Letter: Confiscating our liberties

Barb K.
10/31/2009 8:26 PM

Joe - In a few years there won't be any health insurance companies. In the house bill on page 94 it states that insurance companies can NOT sell any new policies beginning in 2013. There goes the competition!

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joe r.
Willmar, MN     10/31/2009 7:15 PM

Barb and Larry are on a roll with their own form of propaganda. The government is fine until you need it. Bush bailed out corporate America so why in the world do you think the government should not ask for any over-sight, and expect the companies that are failing to get back on track? Are some of you people high? People like John, Barb, Larry, and Greg get on their high house about losing our liberties, and John thinks that greed has a purpose in the corporate world, but now thinks that the government should not be involved and we are losing our liberities. The far right states that private companies can do fine without the government, so then why are any of you worried about the government managing health care? UPS and Fed X do just fine competing against the government run post office, and the government is not trying to take over there. The government has a right to over see the companies who borrowed money, but many of you think its government interference and dictatorship by the president. The government is the people so stop your whining.

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Barb K.
10/31/2009 6:32 PM

Our ancestors came to American to get away from government tyranny. This country is turning into everything our ancestors came here to get away from. They must be rolling over in their graves.

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James N.
10/31/2009 5:39 PM

John and Barb, I agree, capitalism with morals and ethics is a wonderful thing. However, when you interject the human mind and soul with all it's emotions including greed into the equation, funny things happen. I believe Wall street this past several years culminating in a global economic meltdown along with heath cares failure are prime examples. Remember, we house in prison more people per capita than any industrialized country in the world. Our so called "white collar" prisons are full. These white collar prisons are full from those who acted out of greed. Ken Lay who unfortunately died prior to his time served along with many including Madhoff, Skilling, World Com execs, Toy Co and the list goes on and on and on. Anyway, we are off topic. This is not about politics. The insurance industry has spent over six million dollars the first few months of this year with five lobbyists per congress person. I believe as usual, those with the deepest pockets will win. This influence is on both sides of an aisle of life long professional politicians who care in general more about staying in office than anything else. As Peter G Peterson said, "Our representative unlike our founding fathers see politics as a career. As a result they are focussed not on the next generation, but on the next election. " This is why in ten years we will still be debating health care. You can thank corporate America with it's deep pockets and influence of our career politicians. The insurance industry has had decades to fix this problem, but they were more concerned about profits. Why would giving them another decade or two will be any different. I don't want to place the entire blame of a failed heath care system on the insurance industry. While they are a major player, there is more than enough blame to go around.

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Barb K.
10/31/2009 5:07 PM

That's exactly what I was going to say John. And what makes anybody think that with the govn't in charge we will really be able to get good healthcare? It will probably turn out just like Social Security where they take our money for 50 years and then hope you die so they don't have to give any back or if they do give some back it's just a pittance of what that kind of "investment" (government word for tax) should return. And no opting out of paying. The govn't told us baby boomers that the SS money we paid over what was being paid out would be invested and would be there when we retired. We all know the "investment" has nothing but IOU's and in order to pay those IOU's we will have to pay higher taxes. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO CONSTITUTION AUTHORITY FOR ANY OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All those officials promise to uphold the Constitution so lets hold the to it.

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James N.
10/31/2009 4:21 PM

Barb, You missed my entire point. Nothing you said has anything to do with the facts I brought up. You are making comments that are political have nothing to do with the problem at hand which is health care economics.As a health care provider for twenty five years and having spent that in the trenches, I know exactly how the insurance industry operates. Simply giving everyone with out health insurance a policy will only give the insurance industry more money to play with. Denials, higher deductibles and copays will continue. That is why the insurance industry wants to make sure that all Americans have to carry insurance if they go along with any health care reform. They know that the younger healthier Americans will opt to not carry insurance. If the younger healthier Americans are in the pool, you guessed it, higher profits and greater stock options. Remember, the insurance industry is in the business of making a profit, not making sure you have adequate affordable health care. I find it hard to believe that anyone would consider equal affordable health care for all to be fascists, unless you happen to be someone who has what many wished they had, equal and affordable access to health care.

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Barb K.
10/31/2009 3:41 PM

The healthcare bill has really nothing to do with medical care. It would cost a lot less money to just give a health insurance policy to all those who can't afford one. The reason for passing this is to take control over another 1/6 of our economy. It's so obvious I can't understand how anybody doesn't see that this is one step in "fundamentally" (Obama's word) changing our country from a capitalist society to a fascist one. It's just another wealth redistribution from the people who earn it to those who don't. In a capitalist society everyone has the opportunity to move up the income scale. If any of you think this fascism is good for the middle class you better study history. We will end up with 2 classes - the elite will have all the money and the rest of us will be their slaves with no chance of getting out. This country has given everyone an opportunity to better oneself. You just have to be dedicated, determined, make GOOD choices and work hard. What a shame that American ins't going to "America" much longer.

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Casey O.
10/31/2009 2:23 PM

Rick C. Willmar, MN 10/31/2009 12:34 PM, that's from humans.....

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James N.
10/31/2009 2:22 PM

What I find fascinating regarding this debate on health care and the regular use of the key word "socialism" is the fact that when you understand how health care works you are already dealing with a hybrid in health care with a combination of socialism and capitalism. From a socialistic point of view, we all pool our money with an insurance company hoping we will never need it. That would be having spent your life very fortunate in good health. However, you fully know that someone else, possibly your neighbor will or is using your money. In this case the insurance industry is the government and they decide who and when will be covered and for what and who and when the provider will be paid. Here is where it became interesting. The insurance industry is for profit. Even if they call themselves non profit, they simply spend everything to appear as a non profit. I know this is an over simplification. Now, there arises a conflict of interest. The large insurers pay very large salaries in the multiple millions each year plus benefits none of we average people will ever know. They are also paid stock options worth in the millions each year. The stock options these CEOs and CFOs etc are given are based on profitability of the company. To receive higher profits, they must have higher income (premiums) and lower cost ( what is paid providers and the basic administrative costs). thus the conflict of interest. The insurance industry will squeeze care, increase deductibles and copays to expand profits leading to you guessed it, larger stock options. Thus we have combined socialism and capitalism. I believe we all would agree it has not worked out very well. Six of the larger insurance companies in the country last year paid there CEOs multiple millions of dollars in salary, average about ten million. The kicker, they all cashed in 20 plus million in stock options with 30-100 million more left in their portfolio. They are concerned that these future stock options will be worth as much as possible, thus more squeezing of care via denials, higher deductibles and copays and premiums with lower pay out to providers. The lower pay to providers is multiplied by the fact that overhead has drastically outpaced reimbursement because providers spend their day appealing denials on your behalf as the patient. There are many reasons for health care gone astray, this is one of them. I have many more examples and would be glad to share, but don't want to make this post any longer than it already is. Thank you for your patience.

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Casey O.
10/31/2009 2:19 PM

Barb K. Olivia, MN 10/31/2009 1:25 PM, so now it's up to you who should and how much should be given to charities? I thought it's suppose to be up to the individual, not you. Your posts also says that conservatives only give to charities for show, to make themselves look better. WOW

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