Answers to Your Health Reform Questions

The Detroit Free Press publishes a helpful Q&A today on the health care reform debate. It's notable for its straight-forward tone and lack of unecessary adjectives. If you're ever in doubt about a health reform claim you've been hearing, you can always check out www.politifact.org or www.factcheck.org to decipher fact from fiction.

For now, a few of the more salient pieces from the Detroit Free Press' article:

Do we need health care reform? Health care expenses in the United States have been rising a lot faster than either inflation or wages, and there is no end in sight. National health spending is expected to be about $2.5 trillion this year—approaching 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product. The Business Roundtable, a group of top American CEOs, says health care costs for employers will rise 166% over the next decade to more than $4.4 trillion if something doesn’t change. Meanwhile, the trust fund that pays for Medicare—the nation’s biggest health care program, mainly for seniors over age 65—could run out of cash by 2017 if ways aren’t found to reduce the increase in health care costs.

But doesn’t the U.S. have the best health care in the world? That depends on who you ask and how you measure it. The World Health Organization, in a 2000 report, ranked the U.S. system 37th in the world (France and Italy were No. 1 and 2, respectively), but the report took into account the issue of “financial fairness.” And by that measure, socialized systems of medicine do better than private ones, like that in the United States. On the other hand, America was No. 1 in responsiveness of care, meaning we do better in getting people care when and where they want or need it. It’s also true though that the U.S. pays far more than other countries for health care but its life expectancy is lower than Japan, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.

What is this so-called public option everyone is talking about and is it a good thing? The public option would be a government insurance plan, with different levels of coverage. It would be an option on the exchange (see previous question) just like the others from private insurers and no one would be required to use the public option. It would not provide universal coverage as in other countries, such as Canada, where government provides health care to all.

Still, the public option is controversial and here’s why: Insurers argue the government would have an unfair advantage in the market and be able to undercut insurance company prices to a level where they could be driven out of business. Supporters of the public option say that’s not the case – no taxpayer money would be used to prop it up, only premiums, like other insurers – and that it’s a good way to ensure that private insurers keep their profits – and monthly premiums for their customers – down.

Will I pay less for health care? That depends entirely on what happens to health care costs, what kind of coverage you have (and through whom) and, potentially, your income. If you don’t get coverage through your job – and you’re paying for insurance that’s a big chunk of your income because of a pre-existing condition or because you make less than three times the federal poverty line—you’re likely to get a break or a subsidy. And you’ll probably pay less. On the other hand, if you don’t pay for insurance because you’re young and healthy and don’t want it, then you’re going to have to pay – like it or not.

If you have coverage through your employer, there’s a good chance your situation won’t change much. Finally, if you have a high-priced plan, it’s likely that an additional fee for that plan is going to be charged to your insurer as a way to help pay for reform, and there’s a very good chance your insurer is going to pass that fee onto you either though higher premiums, higher deductibles or lower benefits.

Does the bill provide health insurance to illegal immigrants? No. The Senate Finance bill expressly requires personal information to keep illegal immigrants out of the health care exchange. Like the House bill, it prohibits federal subsidies to illegal immigrants to help pay for insurance. But the House bill does not expressly stop illegal immigrants getting insurance through the exchange.

Comments

[Maurice F Prout]

The current health care system of the United States is the most expensive in the world, even though not all Americans have health coverage. U.S. president Barack Obama stated that one of his main goals is to ensure medical coverage for every American, but it seems to be a controversial issue. I believe the debate over healthcare reform in the United States should also be analyzed from a behavioral approach, along with other parameters that are being taken into consideration. This subject was thoroughly studied by Dr. Maurice F. Prout (Psychologist). His website www.MauriceFProut.com is a very useful resource of articles and publications that help to complement the understanding on the democratic process and the paradoxical behavior analyses affecting decision making.
http://www.mauricefprout.com/