Thursday, June 10, 2010
So where are we going with health care?
So where are we going with health care? Today it is hard to get through the hype and hyperbole to find some modicum of truth. We passed the health care bill so we could see what it said, and depending on whom you listen to, it is either the greatest boon or the greatest bane to the American scene. So let us look at some facts:
• nHealth is a small Virginia company that specializes in high-deductible insurance policies couples with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). HSAs are the fastest growing sector of the insurance industry because they provide a consumer-driven plan where people choose which health care options they pursue. If I know I have a high deductible, then I am going to do my best to stay healthy and seek the best alternatives. I will not be running to the doctor for every little sniffle and sneeze. In 2008, nHealth was one of the “Greater Richmond Companies to Watch”. nHealth has announced they are closing their doors after stringent new Federal regulations and future uncertainty, both a part of the new health care law.
• According to the insurance research firm Dowling and Partners some of the major players (Aetna, Assurant, Mega Life and United Health) plan to bail out of the individual market, at least in some states. This will leave an additional two million Americans without coverage.
(Nix)
Looking at the other side of the coin, we find:
• It makes insurance more affordable by providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, reducing premium costs for tens of millions of families and small business owners who are priced out of coverage today. This helps 32 million Americans afford health care who do not get it today – and makes coverage more affordable for many more. Under the plan, 95% of Americans will be insured.
• It sets up a new competitive health insurance market giving millions of Americans the same choices of insurance that members of Congress will have.
• It brings greater accountability to health care by laying out commonsense rules of the road to keep premiums down and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of care.
• It will end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions.
• It puts our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next ten years – and more than $1 trillion over the second decade – by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse.
(The White House)
So now the question becomes, “Who do you believe?” This is largely going to be a story of individuals and for every individual that you find with a success story you will also be able to find one, or more, with a nightmare. It is also going to be a story of budget and who gets to pay for all of this. You only have to look at the cradle of democracy, Greece, to see the effect of spending without regard to reconciliation.
Works Cited
Nix, Kathryn. Side Effects: Like Your HSA? Enjoy it While You Can. 9 June 2010. 10 June 2010.
The White House. Health Care | The White House. 2010. 10 June 2010.
• nHealth is a small Virginia company that specializes in high-deductible insurance policies couples with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). HSAs are the fastest growing sector of the insurance industry because they provide a consumer-driven plan where people choose which health care options they pursue. If I know I have a high deductible, then I am going to do my best to stay healthy and seek the best alternatives. I will not be running to the doctor for every little sniffle and sneeze. In 2008, nHealth was one of the “Greater Richmond Companies to Watch”. nHealth has announced they are closing their doors after stringent new Federal regulations and future uncertainty, both a part of the new health care law.
• According to the insurance research firm Dowling and Partners some of the major players (Aetna, Assurant, Mega Life and United Health) plan to bail out of the individual market, at least in some states. This will leave an additional two million Americans without coverage.
(Nix)
Looking at the other side of the coin, we find:
• It makes insurance more affordable by providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, reducing premium costs for tens of millions of families and small business owners who are priced out of coverage today. This helps 32 million Americans afford health care who do not get it today – and makes coverage more affordable for many more. Under the plan, 95% of Americans will be insured.
• It sets up a new competitive health insurance market giving millions of Americans the same choices of insurance that members of Congress will have.
• It brings greater accountability to health care by laying out commonsense rules of the road to keep premiums down and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of care.
• It will end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions.
• It puts our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next ten years – and more than $1 trillion over the second decade – by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse.
(The White House)
So now the question becomes, “Who do you believe?” This is largely going to be a story of individuals and for every individual that you find with a success story you will also be able to find one, or more, with a nightmare. It is also going to be a story of budget and who gets to pay for all of this. You only have to look at the cradle of democracy, Greece, to see the effect of spending without regard to reconciliation.
Works Cited
Nix, Kathryn. Side Effects: Like Your HSA? Enjoy it While You Can. 9 June 2010. 10 June 2010
The White House. Health Care | The White House. 2010. 10 June 2010
