Letters and Comments

Curbing Healthcare Costs

By U.S. News Staff

March 5, 2010 RSS Feed Print
  • Comment (7)

Related Articles

It really astounds me that people actually think adding more bureaucracy and government waste is going to bring down healthcare costs ["Health Reform: Why Aren't We Talking About Prices?" usnews.com]. The elderly are the biggest users of the healthcare system, and all are covered by a government-run healthcare system. If the government is the answer then why is Medicare bankrupt and why are medical costs are sky-high? If medicare has $500 billion dollars in fraud and abuse, then why are we asking for more of this? Seems to me government fraud and abuse is driving up the costs, not the free market. Insurers could not stay in business if they had $500 billion in wasted money. There are three factors driving up the cost: Americans are overweight and sedentary thus unhealthy, illegal immigrants, and overuse of the medical system due to government entitlements.

Comment by Lisa Shay of GA

I can't believe anyone would suggest that our medical costs are not "out of line." The charges for drugs and even many medical services are criminally high and excessive (far beyond the cost of production). The pharmaceutical industry has a stranglehold on the way medical professionals are schooled and trained and the whole system is geared, not for healing and health, but greed. Like the legal profession, the medical profession deserves the utter disdain of the American public. Sure, I have "friends" in both professions whom I know to have integrity; but it is they who inform me of their shame. Wake up, America. You have been duped and sold out.

Comment by Carl Ashlock of NC 

I work for the federal department of Health and Human Services, which helps fund healthcare for the uninsured and the poor, and I am amazed that no one ever talks about the Community Health Centers that provide primary healthcare and referrals to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. These centers are in every state in the country, they see the undocumented, Medicaid, and Medicare insured, the uninsured, and the low-wage earners on a sliding fee scale. The poor and uninsured are being seen. The people that really need help with healthcare in this country are the working middle class, whose insurance premiums are sky-high, and the self-employed.

Comment by Bonnie Grant of KS 

One easy "no cost" way to start the competition is by requiring pharmacies, doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare centers to post their prices. There is nothing else Americans buy without knowing the cost first.

Comment by Gary Hogan of AR 

Nothing would cut the administrative costs like a single payer system. I am happy to pay my doctor for his expertise and the drug companies for the drug that cures my problem because I am getting something for my money. What benefit do I get from an insurance company in the middle skimming off the top? No benefit at all. They ask us to gamble on this policy or that one only to find we are not covered for a particular sickness which was excluded or that we got hurt 30 years ago and that makes it a pre-existing condition. I am begging you...get your government hands ON my healthcare, please.

Comment by Thomas Murphy of PA 

Tags:
government intervention,
healthcare,
healthcare reform

Reader Comments Read all comments (7)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

We the People Still Have the Power

Americans can be pandered to with debates on C-SPAN or by watchdogs in the press. Political strategists can assure us the next election will secure our future. Meanwhile, the political class has learned to manipulate the average voter and bureaucrats have deeply imbedded control over our government.

Yet our founders envisioned even this occurrence and created a mechanism for the people and the States to reassert control over an overpowering federal government.

Article V of the Constitution states: “Congress … on the application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, …” But what should our State legislatures seek to amend?

The only way to stop the wasteful spending, and its eventual debilitating taxation, is to starve the government machine. To do this, we need a Constitutional Amendment to insure that:

1. Except in time of declared war against a foreign enemy, the federal government shall balance its budget. This budget shall include all cash expenditures and cash revenues for the federal government and all of its dependent agencies. Further, the total cash expenditures of the federal government shall not exceed eighteen percent (18%) of the prior year’s gross domestic product.

2. Included in the budget’s cash expenditures will be an annual payment to retire the national debt. This payment will be not less than 3% of the principal amount of the prior year’s national debt.

3. Any increase in taxes, fees, or other sources of revenue shall require a 2/3 vote of each chamber of Congress. All tax rates and fees as of January 1, 2010 will be re-established and be considered the baseline for any future changes.

4. No unfunded mandates or requirements shall be placed on state or local governments. The costs of all federal laws must be paid by the federal government and be included in the annual balanced budget.

Should the people decide they wish to spend more on certain items, they can petition their State or Local governments. Clearly, we cannot trust politicians. Unless specifically controlled, they will continue to use our money to buy votes for their own re-election. Encourage your state legislature to reassert its authority: call for a constitutional convention and pass these controls.

Please share with others.

www.IAIresearch.wordpress.com

IAI Research of FL 3:03PM March 11, 2010

"The current system is broken" is a poor excuse for us to swallow anything and everything Congress and the President decide to put into a bill labeled "health care reform." If the bill passes, you will face fines or jail time if you do not purchase a health care plan that fits the specifications of Congress. For example, you can no longer have a plan with a one million dollar or ten million dollar limit. Now, you have to buy a plan with an UNLIMITED lifetime payout. You know that is going to cost you. The health care mandate has raised insurance costs in every state where it has been enacted. The supposed reason for health care reform is that health care costs are rising rapidly. Yet the bill will cause costs to rise even faster than if Congress simply did nothing.

Sam of CA 11:28AM March 09, 2010

The insistence by the Administration and Congress that it is acceptable to use "reconciliation" to pass a bill that is so complex, pervasive, and UNPOPULAR WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, raises this issue to an even higher level. To insistence on passing this bill using a process that was never intended to be used in this way, raises this issue to the level where it puts our entire system of government at risk. WE THE PEOPLE must VOTE OUT anyone who votes for this bill in the House or Senate because they will be contributing and approving of a complete abandonment of the principles of our system of government. If you value our system of government as designed by the Founding Fathers, you have a moral obligation to VOTE THEM OUT if they vote for this bill knowing "reconciliation" will be used to pass it against the will of the people and without any bipartisan support. It does not matter if you are for or against this kind of so-called healthcare reform; it does not matter if you are liberal or conservative; it does not matter if you are democrat, republican, independent, or tea party, you must raise up an VOTE OUT anyone that supports this process by voting in favor of this bill. Using "reconciliation" in this way sets a dangerous precedent that could be used in the future to tax as even more or infringe on our freedom even more.

All Americans should be outraged about what is going on with this Administration and Congress. It is time to VOTE THEM OUT before they do any more damage!!! This is no longer about healthcare, this is an issue about the very essence of our system of government. WE THE PEOPLE will VOTE THEM OUT!!!

AngryMobVoter of PA 9:20AM March 09, 2010

Letters and Comments

Welcome to the U.S. News Readers' Letters and Comments blog. Positive or negative, reader feedback provides added perspective to any story. New letters and comments will be posted here regularly. Thank you for your submission.

advertisement

Cartoons

advertisement