e-commentary

The only thing almost as bad as not having health insurance is having health insurance.  Get injured and try to compel an insurance company to cover a valid claim.  Insurance company representatives are drilled to deny or at most pay in part a claim as standard operating procedure.  Most people accept the answer and go home.  Only those who persist stand a chance of obtaining more complete coverage.

“Sir, you do have a $10,000 deductible policy and then 100% co-pay for expenses after that.  Why are you calling your health insurance company about this medical bill?  And there will not be a premium increase for another three months.”

“Sir, you do not have coverage for an injured rider.  You should have purchased a rider policy to cover a rider.  In fact, you should consider purchasing a riders rider to cover all riders in the vehicle, except those excluded or exempted for other reasons.”

“Sir, you do have ‘theft and fire insurance,” but the theft did not occur while your house was on fire, did it?  No it didn’t.  You should have purchased our ‘theft or fire insurance’ policy.”

“Sir, why didn’t you have a friend use a straight razor and a bottle of whiskey to save on the cost of the surgeon and anesthesiologist?”

“Sir, your secretary noted that you are a member of Congress.  Your spa treatments in Tahiti are fully covered under your plan.”

The insurance market is not working and is impacting American competitiveness.  [See the e-ssay dated October 23, 2006 entitled “Efficient Health Care:  Making American Business More Competitive”].  The solution is simple.  Adopt the “American Medicine” plan not some loathsome “Socialized Medicine” plan.  Health care may be a fundamental right under the Constitution (“life” and “liberty”).  One universal insurance program modeled on the program that currently protects our United States Senators and Representatives in Washington should suffice.  The citizens do not get any greater coverage than our elected officials.  In addition, the citizens should not be provided any less coverage.  The “American Medicine Plan.”

Bumper sticker of the week:

“American Medicine” Not “Socialized Medicine”

Charles Wilson, the General Motors executive who became a Secretary of Defense in the Eisenhower Administration, was asked if as Secretary he could make a decision adverse to the interests of his then-current employer.  He answered affirmatively but added that he could not believe that he would confront such a situation “because for years I thought what was good for the country was good for General Motors and vice versa.”  The response has been translated into the popular observation: “What’s good for General Motors is good for the country.”

What’s bad for GM is bad for the country.  The cost of health care is crippling American business.  The lack of health care is crippling individual Americans and undermining the family.  Resorting to bankruptcy in the face of overwhelming medical bills imposes a tremendous cost on society.  To make American companies competitive with companies in other countries, American companies should be relieved of providing and paying for health care.  This proposal represents a major departure from the settled practice since the end of World War II.  However, the market has failed.  The six or seven hundred private insurance companies deliver inadequate health care coverage to an insufficient percentage of the population.  The inefficient government is the most efficient provider.

In debates over free trade, some commentators note that foreign nations are assisting their domestic corporations by providing health care.  This competitive advantage rarely is calculated into discussions about tariffs and trade policy.  The Democrats should unite with GM to provide a rational and efficient national health care program.  Imagine the reaction if the United States Chamber of Commerce proposed an efficient national health care program?  Imagine.