Why Obama is Losing the Healthcare Fight

Mort Zuckerman pointed out the real truth: health care costs are rising at such a fast rate that it will soon be unattainable for most Americans.

In my company, our health care cost per employee is over $1,000/month or over $12,000 per year! $12,000 per employee! And costs continue to rise every year.

COMPANIES WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD HEALTH INSURANCE

It is clear why companies are finding it harder and harder to afford good quality comprehensive medical insurance for their employees.

The inescapable fact is that the trend in the past 10 years is that more companies are sharply cutting back on offering good quality medical insurance for their employees.

Currently, employees who get good quality health insurance from their companies (and either pay nothing or make only token contributions)--including Ms. Erbe's mainstreamers--who polls say are happy with their current situation--don't really understand that in 5-10 years, if health care cost continue to rise at the same rate as the past 10 years, the probability is that their company will sharply cut back--or even completely eliminate health insurance--for their employees.

MIDDLE AMERICAS WILL HAVE LESS ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

Something must be done to cut back on health care costs. If health costs continue to rise, what will happen is that access to good quality health care will become polarized between an elite minority of "Haves" and an increasing mass of "Have Nots."

In the past 50-60 years, access to good qualtiy health care for Middle America was brought about by wide availability of employer paid medical insurance. But in recent years, health care costs have been rising so fast that companies are increasingly cutting back on offering good quality medical insurance.

The result is that what used to be a widely enjoyed middle class good, definitely will soon be unaffordable for most middle class Americans.

DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO CUT COSTS WITH A PUBLIC OPTION

Clearly, if we keep the status quo, health care cost will continue to rise at a ruinous rate. Doing nothing--which is what Repulicans want--is only burying our heads in the sand.

Democrats are trying to control health care costs by having a public option. The idea is that a government run program will encourage rational rationing that will affect all consumers. Private insurers have only the

incentive to ration to increase their profits--leaving more and more people uninsured or under-insured.

MS. ERBE: ASK MORT ZUCKERMAN IF US NEWS CAN CONTINUE TO PAY HEALTH CARE COST FOR EMPLOYEES

Ms. Erbe, go ask Mort Zuckerman how long US News can continue to afford to pay employee health care costs, if costs continue to rise as in recent years.

From that answer, I bet you will better understand why "mainstream" people--who may not be fully informed--should be agitating for health care reform--instead of fighting it (or sitting on the sidelines) because they think they are sitting okay right now.

Steve Wang of PA 8:02PM August 24, 2009