The Health Insurance Dilemma -Part 2

My comment: I like pieces of this section. For example, the National Health Insurance Exchange would allow me to buy what I want.  I like the fact that he would like to prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases.  Like McCain, Obama feels that competition will drive prices down. My feeling is that the companies need to figure out how to cap their overpaid execs and trim the “reward game”.  When Obama and Biden launch into controls by government, the system looks potentially bogged down in bureaucracy, and would members of congress fight the salary and compensation packages of the execs? They haven't so far. How are they going to change that "Hill" practice?

Quite frankly, I think the health insurance industry needs to rethink their business model, but neither presidential candidate has a Harvard MBA.  Oh wait, our current president is a Harvard MBA, so why didn't he take charge of this business problem?! Is this the problem with a C+ student becoming President?

McCain fans claim that Obama will change the system to universal care, which doesn’t work. And Obama fans claim that McCain’s plan favors big business and no change.  For me, Obama’s plan has some new thinking, but my concern is that the plan is burdened with many layers and how will Congress pass it?  While I love the McCain tax credit for individuals and families, he does not offer help to small businesses and overall McCain’s plan doesn’t seek to curb corporate problems enough for me to believe that he will break the current problem. An organization called Intelligence Squared U.S. held a debate on this subject:  Is the Government Responsible for healthcare?  Well worth reading!

With our current grim economic situation, I don’t feel that Obama or McCain will be able to reform healthcare in the next 4 years.  So what options do we have? Can we correct the problems with the current system? Reorganize the health insurance industry, capping salaries and redirect the business to be more equitable and customer service based like it should be?  Why can’t the National Governors Association be given a role in making state to state changes, that allows the portability piece and the coverage needs to be decided among the people who understand the issues personal to their state.

Some comments have been left on other healthcare posts about France and Scandavian healthcare systems.  While I agree they are good, and better than Canada and England, becareful what you think is free!  Medicine: Who Decides?, by Paul Krugman, Commentary, NY Times.  And if that isn't enough:  Sweden's single payer Health Care system.

The French system of helthcare and Barrack Obama is using some of that model for his plan. Businessweek had this to say about the French Healthcare.  NPR: France's model healthcare for New Mothers.

What is most important is educating yourself on healthcare.  Go to the website of the candidates, look at socialized healthcare in other countries in order to compare someone like Obama who is presenting something new. Many of us have made choices without doing the homework.  The more you research healthcare the more confident you will be in your choice for president.