Phil Heckler’s Reasoned Response to an Unreasoned Statement (Phil is co-chair of YWC!LI’s Energy Committee)

First, view Congressman Mike Rogers of Michigan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44NCvNDLfc

Then, Phil’s reply:

This congressman is forgetting to mention that health care now uses up 17% of GDP and is estimated to grow to 25% of GDP by 2020 under the existing system.

He is also forgetting that the single largest cause of individual bankruptcy is due to medical bills. Just as often as not, it happens to people who thought they had good medical coverage. Can’t happen to you? Read on.

The US health system costs more than twice as much as other developed nations, largely due to:
- insurance companies adding more than 20% to health costs without providing any health care whatsoever.
- doctors performing unnecessary tests and procedures, so that they can afford their life style.
- lawyers winning large judgments from the 1% of doctors who account for more than 90% of legal judgments, yet the AMA still lets them “practice”

Medicare has un-funded liabilities of more than $10 trillion over the next 20 years because it is not fully funded. A much worse situation than social security.

This is unsustainable. Something needs to be done before the entire health care system comes crashing down.

The public option is a modest first step that is needed to help control health care costs.

Each year that we wait the problem will be more difficult to correct.

Will our children or grandchildren be willing to pay up to 35% of their salaries for Medicare and social security? I doubt it but that’s what it will take to close the gap if we do nothing for another 10 years. It’ll only get worse if we let the problem fester.

If you think this is exaggerated, just goggle: “un-funded Medicare liability”. Read any website you prefer; conservative or liberal or neutral. They’ll all verify how severe the problem is. Unfortunately none of them offer any solutions. Are you surprised?

I suggest “Medicare for all” or “Medicare for none”.

With “Medicare for all”, we’ll all pay our fair share and not push the problem off to future generations. Maybe it is a socialism. Is that so bad? Its worked for our parents for the last 60 years and I don’t hear them complaining about it.

With “Medicare for none” we can all get private insurance through our companies or pay our own way if we are retired or otherwise without employer provided insurance. But millions of us will go into bankruptcy , as the private companies will drop you if you had a pre-existing condition. But hey, that’s capitalism.

What’s the motto: Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.