Some People Just Won't Buy Healthcare

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the fines on individuals and employers for not having health insurance will bring in $167 billion over 10 years, which they are counting on to offset the $1 trillion plus dollar cost of health reform.

(Click here to read this report)

It seems a little perverse that the CBO believes that the IRS can collect fines from people who illegally decide not to carry health insurance. Why do they think the IRS will send out a lot of tax bills to poor people that can’t afford to pay for health insurance and this money will be collected?

This is interesting, but, not the point of today's blog. I'm getting tired of using the term healthcare, when we mean health insurance. Keep in mind that with all the proposals there will still be deductibles and co-pays, because, there is no proposal for true first dollar universal healthcare.

The following quote appears in the above article: "There's just going to be some people who choose rather to pay (the fine) than to pay for health care," said Stephanie Lundberg, spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. "There's going to be some people that just philosophically don't want to buy health care."

What about all the alternative medical/healthcare providers? If you go chiropractor and pay cash, aren't you buying healthcare? If you pay cash at the dentist, aren’t you buying healthcare? If you go to Wal-Mart for glasses, aren't you buying healthcare? If you go to a reike healer, aren't you buying healthcare? If you go to an acupuncturist, aren't you buying healthcare? If you pay cash to a mental health therapist, aren't you buying healthcare?

I hope you get my point! I vehemently object to the politicians and pundits calling this healthcare reform. We are not reforming healthcare, we are changing the system that pays for some types of healthcare. Why can't we just call it, "Health Payment Reform!"

As things stand now, there is a lot of doubt that a health reform bill will be signed by the President before the Controversies in Childbirth Conference, February 19-21, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. The sad thing is, I really don't know if that's good or bad. The system is broke and needs fixing, I just don’t know for sure whether or not, the proposed cure is better than the perceived disease?

Have a great weekend.

Alan.
Alan@birthconference.org