The Decline of the American Health Care System (AKA, Obamacare)
I’m not much of a political guy but I thought you should all read this.
It’s single page, well-written article from a physician explaining how your life will now be affected by the coming changes in the U.S. health care system.
Do whatever you can to stay well!
4 Responses to “The Decline of the American Health Care System (AKA, Obamacare)”
Jeff on November 27, 2012
I highly recommend that if you’re not “a political guy”, you do more checking before posting an opinion. The author of this article loses credibility in his very first sentence.
As much as we like to thump our chest in the U.S. about being the best at everything, fact checks show that we’re absolutely horrible at healthcare. In fact, the World Health Organization’s ranking of the United States has us as the 37th best health care system out of 191 countries. Sorry Fox News and Obama-hating republicans – the facts aren’t on your side so you can quit the scare tactics.
The reality is that doctors like the one in the article are already dictated to by big pharma companies who pad their paychecks, hospital board of directors and insurance companies (who are in the business of profit, NOT healthcare) . The real travesty is when fat doctors push their patients onto medicine after medicine rather than helping their patients with preventative care and healthy habits. But hey… if you can’t put down the toffee and cheeseburgers yourself, how can you ask your patient to, right? My diabetic father’s doctor actually told him that eating a Snickers candy bar is better for him than oatmeal because the sugar goes out of his system faster. Seriously!
Here’s the reality…
Obama-Care has already reduced health care costs but insurance companies are hyping up doctors like this article’s author because their profits are now capped. They now actually have to put their funds into research and … get this… HEALTHCARE (!) rather than just shareholders’ bank accounts. People actually get a check back now if profits are over the cap (which is still gigantic profits for these companies).
Families with a cancer-ridden child won’t be dropped off of an insurance plan to watch their little one die because it’s “too expensive” for the insurance company to keep them on.
BTW… 40% of all home foreclosures in America are the result of families having to pay for medical care (wow… and even in a country with the “best healthcare in the world”? Yeah, right!)
From a personal perspective, my company – BECAUSE of Obamacare – is now able to pay for our employees to get insurance, something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. This year, we get a 30% tax credit on premiums that put it within our reach. When we found out that in 2013, that credit goes up to 50%, we decided to pay 100% of our employee premiums instead of the mandated 50%.
Yes…that’s BECAUSE of Obamacare.
Look everyone (and Bill)… the healthcare system is broken because it’s a “business” – already designed for profit rather than actually preventing disease. If people get too sick, they used to be dropped or just charged outrageous premiums until they dropped off entirely on their own because they couldn’t even afford food anymore. Obamacare fixes this.
No, our system isn’t dying and the zombies aren’t coming. Get the facts first and for God’s sake… stop being brainwashed by Fox News and the Tea Party controlled Republicans who are manipulating fear to keep their cushy jobs.
Ryan on February 5, 2013
I cannot emphasize how right Jeff is on this subject. Bill, you are lucky that I can dissociate your knowledge on physiology from your knowledge on politics. Most people can’t. If someone with extensive knowledge on current politics were to see that you actually believe in the nonsense that was written in that article, and didn’t know your knowledge on the practical side of things, their assumption would not be kind to you. Your articles and material have given me some great advice, and now it’s time to give you some. If you’re not a “political guy”, refrain from politically defaming our commander-in-chief with information that is either factually untrue or fails to think beyond a one-step logistical process. If you insist on making posts like this, then become a “political guy” and you will realize the ignorance and paranoia of the post you just made.
Mary Frehulfer on March 29, 2013
The author did not deny the reduction of cost, but there will be a reduction to care, or the delayed process of diagnostic discovery. If a Dr. has experience that says the easy and cheap treatment is of no use to you- they are going to be denied the application of that knowledge… you will have to try the cheap and easy. If the cheap and easy solution also compromises your future health or access to the preferred treatment, oh well.. cheap and easy comes first. Such is the case for spinal injections. They enjoy a low success rate and predispose people to bone loss. Steroids cause bone loss. Then, when the injections don’t work.. and surgery is recommended- the graft doesn’t take, because of the previous cheap and easy solution- steroids. Many treatment modalities will follow this treatment path. For some conditions, the template treatment will delay patient specific treatment, just enough- and the patient will need no treatment- for lack of life. But, more people will be insured. Perhaps we will have secondary insurance that buys back what The Affordable Care Act takes away. Then, many fewer than now who are covered… can have modern health care pre cost reduction.
Greg Walker on April 6, 2013
Hi, I agree with Jeff, although the article does get one thing right. Yes there is a paradigm shift in health care and that can only be a good thing, as the current state where business and insurance companies call the shots does each and patient a disservice.
However as the population rises and ages there needs to a radical shift in what we expect from our healthcare system as the resources to provide care are not going to improve any time soon