Third party payer

Once again there is talk in Washington that the public option may be a component of President Obama’s health care plan. The President has repeatedly stated his desire for a single payer or “universal”, health care system in the United States and has spent much of the past week demonizing insurance companies.

Liberals and Conservatives are constantly debating the proposed health care plan with each side holding firmly to their beliefs. Liberals believe that only the government has the size or the power needed to provide equal health care for all and the greedy insurance companies need to be regulated out of existence. Conservatives believe the capitalist system with it’s free markets are the responsible and correct way to proceed.

Liberals will recite tales of the horror insurance companies have inflicted upon families or they will numb you with statistics detailing how many Americans have been forced to declare bankruptcy because of the lack of coverage some 30 million people face every day. Liberals will shock you with tales of people that are forced to wear their dead sister’s dentures because they cannot afford to buy their own and then try to convince you the government has all the answers to all problems.

Conservatives will warn of the control government will have over ordinary Americans. They will speak of the cost of the plan which they claim will be much higher than the cost forecast by the Presidents administration. Conservatives will swear that free market principles such as portability, tort reform and health savings accounts are the type of reform needed.

The truth is there is almost no difference between a single payer system and the system currently in place except the single payer makes individual participation mandatory while the current system depends upon voluntary participation. A single payer system would collect premiums in the form of taxes and then reimburse health care providers. Since 50% of Americans pay no taxes they will be subsidized by those working Americans that do pay taxes, making this a wholly socialistic plan. Insurance companies act as a single payer system in that they collect premiums from individuals and reimburse health care providers but they also keep a percentage as profit.

As long as there are third parties such as insurance companies or a government paying the health care tab in America there are no real free market forces at work. A true free market would be a market in which each individual would be responsible for his or her health care. Free market forces known as supply and demand would determine the cost of health care.

Humans rights come from a creator not a government and in America health care has always been considered a commodity, not a right. To make health care a right instead of a commodity would shift the responsibility for one persons decisions onto another person thereby infringing upon that persons right to not care about anyone else.

Just remember, any right the government provides can also be taken away.

Carl D. Goodson
Clute, TX 77531

Carl is the author of the book “Letters to the editor: What is your government doing to you?”

www.carldgoodson.com