Healthcare and with it, health insurance is dense and confusing, and that isn’t by accident. With Trump and the GOP on another mission to end affordable care, and the many democratic presidential candidates plans for healthcare, I thought now would be a great time to discuss my personal beliefs on it all. I’ve been hesitant for some time about starting my political opinions on my blog, but these issues are important to me and I’m very active in the community, so it is a part of my life. I am always open to listen to others opinions though, as long as they are not formed out of hatred.
Here is mine: I am 100% for eliminating private insurance aka moving to a single-payer system, with some caveats.
Here is why:
- Private insurance companies are not in the business for healthcare. They are in the business of profit, and profit alone.
- After working in HR and administering health benefits I learned some of the ins and outs with employers and health plan coverage
- Your employer can change their health care provider, plan options, and rates every year.
- Employers can pay more for older people and people of color, therefor employers choose to hire less older people and poc – contributing to the sytemic issue of inequality.
- A lot of private insurance requires in-network or you have to pay more for an out-of-network plan option, or they will deny coverage. If the closest hospital to you is not in-network, you’ll be paying a lot out of pocket and/or choosing between your health and the bill.
- Private insurance works with pharmaceutical companies.
- You will not be able to be prescribed the medication you need because of the insurance, or you’ll have to pay more for it.
- Your treatment is based on financial dealings with two companies vs. the care for your illness.
- Private insurance and even Medicare as it is right now can be increasingly difficult on doctors to provide care. The requirements are strict and are different for each provider. You may need a test done, but your insurance might not agree with your doctor that you do.
- Private insurance has cost a huge inflation.
If a public option was passed, while private insurance plans still being available, you would most likely see an influx of duplicative health plans. If one very sick person, who was on the government plan, went to the E.R first, but another less sick person showed up after, on a private…let’s just call it – gold star plan, that patient would be seen first, even though the necessity was not there. The inequality will worsen. Healthcare is a right, and it’s one that should be treated as such, with equality.
Here are the caveats:
- It needs to be well thought out and handled with care.
- There cannot be a rush – there cannot be a gap in people’s transition of coverage.
- The money has to be there and it has to continue to be there, not just to cover the care, but also the hospitals and physicians offices, staff, equipment, testing, and pharmaceuticals.
My concern with the candidates that are in favor of doing this is that I have not heard them talk in detail about their actual plan. I understand how it’ll work, generally speaking – but more details would be better. Discussing the issues within the Medicare for All plan, while maintaining a great argument on why it’s still better, while also educating the public on healthcare and private insurance, are all things I wish would happen and hope will happen as the campaigns roll on.
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