Layman's Terms: Healthcare

Healthcare is one of those tricky subjects in politics. The ones where we realize whether or not we’re as liberal as we claim to be, since apparently since Obama, that’s the new “cool” political persuasion. (Us old school dems find it laughable, given that just a few years ago, calling someone a liberal was tantamount to calling them an unrealistic, tree-hugging, espresso drinking, European car driving, arugula eating, literati.) But no grudges, glad to see at least some people have seen the light thanks, in no small part, to our economic recession and complete collapse of the private banking system. I guess impending doom of an economic superpower is the amount of pressure needed to make individuals see past their own selfish desires and out into doing things for the good of society.

Depressing, but true. Humans are self-interested. I get that. I’m no champion of the human spirit as the driving force behind societal improvement. But individuals need to realize that the greater good, is almost always, good for them (thus the name). We as Americans like to consider ourselves among the middle class, even when statistically, very few, (and recently- exponentially fewer) people can actually count themselves among the fortunate few who exist “comfortably.” Both high and low, “middle” is where we often strive to be. This makes sense logically. We neither want to be incorporated into the “have’s” (too pretentious), nor the “have not’s” (too pathetic). Then why when an issue like healthcare, something so completely universal to the human condition in modern society gets brought up, do so many people want to be kept separate from their fellow countrymen and women.

The President’s new health care reform bill is going to help. Is it going to be perfect? No. Would I have much rather liked to see an all inclusive nationalized healthcare plan similar to those in Europe? Absolutely. But at the point the American people are at after years of the anti-national healthcare fear-mongering they have been inundated with by the Republican Party for the past 2 decades, I think this is the closest we are going to get for quite some time.

Taxing the rich to feed the poor; seems to be the colloquialism of the day when it comes to the Republican rhetoric filling our Fox news screens. Is there a significantly higher tax on the wealthy to fund this plan? Yes. Should there be? Hell yes! Those who prosper greatly off the back of the American economy and labor force, deserve to do what it takes to keep that market alive and healthy. Moreover, the tax bracket that will see the increase are those households making more than 1 million dollars a year. These aren’t exactly your everyday, kids next door. These are multi-millionaires and billionaires. It is EXTREMELY doubtful that any of them will see any significant if ANY difference at all in their lifestyles due to these tax increases. Progressive tax structures work people! 15% of 1,000,000 dollars despite being significantly more money in tactile terms than 5% of 1,000 dollars does not have the same level of impact on those households. The millionaire is not going to have to forgo groceries to pay that tax, while the lower wage earner might; even when taxed at the lower rate.

Now let’s talk in terms of why governmental healthcare program options lower costs of healthcare. Right now the private system is comprised of large insurance companies and pharmaceutical reps dealing individually with customers to negotiate the prices of their products. When the government becomes the sole of major provider of healthcare in a system rather then competing smaller insurance companies who do not have large enough shares in the marketplace to assert their buying power- it essentially becomes the SOLE buyer. Thus, it is able to essentially, name its own prices when it comes to purchasing, healthcare products and services. With no other consumers in the bidding, pharmaceutical companies are forced to sell their products to the government at costs significantly lower than when they had individual providers bidding over them and driving up the costs.

And the thought that this might kill the competition and profit making ability of the pharmaceutical companies is laughable. These companies have been posting some of the highest gross incomes and profits for years, while Americans everywhere suffer. The idea that we will somehow get inferior drugs by eliminating competition in this market is also ridiculous. These are global corporations that are selling the same drugs we get here in America at astronomically higher prices because they CAN. Other countries that have nationalized medicine receive the exact same drugs we do at a fraction of the price precisely because it is only their governments that negotiate with them, as opposed to allowing individual consumers shoulder the burden of these companies abuse of the (never truly was) free market system. This is why there were scams such as buying Canadian drugs and selling them over here. Clearly THOSE were not inferior products, despite the fictitious claims by many that they were. They are exactly the same, made in the same factories by the same employees.

So why all the hubbub? Offset your slightly increased income tax amount by the amount you will no longer have to pay for out of pocket healthcare, or there might be NO change to your plan, if you already have healthcare? There’s no downside people. Either you have healthcare (awesome) and you keep it. Or you don’t, and you now get it, (great.)

Sorry for the rant ladies and gents, but illumination needs to happen to pass these bills. Just doin’ my part.