The Actual Number of "Uninsured" in the US

The President and his minions often cite the figure of 46 million Americans being uninsured, which is given as the "crisis" necessitating "Health Care Reform". Here is a breakdown of that figure, as taken from Liberal Media and Liberal Congress Create Health Care ‘Crisis’ Where There Is None.

"According to the Census Bureau, the number of uninsured is 45,657,000 people — that’s 343,000 people less than is usually reported. BUT the Census Bureau also documents that 9.7 million of the 45.7 million uninsured are “not a citizen.”

. . .

Among those uninsured are 17 million who make at least $50,000 a year (the median household income is $50,233) . . . Economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research estimate that 25 to 75 percent of people who do not buy health insurance “could afford to do so.”

Further, the Congressional Budget Office says that 45 percent of the uninsured will be insured within four months.

Finally, the liberal Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that the number of Americans who lack health insurance because they cannot afford it and/or do not qualify for government programs is between 8.2 million and 13.9 million — or an average of 11 million people.

. . .

Take the 11 million uninsured figure — the accurate one — and know that if all 11 million fell down and broke their arm, they could walk into any hospital or clinic in the country and be treated. It’s the law that they must be treated.

If you’ve ever been to an emergency room, you know this is true. . . "

Knowing these figures makes transforming 1/6 of our economy for uncertain results at tremendous cost seem a lot less necessary, doesn't it?

Comments?

The Fight Over a Health Care Reform Bill is not Done

Vocal opposition to the “Health Care Reform” efforts in Washington, D.C. is cooling. In part, this is because most citizens who become politically active only do so for a short period of time, before returning to their immediate needs in their daily lives. Others have been fooled by the Baucus Senate Finance Committee “health care reform” bill which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation have calculated will not raise the deficit.

Beware!

1. There is no “Baucus bill” as it is only a conceptual framework without actual legislative language. See Jubilation over the “Health Care Reform” Bill that Isn’t a Bill and Isn’t Going To Be the Bill and Max's Adventures in Wonderland.
   
2. The calculations include increased revenues and “savings” over ten years but the cost of benefits over only 8 years.
   
3. The increased revenues are obtained by tax increases.
   
4. The “savings” are achieved by benefit reductions, primarily to seniors, and vaporous “cutting fraud and waste”.
   
5. The bill is estimated to still leave 25 million Americans uninsured.
   
6. The Democrats are likely to ram a bill through the Senate using either

a. 60 votes to invoke the cloture rule to close debate (either by having all Democrats vote for cloture or bring along one or two Republican Senators, such as Snow) or

b. Using Congress’s budget reconciliation process which requires only a simple majority vote, which is outside the normal Senate procedure, which requires 60 votes to end debate on a bill; thus taking away the filibuster, letting some Democrat Senators off the hook to vote for a controversial bill and passing the bill without the need for any Republican votes.

c. And, carving out a bill such as use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by the House in March to impose a 90-percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of certain bailed-out financial institutions—as a ‘shell’ for enacting the final version of the Senate’s health care bill (to evade the Constitutional requirement that such a bill originate in the House of Representatives) The House Democrats are very reluctant to take “unnecessary” hard votes on a bill which may not have the votes in the Senate, due to the first term Democrat Representatives being very nervous about their ability to get re-elected next year.

d. And, passing the bill with little time for the public to read and react to “the final agreed upon” bill, despite cries for the proposed minimal 3 day period that a bill be posted prior to passage. Oops, it appears House and Senate Democrats recently blocked amendments that would have required health care bills to be posted online for 72 hours before a committee vote. Hmm, I guess citizens really wouldn’t be interested anyway, you think?

In short, a bill may be passed using a very unusual closed door procedure to craft the bill with no input from the American people. Such a bill will NOT be bi-partisan, and it will not achieve the dual objectives of containing costs and universal coverage that were the original reasons for many Americans initially supporting the concept of health care reform. This is NOT the change we need!

Comments? Arguments?

Comparing Health Care Plans - Focus on Costs Still Needed

Yesterday, US Budget Watch released "Comparing Health Care Plans: A Guide to Health Care Reform Proposals in the 111th Congress." The paper offers detailed summaries of the three major health care reform bills being considered in Congress, and their fiscal implications. http://usbudgetwatch.org/document/comparing-health-care-plans-guide-reform-proposals

They have maintained their insistence on cost control:

"Expanding health insurance will be extremely expensive, notably, at a time when the federal budget is already facing huge fiscal imbalances. Merely offsetting the new costs of a bill will not be sufficient to make a reform plan fiscally responsible since those offsets could otherwise be used to help close the longterm fiscal gap. Instead, a fiscally responsible plan must include aggressive measures that would help slow the growth of overall health care spending and reduce health care costs for the federal government. As debate and negotiation continues, we urge a strong focus on cost; not just over the next ten years, but over the long-term."

