I'm talking to you!), I also believe that it's our responsibility to other humans to strive for a level playing field.

If you look at two issues that separate lifelong criminals from law-abiding citizens (and if I'm remembering correctly), access to education and health care are the things that differ among the two populations. Educated, healthy people are less likely to commit crimes. Oh, don't say Enron to me. There are always exceptions to the rule.

I believe that health care is a basic human right - not just a need. It's something no one should ever have to struggle to get. And long gone are the days when a country doctor could support his or her family with the kind of elaborate bartering systems that used to develop. It's rare to be able to pay with chickens or potatoes or home repairs (or journalism?) anymore. There are rules, regulations and lawyers overseeing it all.

And private insurance is horribly bureaucratic and unreliable. According to The Commonwealth Fund, elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more likely than enrollees in employer-sponsored plans to rate their health insurance as excellent (32% vs. 20%) and less likely to report negative experiences with their insurance plans (43% vs. 61%). Medicare beneficiaries are also less likely than those with private insurance to go without needed care owing to costs (18% vs. 22%). The survey also finds that elderly Medicare beneficiaries are more likely to report being very satisfied with the care they received compared with those with private insurance (62% vs. 51%). (click here for more)

But it's not just about customer satisfaction. It's also about efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Doctors' salaries and prescription drug costs are less than 30 percent of total health care expenses in the country, according to

Something has to change. Maybe universal health care isn't the answer. I'd be happy to hear alternatives that knock out racial and ethnic disparities as well as government programs do.

Only an estimated 84.2% of citizens have some form of health insurance coverage. The number of uninsured increased from 44.8 million to 47.0 million from 2005 to 2006. One study estimates that about 25% of the country's uninsured, or roughly another 11 million people, are eligible for government health care programs but unenrolled. However, assuring adequate financing to cover those who are eligible remains a challenge.

Of course, the American Medical Association (AMA) believes that even if administrative expenditures were indisputably lower in a universal (aka "single-payer") system, that monetary benefit still would be offset by inefficiencies, longer wait times, restricted individual choice, reduced quality and decreased incentives for medical innovation. Those are valid concerns that should be taken into consideration. For the most part, I trust the judgment of the AMA.

But the bottom line for me - can you find it after all that rambling preachiness? - is that people die without insurance. Children, parents, brothers and sisters. Without a universal health care system, not only are we handicapping the needy children in our country from being able to get a fair shake in later life, but innocent people suffer and die. Their families are fully conscious of the disparity. It undermines their faith in the American Dream, and therefore in the nation. Over time, it could erode the country.

I just want to keep our priorities straight. I want to err on the side of life. I want to put more money into health care and education than we do into war. It sounds simple, but I know there are complicated issues and deep-seated fears that must be worked through. I hope that smarter people than me will find a solution soon.