Guest columnist: Health-care solutions need investigating

Opinion

Discussion

June 19, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Fri Jun 19, 2009, 05:51 PM CDT

Why is there suddenly such an urgency to reform health care here in the United States? Shades from the politics of 1992-93?

The topic has been kicked around in political circles for decades. The United States has several years of history in operating Medicare A and B, and Medicaid and more recently with Medicare D, the drug plan; none pay their way without dipping into the general tax coffers and they are becoming more burdensome as the years go by.

Yes, there are 40-some million, approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population, without medical insurance coverage, but we also know a sizable number of the uninsured fall into the choice column; do I want to buy health insurance or something else? Something else wins out. Just because someone doesn’t have health insurance does not mean they don’t have access to health-care providers. We have hospital emergency rooms, community clinics, tax-supported mental-health groups and city health departments; all provide varying health-care services to the uninsured.

There is no question but what some folks are in dire straights because of their deteriorating health; we read these stories frequently. Does this mean we force the entire country to the wall financially for those few or do we find a way for them as we have for those on kidney dialysis to move onto the Medicare rolls?

We tend to hear what we want to hear, believe what we want to believe and even see what we want to see at times regardless of known facts. How many times have European countries been held up as an example for national health care? Do we know what the history of their plans are telling them? Have we bothered to ask or look at the social-economic cross-section of their population or trends for health-care costs in those countries? Would you believe some of those countries are reporting health-care costs going up twice as fast as their Gross Domestic Product and three or four times as fast as wages? If their programs were a panacea of success, do you not think every developed country in the world would have been on the bandwagon long ago?

I believe we spend more for health care here in the United States than any other country; we’re real pill poppers, and yet there continues political rhetoric that says we must reform our health care with a massive federal government controlled system of care. Why?

There are those who are very adamant about the need for national health care. When we can’t even agree on a fix for the increasing costs of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid except to raise taxes, how in the world can anyone really think the federal government can operate a national health system at a reasonable cost?

So many perceived problems. Are we being led into believing the problems are greater than they really are? The last I noticed, there are only so many dollars to go around; if they get taxed into government coffers for social entitlement programs, how do we grow an economy, continue providing employment, pay off our debt, compete with foreign competition and maintain our infrastructure?

It’s going to be a long four years.

Konrad Heid lives in Joplin.

Text Only

Opinion

Our View: Santorum's Achilles' ear
Rick Santorum knocked everyone for a loop this week, not just with his victory in Missouri but with the landslide size of the thing.

February 10, 2012 1 Photo
Our View: Are school loans next 'debt bomb'?
The late American middle class struggled for decades to keep pace with an American dream slipping from its grasp.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
Our View: A better way of limit terms
A Missouri House committee on Tuesday endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to serve 16 years in the state Legislature, either the House or the Senate.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Your View: Is it our fault?
When did coveting things and money take over character? What happened?

February 8, 2012
Your View: No way to run a school
All throughout the state of Missouri, you’ll hear much discussion about teacher tenure and the indefinite contracts that go along with that. Most — if not nearly all — jobs in the private and public sectors have no such career protection.

February 8, 2012
Your View: Prime suspects
If it’s too cool in the house, you can turn up the heat if you think you can afford it.

February 8, 2012
Our View: Worldwide concern
There is growing concern worldwide that Israel might launch an attack on Iranian nuclear plants.

February 7, 2012 1 Photo
Other Views: FAA deal up in air five years
The Federal Aviation Administration bill was delayed 23 times, but the agency finally has a law giving it $63 billion and full operating authority for the next four years.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo
Don Ray, columnist: Obama's pipeline excuse an election-year cop-out
On Jan. 18, President Barack Obama announced he was rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline project — a project that had its beginnings some 40 months ago (September 2008).

February 6, 2012
James Whitford, guest columnist: Broken people or broken system?
Are the people broken or is the system broken? If you walk into Watered Gardens, our rescue mission, it may seem the people are broken. But it’s a rescue mission. It just feels that way. And sometimes, it just looks that way.

February 4, 2012
More Opinion Headlines

City wants to buy weather radios for those without

Opinion

Search Results

Discussion

Guest columnist: Health-care solutions need investigating

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Site Map

Contact Us