The "Public Option" in the Health Care Reform House Bill

I did not realize the full impact of the "public option" being proposed in the House Bill 3200 until I heard Ben Taylor with the US Chamber of Commerce speak at last week's Town Hall Meeting held in Saline. It is being proposed as "just another option" to compete with the private insurance companies to force them to drive down costs.

Here is the truth to the situation. The Bill also will set requirements of what all health insurance plans must cover, so there can be no variation of contracts to meet specific situations - one size fits all. Consumer driven health care plans such as Health Reimbursement Arrangements or Health Savings Accounts (high deductible plans with employers paying into the employees' HSA's) will not be allowed. The insurance companies will need to compete with a subsidized plan with a "company" that has no costs of capital and which does not need to generate any profit. Further, like Medicare, the public option is expected to place limits on payments for specific procedures or services, thus shifting some of the cost of those procedures and services to others. Thus the government plan will be able to offer lower premiums (on its face a "good thing"). As a result, employers are expected to gravitate quickly to the government plan.

Currently, insurers are picking up the tab for "cost shifts" (and transfering the cost of the cost shifts to the insured). 2009 Vermont Health Care Cost Shift Analysis, February 2009 defined "cost shift" as,

“In its simplest form, one can think of the cost shift as a subsidy. The Cost Shift Task Force report stated that, from the perspective of a payer of health care costs, the cost shift is defined as: “The payment of higher prices (above cost) paid by one or more payer groups to offset lower prices (below cost) paid by other payers.” In layman’s terms, this is often referred to as “charging Peter to pay for Paul”. From the perspective of a hospital, it is a pricing mechanism used to achieve revenues to support services provided to all patients when payments from some payers do not cover the costs incurred by those patients.”

Hospitals shift costs of costs of services not paid by Medicare or Medicaid, "charity care" and "charge-offs" to those patients who can pay, primarily the insurance companies. In turn, the insurance companies increase their premiums to the buyers of insurance to cover those extra costs.

The problem with the "public option" is that as the numbers of people covered under the "public option" grows, the amount of the cost shift to private insurers will dramatically increase. At the same time, the numbers of people insured by private insurers will decrease. With fewer people picking up an ever growing volume of cost shifts, the premiums charged by the insurance companies will need to rise dramatically, making them even less competitive, driving away even more employers to opt for the "public option". In a very short time, the "public option" is likely to be the "only option".

In short, with a "public option", very quickly, the health "insurance" industry will be a single payor system run by the government. Maybe the House Bill 3200 does not immediately set up a "government takeover" of the health insurance industry, but that is likely to be the ultimate result.

Is that what we want?

Comments?

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More from the White House on Health Care Reform

David Axelrod, Senior Adviser to the President, The White House [info@messages.whitehouse.gov] in his e-mail today also said,

"8 common myths about health insurance reform:

1. Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
   
2. We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
   
3. Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
   
4. Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
   
5. Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
   
6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
   
7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
   
8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make. "

You may wish to compare these statements to some of the provisions ofthe bill itself. To see a list of some of the provisions of the actual bill, see Who Can You Believe? Part 2. Some of the fears voiced by the opposition are probably overblown, but when you compare the statements above with the provisions of the bill, which do you choose to believe?

Comments?

I received an e-mail today from David Axelrod, Senior Adviser to the President, The White House [info@messages.whitehouse.gov] which says,

"P.S. We launched www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck this week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. . . .

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage:

• Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
  
• Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
  
• Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
  
• Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
  
• Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
  
• Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
  
• Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
  
• Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick. "

Now, I don't see a single provision listed which is in any way aimed at controlling health care costs. They all extend coverage to someone, attempting to pander to someone's self interest.

But note, the administration is trying to change the discussion from "health care reform" to "health insurance reform", thinking that people may be more agreeable to "sticking it to the insurance companies".

Now, I am not saying that some of the changes mentioned might not be a good thing. All I am saying is that it is disingenuous to make this the thrust of health care reform to "keep from busting the budget" or to "revitalize small business" as the administration claims.

Comments?

Who Can You Believe? Part 2

I am copying and pasting something I received in an e-mail. I have not checked the bill itself to verify the accuracy of the statements, so I can't vouch for it. However, it points out a problem.

We hear many statements from the administration saying that something the opposition to the health care reform bill says in the bill just is not there. The oppositon is being called mobsters and "un-American". Yet, when we look at the provisions of the bill itself, there they are.

