If there was one thing that I would like to accomplish related to the health care issue it would be to highlight the fact that having health insurance does not equal having decent, or even basic, health care. The Deseret News perpetuates the falsehood of equating the two:
The task force will begin the design phase of rebuilding a health care system that will ultimately ensure all Utahns have access to basic health care — nearly 300,000 Utahns don’t have insurance now.
Not having insurance is not the same as not having access to basic health care. The dangers of buying into this false association are illustrated later in these words:
Top on the list of priorities is getting everyone into the insurance pool, i.e., the chronically healthy to the chronically ill.
Is there anyone who has not heard the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Forcing the chronically healthy to get into the insurance pool is a case of fixing what “ain’t broke.”
Part of the trouble I have with equating the two is that often, when you sort out the various costs and copays and deductions, having insurance does not necessarily mean you can afford the service.
I carry dental insurance, for example, but with my deductions and percentages, the work is still cost-prohibitive.
Thank you – that is a perfect example of how having health insurance and having access to health care are parallel concepts, but they are not tightly coupled.
Mark can’t afford dental care, BUT his insurance provider GOT PAID FOR PROVIDING NOTHING! (Mark paid his premiums, of course.)
Health insurers make money when actual health care services are reduced or eliminated.
Gov. Huntsman is so compassionate that he wants to extend this same system to all Utahns by force. Ditto for most legislators. Is anyone checking the money trail on this?
There was an interesting editorial in Sunday’s D News about doctors getting rid of insurance companies in favor of cash payments. It’s worth a read.
Reach,
Why should we go looking for the money trail – it’s hiding in plain sight.
Cameron,
Thanks for mentioning that.
If anyone is interested, here is the link to the article that Cameron was referring to.
Fantastic article. Thanks for the reference and link.