Question: What do conservatives think about Barack Obama's health care initiatives?
Answer: President Barack Obama claims that his health care proposal "strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference."
Almost anyone you encounter, regardless of political persuasion will tell you that there is a "health care crisis" in America. The reality, however, is that there is a health insurance crisis in America.
The Main Problem
The first place any health care reform plan should start is in the area of tort reform. Multimillion settlements based on unreal projections and granted by activist judges are at the core of the problem.
Costs surrounding the health care industry are inflated by three very particular elements, two of which involve the insurance industry. Because of the (in many cases) preposterous court settlements just mentioned, liability insurance for health care providers is out of control. If doctors and other medical professionals want to continue to operate and generate a profit, they often have no choice but to charge exorbitant fees for their services. These fees are passed along to the consumer's insurance company, which is the second culprit in the high costs of health care.
When these insurance companies receive the bills for these high-cost services, it is in their best interest to find reasons not to pay or reimburse the insured consumer. In many cases, they're unable to successfully avoid payment (because in most cases the services are medically necessary), so the insured consumer's employer experiences a rise in the company's health care insurance premiums.
So, essentially the courts drive up the costs of liability insurance, which in turn drives up the costs of health care insurance.
The Trouble With Pharmaceuticals
Unfortunately, that's not the only problem. The insurance companies make things difficult, but the situation is all the more exacerbated thanks to an out-of-control pharmaceutical industry.
When a pharmaceutical manufacturer makes an important discovery and successfully introduces a new medication into the health care community, the immediate demand for that medication creates a disproportionate rise in cost. It's not enough for these manufacturers to make a profit, these manufacturers must make a killing (literally, when certain consumers are unable to afford and thus receive the medication they need).
There are pills that cost upwards of $100 each in the retail market, yet cost less than $10 per pill to manufacture. When the insurance companies receive the bill for these very expensive medications, it is in their nature to attempt to find a way to avoid absorbing those costs.
If Obama wants to fix this problem, he'll have to address the very powerful pharmaceutical lobby, and this is highly unlikely.
The Obama/Biden Plan
Obama has promised to save the "typical American family" $2,500 annually by reforming the insurance market and creating a "National Health Insurance Exchange." Beyond stating in his press release headline the the Obama/Biden plan will "Make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses -- Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies," Obama doesn't mention pharmaceutical companies at all. Worse, he makes no mention of tort reform, which if addressed could have perhaps the biggest impact on lowering health insurance premiums.
The National Health Insurance Exchange is ostensibly modeled after the Congressional health benefits plan. Although it works for Congress and it would work for the uninsured, it wouldn't work for already-insured working-class Americans. The plan would allow employers to reduce their premiums by switching most of their employees over to the government program (of course non-unionized workers would have no say in the matter at all). The new nationalized health care plan would then absorb these new individual health care costs, and an already overburdened federal government would become all the more bloated.
Rounding It All Up
In the area of health care, conservatives have much to fear from the Obama/Biden plan. Unless tort reform and the pharmaceutical lobby are dealt with in a way that preserves the Constitution and the free market system, while also protecting the medical provider and consumer, no health care plan can work.
FAQ Index to Conservatives & Barack Obama's Policies
Almost anyone you encounter, regardless of political persuasion will tell you that there is a "health care crisis" in America. The reality, however, is that there is a health insurance crisis in America.
The Main Problem
The first place any health care reform plan should start is in the area of tort reform. Multimillion settlements based on unreal projections and granted by activist judges are at the core of the problem.
Costs surrounding the health care industry are inflated by three very particular elements, two of which involve the insurance industry. Because of the (in many cases) preposterous court settlements just mentioned, liability insurance for health care providers is out of control. If doctors and other medical professionals want to continue to operate and generate a profit, they often have no choice but to charge exorbitant fees for their services. These fees are passed along to the consumer's insurance company, which is the second culprit in the high costs of health care.
When these insurance companies receive the bills for these high-cost services, it is in their best interest to find reasons not to pay or reimburse the insured consumer. In many cases, they're unable to successfully avoid payment (because in most cases the services are medically necessary), so the insured consumer's employer experiences a rise in the company's health care insurance premiums.
So, essentially the courts drive up the costs of liability insurance, which in turn drives up the costs of health care insurance.
The Trouble With Pharmaceuticals
Unfortunately, that's not the only problem. The insurance companies make things difficult, but the situation is all the more exacerbated thanks to an out-of-control pharmaceutical industry.
When a pharmaceutical manufacturer makes an important discovery and successfully introduces a new medication into the health care community, the immediate demand for that medication creates a disproportionate rise in cost. It's not enough for these manufacturers to make a profit, these manufacturers must make a killing (literally, when certain consumers are unable to afford and thus receive the medication they need).
There are pills that cost upwards of $100 each in the retail market, yet cost less than $10 per pill to manufacture. When the insurance companies receive the bill for these very expensive medications, it is in their nature to attempt to find a way to avoid absorbing those costs.
If Obama wants to fix this problem, he'll have to address the very powerful pharmaceutical lobby, and this is highly unlikely.
The Obama/Biden Plan
Obama has promised to save the "typical American family" $2,500 annually by reforming the insurance market and creating a "National Health Insurance Exchange." Beyond stating in his press release headline the the Obama/Biden plan will "Make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses -- Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies," Obama doesn't mention pharmaceutical companies at all. Worse, he makes no mention of tort reform, which if addressed could have perhaps the biggest impact on lowering health insurance premiums.
The National Health Insurance Exchange is ostensibly modeled after the Congressional health benefits plan. Although it works for Congress and it would work for the uninsured, it wouldn't work for already-insured working-class Americans. The plan would allow employers to reduce their premiums by switching most of their employees over to the government program (of course non-unionized workers would have no say in the matter at all). The new nationalized health care plan would then absorb these new individual health care costs, and an already overburdened federal government would become all the more bloated.
Rounding It All Up
In the area of health care, conservatives have much to fear from the Obama/Biden plan. Unless tort reform and the pharmaceutical lobby are dealt with in a way that preserves the Constitution and the free market system, while also protecting the medical provider and consumer, no health care plan can work.
FAQ Index to Conservatives & Barack Obama's Policies
- Conservatives & Obama's Economy Initiatives
- Conservatives & Obama's Health Care Initiatives
- Conservatives & Obama's Immigration Initiatives
- Conservatives & Obama's Education Initiatives
- Conservatives & Obama's National Security Initiatives