Many of the provisions being objected to are pointed out in the document below. Perhaps you would want to look up the specific provisions so that you can be the judge of who is speaking the truth.

- - - - - - Start of document - - - - - -

"Highlights from the Obama Health Care Bill:

Aug. 1, 2009

The complete text of H.R. 3200 can be found on the internet. You will not read all 1017 pages. Neither has your Congressman. Neither have your Senators. Neither has the President.

This is why, on July 31, when the bill finally was voted out of committee, House Democrats were handed a card with the “good” highlights, so that they could memorize them. The Democrats who opposed the final bill were Reps. John Barrow of Georgia, Rick Boucher of Virginia, Jim Matheson of Utah, Charlie Melancon of Louisiana and Bart Stupak of Michigan.

Then they were asked by Nancy Pelosi to go back to their districts and persuade voters to support the bill. She told them: “The president of the United States will be out front as the drum major. We will be the drumbeat across America.”

Here are some of the bad highlights. After you read them, you will begin to see what you will be facing if this bill passes.

As you read each of them, ask yourself two questions: (1) What will be the effect on the supply of future physicians? (2) What will be the effect on the demand for medical services?
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pg 22 of the HC Bill mandates the Government will audit books of all employers that self insure.
Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill—a Government committee (good luck with that!) will decide what treatments/benefits a person may receive.
Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill—YOUR HEALTHCARE WILL BE RATIONED!
Pg 42 of HC Bill—The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you.
PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill—HC will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise.
Pg 58 HC Bill—Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances and a National ID Healthcard will be issued!
Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 -- Government will have direct access to your bank accts for election funds transfer.
PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community organizations (read: ACORN).
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Government will create an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control.
PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill—Government mandates linguistic appropriate services. Example—Translation for illegal aliens.
Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 -- The Government will use groups, i.e. ACORN & Americorps, to sign up individuals for Government HC plan.
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill—Specifics of Benefit Levels for Plans. AARP members—your Health care WILL be rationed.
PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill—Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice.
pg 124 lines 24-25 HC—No company can sue Government on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Government Monopoly.
pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill—Doctors/ AMA—The Government will tell YOU what you can earn.
Pg 145 Line 15-17 -- An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE.
Pg 126 Lines 22-25 -- Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families.
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill—Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay.)
Pg 195 HC Bill—officers & employees of HC Admin (the GOVERNMENT) will have access to ALL Americans’ finances and personal records.
PG 203 Line 14-15 HC—“The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that.< /div>
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill—Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill—Doctors (doesn’t matter what specialty) will all be paid the same.
PG 253 Line 10-18 -- Government sets value of Doctor’s time, professional judgment, etc. Literally, value of humans.
PG 265 Sec 1131 -- Government mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries.
Pg 317 L 13-20 -- PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Government tells Doctors what/how much they can own.
Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 -- PROHIBITION on expansion—Government will mandate hospitals cannot expand.
Pg 354 Sec 1177 -- Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people!
PG 425 Lines 4-12 -- Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consultations. Think Senior Citizens end of life prodding.
PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 -- Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in how to die.
PG 427 Lines 15-24 -- Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government has a say in how your life ends.
PG 429 Lines 10-12 -- “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from the Government to end a life!
Page 472 Lines 14-17 -- PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION. 1 monthly payment to a community-based organization. (Like ACORN?)"

- - - - - - End of document - - - - - -

Comments? What do you see?

Who Can You Believe?

Today I got two posts, which contradict each other. This debate is getting nasty, and some are using ummmm, well, saying things that just aren't true to try to convince the masses that their side is right.

First, from the Obama camp (David Axelrod, The White House [info@messages.whitehouse.gov]:

"Anyone that's watched the news in the past few days knows that health insurance reform is a hot topic — and that rumors and scare tactics have only increased as more people engage with the issue. Given a lot of the outrageous claims floating around, it’s time to make sure everyone knows the facts about the security and stability you get with health insurance reform. That’s why we’ve launched a new online resource — WhiteHouse.gov/RealityCheck — to help you separate fact from fiction and share the truth about health insurance reform. Here's a few of the reality check videos you can find on the site:

• CEA Chair Christina Romer details how health insurance reform will impact small businesses.
• Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes tackles a nasty rumor about euthanasia and clearly describes how reform helps families.
• Matt Flavin, the White House's Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, clears the air about Veteran's benefits.
• Kavita Patel, M.D., a doctor serving in the White House's Office of Public Engagement, explains that health care rationing is happening right now and how reform gives control back to patients and doctors.
• Bob Kocher, M.D., a doctor serving on the National Economic Council, debunks the myth that health insurance reform will be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. "

