PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Sen. Olympia Snowe, a key figure in shaping
federal health care legislation, said Monday that a government-run plan
that would take effect if the private insurance market fails to deliver
affordable coverage could bridge the partisan divide that threatens to
derail President Barack Obama's efforts to reform the system.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/...
Republicans and some
Democrats are insisting that we give heath insurance companies another
chance. I understand that there is concern for the people currently
employed in the health insurance industry but, forcing Americans to buy private, for-profit health insurance is not the solution.
Health insurance companies are just middle men. We don’t want health insurance, we want health care. The business of health insurance companies is to make money for their investors, not to provide health care. In fact, the less health care they provide, the more money they make. They employ whole departments of people whose job it is to deny health care. The more health care they can deny, the more sick people they can keep off of their rolls, the more people they can cancel when they become ill, the more money they make for their investors. The more money they make for their investors, the more they can pay themselves.
That is a poor system for providing health care.
Why do they deserve a second chance? They have had years to do right by the American people and in fact, it has gotten worse, not better. Their only argument seems to be that we do not want bureaucrats coming between us and our doctors. But what are insurance companies but private, for-profit, highly paid bureaucrats?
We want options. We want good health care at affordable prices. A vast majority of us are willing to pay a fair price, and even agree to a small tax increase in order to get health care for everyone in America. We don’t want to pay health insurance premiums to companies whose executives pay themselves millions of dollars a year. We don’t want to pay premiums to companies who deny care, drop us when we are sick and force us into bankruptcy even when we have insurance. We don’t want health insurance CEO’s and lobbyists controlling the health care agenda and policies for our nation.
According to Webster’s dictionary, what we have here is an oligarchy.
Instead of leveling the playing field, instead of giving us a choice, will they simply require us all to buy insurance from these very same oligarchs. The insurance companies will make billions, Senators and Representatives will continue to get their campaign donations, all Americans will have health insurance under threat of prosecution or fines and they can claim the problem solved.
If, in their arrogance, they believe we are not watching, if they believe our memories are short, if they believe that we don’t know who is looking out for us and not who is looking out for themselves and their campaign contributors, they should think again. The American people are not naive. This debate has gone on for decades. We’ve heard it all before. The same old excuses are no longer working.
We are tired and we are sick in America.
Health insurance companies are just middle men. We don’t want health insurance, we want health care. The business of health insurance companies is to make money for their investors, not to provide health care. In fact, the less health care they provide, the more money they make. They employ whole departments of people whose job it is to deny health care. The more health care they can deny, the more sick people they can keep off of their rolls, the more people they can cancel when they become ill, the more money they make for their investors. The more money they make for their investors, the more they can pay themselves.
That is a poor system for providing health care.
Why do they deserve a second chance? They have had years to do right by the American people and in fact, it has gotten worse, not better. Their only argument seems to be that we do not want bureaucrats coming between us and our doctors. But what are insurance companies but private, for-profit, highly paid bureaucrats?
We want options. We want good health care at affordable prices. A vast majority of us are willing to pay a fair price, and even agree to a small tax increase in order to get health care for everyone in America. We don’t want to pay health insurance premiums to companies whose executives pay themselves millions of dollars a year. We don’t want to pay premiums to companies who deny care, drop us when we are sick and force us into bankruptcy even when we have insurance. We don’t want health insurance CEO’s and lobbyists controlling the health care agenda and policies for our nation.
According to Webster’s dictionary, what we have here is an oligarchy.
- A government by the few
- A government in which a small group exercises control, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes
- An organization under oligarchic control
Instead of leveling the playing field, instead of giving us a choice, will they simply require us all to buy insurance from these very same oligarchs. The insurance companies will make billions, Senators and Representatives will continue to get their campaign donations, all Americans will have health insurance under threat of prosecution or fines and they can claim the problem solved.
If, in their arrogance, they believe we are not watching, if they believe our memories are short, if they believe that we don’t know who is looking out for us and not who is looking out for themselves and their campaign contributors, they should think again. The American people are not naive. This debate has gone on for decades. We’ve heard it all before. The same old excuses are no longer working.
We are tired and we are sick in America.
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