healthIn my estimation, the problem is not so much that they want the handout he is proposing, unless they are handicapped, elderly, or lazy. Most people, while not really desiring to work too much, are willing to work to pay for anything they get or have. The problem is the bills themselves.
Healthcare reform should not begin by giving everyone insurance, but by examining the billing practices of doctors and hospitals, examine the cost of prescription medicines... discover why these things are priced so high and cap the amount a hospital can charge, or a doctor...
I recently went fro an exam at an ENT. The co-pay was $10 more than a regular visit, because he is a specialist. Okay, I can deal with that. He also put a rather uncomfortable probe up my nose and then down my throat during this same visit. I didn't know until we recieved a letter from the insurance company that this probing was considered as a surgury, and was billed seperately from the regular visit at around $430 for a five minute procedure.
I also was given a prescription for an acid reducer, and a coupon for $50 off the price. I told him I didn't want his prescription, and asked if he could recomend something else. He did. And he explained that the reason he wanted me to use the script was because it was a new medicine, and he hoped it would give me very quick results concerning the issue I was having. $50 off!!!! How much is the script? I have a short stack of the sample he gave me, unused. Maybe I could sell them on the street to pay the $430 surgury bill!!!
My point is that I went in for one visit and was billed twice.
This is where healthcare reform MUST begin, not by giving people handouts, so we can continue to line the pockets of the practitioners and drug manufacturers.
