One of the most ignorant arguments against health-care reform is that we will then have government making decisions about health care options. So am I to assume that those who are afraid of that are OK with CEOs and “for-profit” corporate bureaucrats making those decisions? Who do they think is making those decisions now? It’s people who have a profit motive first and foremost.
It’s insanity that this argument is being espoused! For those of you who have that fear, why don’t you Google the salaries of the CEOs of the major medical insurance companies and see where most of your insurance dollars are going.
It’s embarrassing to be the wealthiest nation on the planet and still hold profit, greed, and materialism above the simple right to have a healthy quality of life. Health-care reform will strengthen, not hurt, Medicare. For people in Medicare, reform will protect your benefits, ensure you can choose your doctor, and strengthen Medicare so it’s there for your children and grandchildren.
Health-care reform is an expansion of Medicare for all—just like every other industrialized country already has in place. We will still be able to choose our own doctor and health-insurance plan.
We also need to have a public option on the table! That would just be fair-and-square capitalism competition, rather than the basic monopoly insurance companies have now!
This article appears in Sep 3-10, 2009.
