America's Actual Health Care Problems

The news has been breaking lately--

Employees' Share of Health Insurance 

Costs Rising

So naturally, too many people are blaming it on Obamacare. 

The fact is, the culprit and problem isn't Obamacare, the actual problem is that we still have our health care costs tied to profit and profits.  It needs to be pointed out, yet again, that NO OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED NATION IN THE WORLD does this. No other nation ties health care to profit. 

It's why we have the most expensive health care system in the world. It's how we got where we are today. To now blame Obamacare and President Obama for the health care costs rising just gives further license to these corporations to raise their rates and premiums and prices all the further. It's insane. It's how we're getting things like this:

U.S. Health Care Costs Rise Faster 

Than Inflation

We have to end our current system of health care and go to a single payer plan, once and for all.

The ACA for Seniors

Still more facts on "Obamacare" and who it's for:

US vs. German healthcare costs

An article out today from Business Insider: "...Appendectomy Costs $28,000 In The US And $3,000 In Germany" "An organization called the International Federation of Health Plans keeps track of medical costs in most of the developed nations around the world. As would be expected, the costs for most procedures and medical treatment is highest in the United States." Did you get that? The highest cost--most expensive--health care in the world (as we knew), yet we're ranked 37th in mortality rates. We are more likely to die younger than in 36 other countries in the world. And part of that reason is because health care is out of reach for too many Americans. It's insane. We have to change this. That's what the affordable Health Care Act (what some call "Obamacare") is all about. No, it's not perfect and yes, it needs, frankly to do more, like offer a true "public option" for insurance so we can give the insurance companies some competition and get their rates--our insurance premiums--down. But it is a good start and it benefits us Americans now. We've been gouged for too long and we need to stop it. This starts the work. Link: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-an-appendectomy-costs-2800-in-the-us-and-3000-in-germany-2012-3

More health care debacles--losses--in America

The health care insurance companies are even worse than we thought. After stealing from Americans for decades and being so very much instrumental in making US health care the most expensive, literally, in the world, they went into negotiations with the Obama Administration earlier this year to, hopefully for them, put the brakes on the toughest parts of the reform. It worked and it worked exceedingly well. According to Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone Magazine, the insurance companies were able to do away with the "public option" for getting more competitive insurance rates and situations for Americans, at the beginning of these negotiations. All the while, during the negotiations, these same companies were painting themselves as the "protectors" of American's health care and our lives and as "victims" of the system and, finally as "good guys". So now what's happening, after all this "health care reform" that was passed, however weak? Yesterday, the Aetna Insurance Company announced that they were raising their premiums--the costs, the prices we pay--as much as 19% in California. As though that's not horrific enough, they're also BLAMING THE HEALTH CARE REFORM FOR THE PRICE INCREASE. Man, isn't that beautiful? could they be more cynical and manipulating? This is perfect for them, too, in so many ways. First and most importantly for them, they get more and more money. That's paramount for any corporation, of course. Second, with blaming it on the health care reform, they reap many benefits. If the American public is dumb enough to swallow that--and we are, sadly, we are, I'm afraid--we'll become the best, first critics of the reform and call for it's repeal. This will have the fact of taking the fuzzy, soft handcuffs and shackles this reform provided so they can go back to business as usual---and bill us ever more and higher. Finally--though the list of benefits they gain with this is really quite long--the Republicans, Conservatives, Tea Party, Libertarians, Fox "News" and everyone else in their corner will take up this mantle and cry and call for health care reform's repeal. Face it, folks, the deck is stacked against us heavily and badly here. It looks like the health care companies are going to win--again and some more. Insane. Sad. Pitiful. Pathetic. All. And we're bringing it on ourselves.