Posted by
Steve on Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:20:32 AM
This week, I found out that I need surgery to correct a problem in my back. It is fairly major surgery to correct the fact that I have started leaning to the right. I have also started leaning forward, though not as bad as I lean to the left. Before I can have surgery, I have to have an MRI and a CT scan. I also have to have clearance from my personal physician and a cardiologist. Under our current medical system, there are no problems getting in to get an MRI or a CT scan. I have those on Monday. There will be no problem getting in to see my personal physician or a cardiologist. I should be able to clear all the hurdles and have the surgery just before the end of the semester. Under Obamacare, the surgery would be put off for a minimum of one year and probably two or three, if it is scheduled at all. I am 60 years old, so I am at the end of the working life span. According to Ezekiel Emanuel, I would have less call on whether I can use medical services than someone who is 20.
One of the inevitable consequences of Obama care will be rationing. No matter how much the Democrats say that rationing will not happen, it will. You cannot add millions of new patients without adding doctors and not have rationing. Plus, a recent poll said that 45% of doctors practicing medicine today would retire if Obamacare were put in place. So, that would mean millions of new patients and fewer doctors. If rationing did not occur with that scenario, I would be shocked.
With rationing comes the inevitable decision on who gets to the top of the line. Does the person who got there first, get to be first? Or is it the person that has a more life-threatening disease? Should the younger patient be placed ahead of the older patient? All these questions and more will come into play when Obama care gets put in place. No matter what is decided, people will be upset with the decision made. Each person would feel that they should be put ahead of someone else in the line. With our current system, these questions never are brought up. With Obamacare, they become the primary problem.
Right now, we have access to the latest technology all of the time. Our scientists and engineers are developing new ways of treating medical conditions resulting in more patients getting better. There is a higher cost to new technology and procedures, primarily because they are new. The companies have to recoup the cost to develop the technology and procedures. Once that has happened, the prices tend to drop somewhat. One thing that is not happening, but should, in our medical system is competition. Competition drives down costs to their lowest level. It also drives up satisfaction. With the government involvement in healthcare, we lose the competition and satisfaction goes down. That is how we got where we are today.
There are uninsured Americans. Some are uninsured because they cannot afford health insurance. Some are uninsured because they would rather spend their money on other things, because they feel the risk of getting sick is low. Some people are uninsured because they are illegal aliens. Democrats propose to insure all three, while denying that they are insuring the illegal aliens. We could reduce the cost of health insurance immediately and with almost no cost. We could just rule that all medical insurance can be purchased across state lines. If we removed government requirements on what has to be in the health insurance plans, we could reduce the cost even more. Then, health insurance costs would be within the reach of almost every American. We could set up some kind of fund to help those that still cannot afford health insurance. These numbers should be extremely low. This plan will never happen because it would reduce government involvement and Democrats never, ever reduce government involvement in anything.
So, with our current medical system, I can be diagnosed with a need for surgery. I can schedule all of the tests and medical clearances within a month. I can then have the surgery six weeks after being diagnosed as needing the surgery. If the surgery was life-threatening, the pre-surgery schedule could have been sped up. Under Obamacare it would take years, if it happened at all. Americans deserve the best medical system. Why should we saddle ourselves with some second rate system, just because politicians in Washington want to control your life? We should demand the best. We should be able to get the best. We already have it, so why should we give it up voluntarily? It makes no sense to give up the best for a third rate system.