Why Free Enterprise Can’t Cure What Ails Our Healthcare System.
The Conservative Scheme for healthcare finance reform, based on the concept that competition in the marketplace solves all problems, is akin to one aspect of the National Socialism of Germany under Hitler. For, like Nazism, it says that where healthcare is concerned, there are classes in society who are deserving and other classes for whom life is expendable. The Conservative Scheme proposes Federal tax credits and individual insurance market reforms that would "…create fairness, choice, universality, affordability and fiscal soundness." In fact, this approach to medical finance reform would do just the opposite.
Over a year ago the introduction to our website described our crumbling healthcare system. Today the health of our nation is further imperiled and soon will be unaffordable except for the very wealthy. We have a vast and unequal healthcare class system. All 290 million citizens of these United States are affected, one way or another.
In this season of presidential campaigning, all of the Democratic hopefuls have come up with some kind of healthcare plan. Three of the contenders have spoken out for Single Payer National Health Insurance. Our website has 2 such plans.
The Conservative Approach
The majority of the population that has health
insurance coverage obtains it from their employer. The employer negotiates with
the insurance companies to obtain the best group rate, essentially providing the
employee with a benefit too expensive to be bought on his own. The employee
often pays an added monthly amount, but nowhere near what the cost of an
insurance plan would be if purchased individually. Of course, many still have to
purchase private coverage and the cost of a comprehensive plan can be upwards
from $9000 yearly.
This scheme gives the employee an untaxed benefit that is increasingly difficult for small businesses and corporations to pay. 43.6 million American’s are not covered under this scheme and are financially defenseless when illness strikes. 45% of all bankruptcies are due to illness and medical bills.
What the "Conservatives" advocate is as follows: First, the current system of the company paying for employee’s health insurance will be abolished. The responsibility of obtaining an insurance plan will be left up to the individual employee. Salaries must go up to provide money for these purchases, and these increased salaries will be taxed.
What’s the advantage of this? The increased
taxes paid by those who work will provide "Tax Credits" for the 43.6
million without coverage. There will be a graduated scale so that even those
with jobs will have Tax Credits when their
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