The cost of insurance has risen nearly three times faster for individual plan holders than group plans since 2003. Under the Senate bill plans costing more than $8,000 for individuals and $21,000 for a family would pay a 40% excise tax on the excess amount. The average premium is $13,375 for a family policy.
Texas Governor Perry notes that after Texas passed tort reform in 2003, malpractice insurance rates fell 27% and the number of doctors applying to practice in Texas rose by 57%. Malpractice lawsuits fell 41% as well. The same Democrats who claim health care reform will reduce the deficit reject the assertationss that tort reform could also reduce the deficit by $54 billion. All those campaign contributions from the trial attorneys must distort their logic. I reject the first claim and believe the number on the second grossly understated.
Remember that doctors go to college, medical school, training and be available 24/7, 365 days a year, and be perfect all the time. To assume we can cut pay and still get the best and brightest and pay them much less is ridiculous.
Here are other questionable premises of the reform bills. Extending coverage to 25 million uninsured shifts treatment from the emergency rooms to cheaper preventive care. But, uninsured consume 45% less health care than those who are insured. Increased use from newly insured may cut those expected cost reductions and actually increase costs. Plus, with zero increase in doctors and hospitals will stress the system.
Digitizing medical records will cost billions but save much more. Per the Democrats. This is refuted by none other than Harvard Medical School. Plus, the projected cost to do the project will likely be far greater and take much longer than projected.
Another broken campaign promise by Obama. He said he was opposed to a tax on benefits. But, the excise tax on Cadillac plans is just that.
There is a serious lack of competition between insurers in most areas of the country. Democrats are opposed to letting consumers buy insurance across state lines. How limited is the competition? In 96% of the Metropolitan Statistical Areas one insurer has at least 30% market share and in 64%, one insurer has at least 50%. The much aligned oil industry, for example, has no one with over 8% market share. This is a serious problem and one that will not be solved by any health care reform bill unless the Feds go in the business. But, it could be solved by letting competition happen across state lines. Employers could shop across the country for the best prices. But, the Democrats want more central government control and fear their lock on using interstate commerce laws might weaken that hold and open up states rights to all kinds of issues that threaten central control.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your media and your elected officials shared some of this with you?
