Health Insurance Solutions

Opponents of our current health insurance system continue to make good points along the way. One of the best I have read lately refers to the optimal size of a health insurance pool. I have not read any statistics lately on that topic, but I know from experience that you don't really start realizing the power of a large group until you top 1000 employees. The opponents contend that our current system and any proposed system of "competition" only makes matters worse. They say by creating more competition you further split the employee pool into smaller pools thus defeating the original purpose of health insurance that is to spread health risks over as large a pool as possible. Taking the insurance concept to the extreme would indicate that a single payer system, like other countries use, would ultimately be the best choice. Until someone can prove to me that any one organization, private or public, can handle all of the responsibility, and physically all of the information and administration necessary to provide for such a plan while not ultimately rationing the care to lower cost, I will continue my staunch support of the private sector maintaining control over the financing of healthcare.

There is just no possible way that the federal government would be able to take over the entire health insurance industry, even something as mundane as collecting premiums and processing claims, and do it efficiently. It sounds good in theory, but for example look at the IRS. Something that should be very simple, assessing and collecting taxes, has become the most complex administrative nightmare in the history of civilization and all in the name of "fairness." Can you imagine that a government takeover of our health insurance system and in effect the healthcare system would be any different? So much power in the hands of so few is what has created the nightmare at the IRS. Dealing out goodies as it relates to healthcare financing in the form of "government run insurance" would certainly be more tempting in the grab for the voter base than the tax code currently presents. No matter which side of the debate you are on, it seems everyone wants to assume there are just a few problems that if addressed will solve all problems. There exists multiple problems that will require multiple fixes and I do not believe that the federal government will EVER be able to deliver the goods. Our healthcare system IS the best in the world, and we are different. I for one don't want to be like the rest of the world. It has nothing to offer that is not better here. We need to come up with better solutions from the free market system in COOPERATION with the federal government to develop a system that will maintain our status as the envy of the world. We should not settle for a substandard "everyone else is doing it approach." Let's leave that to form of reasoning to our elementary age children!

Have a winning day!

Steve