However, U.S. Congressman and House Republican Leader John Boehner says it just ain't so:

"WHITE HOUSE “REALITY CHECK” WEBSITE ON HEALTH CARE FULL OF ERRORS, MISSTATEMENTS, FALSEHOODSNEW WEBSITE RECYCLES DEMOCRATS’ DEBUNKED CLAIMS ON HEALTH CARE, DISMISSES AMERICANS’ CONCERNS ABOUT HEALTH CARE AS ‘LAUGHABLE’

August 10, 2009 House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Permalink

Facing mounting criticism from the American people over President Obama’s proposed trillion-dollar government takeover of health care, the White House has responded this morning by launching a “reality check” website, featuring videos and preloaded messages that purportedly debunk “health care myths.” In reality, the website simply recycles the same false claims that the Administration and its allies in Congress have been pedaling for weeks.

After no fewer than five polls released at the end of July showed increasing, if not outright, opposition to government-run health care, and with Members of Congress taking heat from constituents during the August district work period, it’s understandable that the White House is getting nervous about the prospects for its health care experiment.

The following are some of the discredited claims the Administration’s new website repeats:

CLAIM: If You Like It, You Can Keep Your Health Care Plan. Kavita Patel, who works with Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, said “if you like your insurance, if you like the kind of health care you have right now and the plan you have, you can keep it.” She also stated that “the notion that the government will interfere with what you have…really is laughable.” Linda Douglass of the White House Office of Health Reform also played a clip of President Obama’s June 23, 2009 press conference where he stated that: “If you like your plan and you like your doctor, you won't have to do a thing. You keep your plan. You keep your doctor. If your employer is providing you good health insurance, terrific, we're not going to mess with it.”

FACT: That’s simply not true. Both the Associated Press and ABC News have already debunked this pledge, noting that White House officials have acknowledged the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken “literally.” An independent study conducted by the Lewin Group predicted that 114 million Americans may be forced out of their current health care coverage, including more than 106 million Americans who currently have employer-provided health care. The point is, this White House cannot guarantee that Americans will be able to keep their plan – because they don’t know how many employers are going to drop their coverage altogether if their plan goes into effect.

Lastly, the Wall Street Journal noted in a July 20, 2009 editorial:“The House bill says that after a five-year grace period all Erisa [Employee Retirement Income Security Act] insurance offerings will have to win government approval—both by the Department of Labor and a new ‘health choices commissioner’ who will set federal standards for what is an acceptable health plan. This commissar—er, commissioner—can fine employers that don’t comply and even has ‘suspension of enrollment’ powers for plans that he or she has vetoed, until ‘satisfied that the basis for such determination has been corrected and is not likely to recur.’ In other words, the insurance coverage of 132 million people—the product of enormously complex business and health-care decisions—will now be subject to bureaucratic nanomanagement.”

CLAIM: Reform Will Benefit Small Business – Not Burden It. Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers stated that, “The facts are very clear. The system doesn’t work for small businesses now, and reform is very much aimed at easing the burdens, making it easier for this crucial sector of our economy.”

FACT: A broad coalition of job-creating groups – representing small businesses to homebuilders and manufacturers – has come together to oppose the Democrats’ government takeover of health. In a letter to Congress, this coalition wrote: “We are specifically concerned with a proposal to mandate that employers either provide health insurance or pay a new eight percent payroll tax. The House ‘pay or play’ proposal is even more troublesome because employers are also mandated to pay the majority of employee premiums. Exempting some micro-businesses will not prevent this provision from killing many jobs.”

And the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), representing small businesses across the country, also weighed in, saying it would destroy jobs and reduce access to affordable health care: “NFIB opposes the [Democrats’ bill] because it threatens the viability of our nation’s job creators, fails to increase access and choice to all small businesses, destroys choice and competition for private insurance and fails to address the core challenge facing small businesses – cost.”

CLAIM: Medicare Will Not Face Cuts Under Democrats’ Plan. Robert Kocher of the National Economic Council repeated president Obama’s claim that “nobody is talking about reducing Medicare benefits.”

FACT: Today’s New York Times rebuts this claim: “To help finance coverage for the uninsured, Congress would squeeze huge savings out of Medicare, the program for older Americans and the disabled. These savings would pay nearly 40 percent of the bills’ cost. The legislation would trim Medicare payments for most services, as an incentive for hospitals and other health care providers to become more efficient. The providers make a plausible case that the cutbacks could inadvertently reduce beneficiaries’ access to some types of care.” An independent analysis of the House Democrats’ government-run plan shows the legislation slashes Medicare to the tune of $361.9 billion. That means fewer choices and lower health care quality for our nation’s seniors – exactly what then-Senator Obama blasted last fall, during the presidential campaign.

