Health Care, What is the Problem?

The health care problem, exactly what is the problem? Is the problem found in the high costs of health care itself or is the problem found in the solution that we have all come to believe is the solution, health care insurance? When I hear all the horror stories in regards to this issue it is never about the high costs of health care itself. It is always about the high costs of the insurance we pay for.

When we hear the argument about those claimed as being left out of the health care system, it is never about their inability to receive health care. It is about the fact that they have no insurance to cover the costs of the care they receive. Its as if we have fallen into the mindset that we are not responsible for our own health care expenses.

So, what is the solution that Congress has come up with? Based upon the bill that passed the Senate it seems that the government wants to force everyone to buy health care insurance. They seem to think that the addition of those who do not have insurance will drive the cost of insurance down and make it affordable for everybody. I would think common sense and elementary mathematics would soon drive that notion out of a person’s head.

They would also eliminate the preexisting health problem clause in an insurance policy. That would add to the costs of insurance premiums not help lower them. We must always remember that when we buy insurance of any kind, not just health care insurance, you are buying insurance against the possibility of a future loss not a present loss. And remember I said possibility not probability or certainty of loss.

If the purpose of insurance were to pay for a present loss, no one would buy insurance until after they had suffered the loss. So, this would undermine the purpose and intent of the meaning of insurance.

So, for those who believe that health care is a right rather than a privilege and that there is a health care cost problem then let’s address the issue of the cost of health care. We have no right to health care insurance. Insurance companies are in existence for the purpose and intent of making a profit. The industry was never intended to be a charity, as some would like us to believe it should be.

As long as you approach this problem from the point of view of the cost to the patient, you are only addressing a symptom of the problem not the cause. Addressing just the symptom never solves problems. That only prolongs the problem until the cause is addressed.

These are just the foolish thoughts of one individual who believes that solutions can be found to any problem we face in this world. It only requires that minds be left open and those minds desire real solutions. We cannot allow emotions to rush us into decisions that would be disastrous for our children and grandchildren.