Pedro's Podium: The Healthcare Deformation

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In the healthcare debate the supporters have utilized the English language in a way that few people have realized. I hear almost everyday someone who supports the current effort to remake the American health care system say that they support “heath care.” In reply the opposition will say that they oppose it. I can’t say for sure, but I feel confident that what the person meant was; that they opposed the current legislation. The fact that it is even said conveys a hidden meaning. I propose that the opposition to the government takeover of the American Healthcare system be referred to at “The Healthcare Deformation,” or just simply “The Deformation” pronounced Daf-or-máysh’n.

The saving grace for the American people is that you are not as ignorant as thought. When I heard the opposition to the plan, I understood it. But there are many out there who don’t pay attention and think that those opposed to this plan, in the words of a partisan member of Congress: want you to die and die quickly. That type of outrageous language may fool some, but it seems that you are not as stupid as they had hoped. The sad part of this type of ridicules partisan nonsense only convinces more Americans that those in power are not willing to work to solve problems. It is arrogant and stupid to attack others in such a manner. Just because I disagree with a plan does not mean that it is OK to demonize me. I know that I heard alternatives being discussed in public, but the party in power was unwilling to listen. They preferred to ignore anything but their own voice in an echo chamber.

The process used to write this legislation has been so convoluted, that it has become clear to many Americans that instead of reform, the system will be deformed into something so different, that it will change the lives of us all. So many closed door deals and outright bribes have or could have been made, that it has destroyed the trust of our leaders in many citizens. (The whole system could be doomed if it totally loses our trust.) There seems to be some good reasons to distrust the leadership in Washington. Democracy and a representative government require a certain amount of openness. Now in the case of national security, secrecy is important. But when they are potentially making decision about something as personal as an individual’s healthcare with no advice and consent of the public at large, you are looking at a system out of control.

On October 31, 1517 a man named Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences to the door of a Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Saxony. He began a process that he hoped would reform the Catholic Church by criticizing the abuses of power that he saw in the Church. This became known as the “Protestant Reformation.” Instead of reforming the old Church a new church formed, which then allowed the formation of other Protestant sects. This Reformation failed to reform the old church and only created a separate system. Just as the Protestant Reformation laid the groundwork that lead to the creation of the Lutheran and later the multitude of other protestant sects around the world, the pro-socialists in Congress have set in place the start of a government run healthcare system.

What the Congress and our President have been trying to do over the last year was not reform. It was a Deformation. Unlike Martin Luther’s reformation’s eventual conclusion, this one could spell the end of quality healthcare in this country. Also, Martin Luther was taking on the “powers that be” in the Catholic Church, the Federal government would ultimately hold the power if they are able to pull off such a massive power grab. They’ve created the current healthcare crisis. Government sets the rules, regulates the insurance industry, and manipulates the price of services through Medicare and Medicaid. They are attempting to re-form the healthcare system by taking total control. They are the “powers that be.” The Democrats through dictatorial processes have worked very hard to change the lives of all Americans. No one is sure, but I feel it is not for the better.

This Healthcare Deformation will eventually create a multi-tier system that will have to ration medical care. The ultra-rich will find a way to get the healthcare that they want. There are already medical clinics in other countries that cater to those who can pay. The weight of the system will fall on the middle class and those who are not in political favor. We’ve already seen some of the deals that those in power were willing to make that relegated the rest of us to second class citizens. Those are only the deals that were made public. We can not be sure of what promises were made behind those closed doors.

The current system has a type of rationing if you depend on an insurance company to pay your bills. But if the insurance company denies a service by refusing to pay for it, you do have options. You can appeal or pay for the service. If the government controls the system, you will probably be unable to appeal or the service may simply not be available since the government doesn’t approve of it. History has shown that government controlled healthcare systems may go as far as banning unapproved procedures.

The problem with depending on the government for solutions is that it only knows one thing, more government. Abraham Maslow said: "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail." In government terms: The only tool that they have is punishment. That is why there are fines and imprisonment in the Deformation bill. The Speaker of the House, when asked, said that it was only fair. When is it fair to fine or imprison a person for simply being alive? Another contradiction that I can’t quite understand is the notion that we are going to lower cost by forcing all Americans to purchase insurance but apparently many of those people say they can not afford it. But to be fair we are going to subsidies or just pay their premiums. OK where does that subsidy come from? The American tax payers, or to be precise, it is coming from you, well unless you are part of one of the protected classes.

So with the election of Scott Brown it appears that this Deformation Bill is now to be relegated to the trash bin of history. But many thought the same thing after the failure of HillaryCare, which was also developed in the dark, behind closed door, and with no oversight. At least with this plan, (which is probably just HillaryCare renamed) many more details were necessarily made public. But they tried their best to pass a bill before anyone had time to read it. The Socialist in the ruling class will never be happy until they implement this plan. They’ve been working on this for over 70 years. I don’t think they will give up now or any time soon. We must stay alert and not allow our freedoms to be stolen by those who want to run every aspect of our lives. The next attempt will be done in more incremental steps. Much of the ground work has already been laid.

I’ve been accused of only complaining without talking about solutions. So what would I do? As I’ve said before I see the current healthcare problems coming from big government programs. The current Medicare and Medicaid systems are out of money even though they have used price controls to try and hold down cost. Anytime price controls are used someone has to make up the difference. That has thrown those costs to the general public. So the real crisis is not in the general healthcare system, but in the government run healthcare system. Increasing the ranks of that system is only a temporary fix. Someone must make the difficult decisions. We need leadership not dictatorship.

The American system was built on freedom. With freedom comes responsibility. Each of us must take control of our healthcare and forget this notion of a nationwide HMO. The HMO model only works when the members have common goal of better health. Healthcare professional have told me that most of the people who find out they have high cholesterol will not change their lifestyles, but prefer to take cholesterol medication. A person without insurance would be more likely to adopt a better diet. With insurance it is usually the cost of the co-pay and they can continue with their high fat diet that drives insurance cost higher. Preventive care is a great idea, but don’t forget about that “law of unintended consequences” and how it manifests itself in some unexpected ways.

The free market healthcare system started to die a slow death the soon after the start of Medicare and Medicaid. The irony of the President bringing up the concerns of the politicians that opposed these programs that they would lead to a government take over of the healthcare system during a speech where he is trying to sell you on the government taking over the healthcare system was an interesting diversion. To say that is to deny the facts before you. Returning to a free market system would spread the cost around, create more competition, and allow the price of services to be better determined by the providers.

We must stay on guard and not allow those who would destroy our healthcare system to get away with calling this “healthcare reform.” Look closely and you will see that this is really a Deformation of a critical part of everyone’s life. Passing no bill is better than creating a bad law.