Republicans agree that Congress should pursue meaningful health care reform, but none of the legislation that Democratic leaders are pursuing at this time actually meet this description. Instead, their proposals will increase costs, lower quality, and cause millions of Americans to lose their current health coverage.

Americans want health care reform, but the Democrats’ go-it-alone, government takeover of health care isn’t the way to improve the best health care system in the world. House Republicans have a plan that will reduce costs, expand access and increase the quality of care in a way we can afford – without raising taxes on small businesses or middle class. To read more about the House Republicans’ plan, click HERE."

Wow! Now there are two widely different opinions. From what I have seen, I tend to trust Boehner more than the claims for the adminstration's proposal, especially when proponets begin to call the opposition "mobsters", "unAmerican", and other such character assassinations. These inappropriate tactics have no place in serious discussions about such an important topic, so critical to so many patriotic Americans.

Comments?

Health Care Reform Forum Materials

The following was shared at the Health Care Reform Forum I moderated on Thursday, July 30 at the Ann Arbor District Library:

Health Care Issues/Problems Perceived

• The nation’s 2009 annual health care bill: $2.5 trillion—$18 out of every $100 produced by the domestic economy (gross domestic product or GDP) - and is projected to go to one-third of GDP by 2030.
  
• Projected health expenditures in 2018: $4.4 trillion—$1 out of every $5 produced domestically.
  
• Health care cost for each man, woman and child: $8,050 in 2009; $12,104 in 2018 (adjusted for inflation).
  
• Health‐related spending in the federal budget: $870 billion in 2009—21 percent of total spending—more than amounts projected for Social Security ($680 billion) or national defense ($645 billion, excluding defense health care costs).
  
• The federal budget’s share of the national health care bill: 35 percent in 2009.
  
• Health care’s rank within overall consumption: #1—Americans spend more for health care than for any other type of good or service including housing, food, or transportation. The health care industry is the third largest private employer after manufacturing and retail operations.
  
• Compared with other industrialized nations, the United States spends the most per person but ranks at the bottom of health indicators including infant mortality rates and life expectancy at age 60.
  
• 46 million people living in the United States did not have health insurance in 2007. Another 17 million may be underinsured. Those statistics point to inequities in access to and the affordability of health care. [Many of the uninsured use the emergency rooms which cannot turn them away and then don’t pay for the services, which results in the costs being shifted to those who can pay, or by the insurance companies which then tacks those costs onto the insurance premiums.]
  
• The high rate of growth in annual health care spending strains public and private budgets. The excessive growth in costs also raises serious concerns about the efficiency and equity of the nation’s health care system. [The cost of health care to businesses creates a competitive disadvantage for domestic companies competing in the world market against companies in other countries where the such health care is unheard of or the government pays for it. The auto bailout relieves some of that disadvantage due to legacy costs from GM and Chrysler.]
  
• According to opinion polls, more than four out of 10 Americans rate national health care quality as only “fair” or “poor,” and about twice as many— eight out of 10—are dissatisfied with the total cost of healthcare. Yet when it comes to their own health care experience, people are generally positive about its quality, and most report that they are satisfied with the amount they pay. [A major disconnect, due to the ones who pay for the services are not the ones who use the services, and it is a lot easier to spend someone else’s money than your own.]

Source: Health Care and the Federal Budget. This is a July 21, 2009 release from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget that is very informative (and sobering!). http://www.crfb.org/documents/HealthCareandtheBudget.pdf The content included in [ ]'s I added to the original work by the CRFB.

Conclusion: Most agree “something” must be done. The question is “what?”

Concerns About Proposed “Solutions”:

• The plan enacted will not contain health care costs.
  
• The costs of health care will increase, further increasing the federal budget deficit and national debt beyond what lenders (including foreign lenders) will be willing to finance, and if willing, only at interest rates that will stifle economic growth.
  
• Taxes will have to increase.
  
• I may not be able to see the doctor of my choice.
  
• I will lose my current excellent insurance coverage.
  
• A medical treatment needed to save the life of me, my loved ones or a friend may be denied through a rationing system.
  
• People will be counseled near end of life to stop living.
  
• Any public “option” will end up being the only option, limiting competition and innovation.
  
• Access to personal medical records will be easier to access and be abused.
  
• Illegal aliens will be covered.
  
• Etc.

The forum was conducted using the National Issues Forum "deliberative dialogue" method. For more information, see http://comingtogether.us.com/