Is Affordable Health Care Almost Here?
Now that healthcare reform is almost reality, it’s time to identify the winners and losers. Overall, I feel the nation is a loser on this one. Big government programs usually result in massive corruption, mind-boggling inefficiencies, and shameful amounts of waste. And now we’re giving them our healthcare to manage? Yikes! Drilling down into the specifics we find the real winners and losers. It is interesting that the uninsured are both!
Winners and Losers in Health Care Reform
I have found 7 clear winners and 7 clear losers. The uninsured are on both sides of the ledger. They are winners because the people who currently can’t get insurance due to pre-existing conditions or just can’t afford it, will be given access. This is certainly a win. They are also our first loser. They will not get the benefit until 2013 or 2014. The house bill starts in 2013 and the senate bill 2014. Say hello to the speed of government!
The biggest financial winner is Wall Street. Have you noticed the rise in stock prices for insurance companies during this debate?
photo credit: dlr2008They are at their highest for the year. Insurers will make loads of money when 30 million join the ranks of the insured. Health insurance will be mandated. If you can afford it you will be required to buy it and if you can’t pay for it, then taxpayers will. Either way, the insurance companies get the money.
The biggest financial loser is small business. They will have the choice of paying for employees health insurance or paying the government an 8% tax. They will also face rising premiums. This may be enough to close some small businesses, for others expect higher prices for their products/services.
Will there be enough doctors to go around?
There are still lots of unanswered questions in the bill regarding doctors. I look at the fact that we don’t have enough doctors in the system now and we are about to add 30 million patients into the mix. This makes it a win for quack doctors and a loss for conscientious doctors. The quacks need more patients and the conscientious doctors can’t take any more. This probably means the good doctors will be mandated to bring in more patients resulting in longer waits and reduced services.
With the additional people getting healthcare this will create more jobs. Whether it is a skilled nurse or a hospital janitor, more jobs right now is huge. The loser economically is the American people. You need medication if you think healthcare costs overall will go down with this reform.
The lawyers may be the biggest winners. This bill is a dream come true for all ambulance chasers. There are no limits whatsoever. The millions they get for malpractice suits will keep their butts in plush offices and fancy cars forever. I have a doctor friend that pays over $100,000 a year in malpractice insurance alone. Keep that in mind the next time you complain about the doctor bill.
Another group of losers in this reform bill are the terminally ill. Finding cures is not what this legislation is about. There may not be “death panels” but it is obvious that the terminally ill and elderly are not going to be a favored class.
It is truly Christmas for scammers and con-artists with this bill. We already know that Medicare is the biggest target for criminals. 60 Minutes reported back in October that Medicare fraud is a bigger business than illegal drugs! The proposed healthcare program makes Medicare look like a hot dog stand in comparison.
Polls show that 85% of Americans are happy with their insurance. All of these people are going to be losers. It will not be devastating, but there is a cost. Premiums will go up, services will go down, lines will be longer, doctor visits will be shorter, and we will more resemble countries with socialized medicine. If everyone can have access to medical care, maybe it will be worth it. Time will tell.
Politically, the big winner is Barack Obama. He will be viewed as the President who finally got it done. It doesn’t matter if it works or if its good. He pulled a Nike and “just did it”, and that is what counts in politics. The losers in this are the republicans. They had no voice and could not get the easiest things done. Eighty percent of Americans would like tort reform and they couldn’t even get that included.
Big government has won and free market has lost on this one. But honestly, the free market folks did not care or give one thought to the uninsured. I believe a free market is key for a vibrant growing economy, but if we let people starve in the streets, it’s not worth it.
