On Monday I saw a webinar, hosted by the American Medical Association, about the health care reform legislation and what it means for doctors. A plethora of great information was presented with detailed facts and figures. Below is the slideshow of the event.
If you want to hear the recording register here (again AMA hosted).
As an insurance professional with 25 years of experience in the business, the new Senate bill may likely help us (insurance brokers, agents, and insurers) make more money, since there will be more opportunities for us to sell insurance. Employers will be forced to buy health insurance for their employees or face fines. Or individuals will be forced to buy health insurance or pay a fine. For our business this is great, but as an American and a father this is not a good thing. The majority of Americans do not want this and those who are supposed to represent us ignored our cries of protest, and forced their way further into our lives.
The operative word here is force. Do we elect our representatives to force us to buy insurance or anything else?
Also, since when is anyone who earns $200K a year or two working couples earning $250K considered rich? In California that will allow you to buy a home and a few other things, and that’s about it. People who earn this amount or more will see a 3% tax increase thanks to this healthcare reform. So, if you live in CA (pay 10% income tax, almost 10% sales tax, utility taxes that are half the bill, fuel tax and now include the new 3% tax for the new health plan, then you are lucky if you will keep 30% to 40% of that “rich” status you have.
Back to the word force, our Constitutional Convention of 1787 was a brawl which Benjamin Franklin refereed. This was where our Constitution was written, which gave the federal government power over us.
We had ended the war with England and the states were meeting to decide what powers belonged to the federal government and which to the states. The states were afraid of the federal government having too much power. Our war with England was due to the fact that the English ruled, or used its force to require we buy only certain goods (tea, textiles, as well as other items) from them, even though we could have bought them from other countries cheaper. And it taxed us and did not listen to our grievances.
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention from each state wanted the states to have most of the power, and the federal government very little. This way citizens could address their grievances locally to their state government, and not some power far away. Also if a state had a law, or tax, that a citizen could not abide by, then it could move to another state. The constitution is the document that is there to limit what the federal government can do. There is nothing in that document that allows the government to force you to buy anything. This idea of the government forcing you to buy something was one of the reasons why we went to war with England.
So are we going to be cowed into submission? Apparently, yes. We have forgotten our history and our laws. The only people making a stink on this are other politicians at the state levels, who feel their power base is being taken from them by the federal government.
Politics is a business, and those who are lifelong practitioners are those who are too ugly to be actors, but have the skill to create a fantasy. They put on shows to entertain us. They create rifts to divide us (Gay Marriage, Pro Life, Gun Control, Tea Party members….bla bla). We sit there like Pavlovian dogs responding to a stimulus, while these ugly actors take our freedom, our money, and our national treasure to enrich themselves, their families, and their masters who bribe them. We as a collective group need to look up from all the stimulus that these ugly actors, and their accomplices, the media, who are themselves ugly actors, spew, and realize that they are taking away our freedom more and more each day.
What can you do? Vote, donate money since this is what these ugly actors respect, pray, and march and yell peacefully. You see, in many countries the politicians have fear of the people. In our country they laugh at us behind closed doors after they take their bows and count their bribe money. Perhaps it is time for them to stop laughing. If you see one in public, peacefully and respectfully let them know you are not laughing at what they are doing.
Note: These are entirely the opinions of Willliam D. Dyer and do not reflect those of HCP National.
Though the bill was passed by the House of Representatives, it is likely to hit a big wall in the Senate. Tom Daschle, the former senator and healthcare guru, stated that the likelihood of it passing is 55/45.
Though the AMA, the American Medical Association, endorsed HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, it is not clear if its members were in support of it. Several members have expressed outrage in the support, and have called for the rescinding of that endorsement. One is also left dumbfounded that the AARP was supportive as well. But one has to look toward the monetary gains in these reforms.
If the cuts in Medicare are made in this bill, seniors will be negatively affected. However, this will be good news for Medicare Supplements insurers who will be able to potentially increase their premiums. The people who sell these policies will generate more profits and commissions. The AARP markets/endorses Medicare Supplements, thus perhaps it will stand to gain tremendously from this bill.
In regards to physicians, there is little to like in HR 3200 (the original Affordable Health Care for America Act):
1. Public Option: If you think any politician cares about any of us, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for you. Democrats and Republicans are all the same. They want power, and in politics that means the ability to spend all our hard earned tax money. This gives them power, contributions, and sweet consulting jobs with seven figure salaries when they leave office. The public option will eliminate private insurance, since it will be funded by the bottomless pit of debt and taxation. How can a private insurer compete? If the public option passes, then it will knock out the private insurers and the MD’s will have one payer. This means price controls, and doctors by default become government employees. The good news is that the physician may not work as hard. The bad news is that the physician cannot earn as much as his/her hard work and ingenuity can produce.
2. Tort Reform: There would be no caps on medical malpractice non-economic rewards, and in fact if a state tries to mandate caps they will be penalized.
Section 2531, entitled “Medical Liability Alternatives,” establishes an incentive program for states to adopt and implement alternatives to medical liability litigation. [But]…… a state is not eligible for the incentive payments if that state puts a law on the books that limits attorneys’ fees or imposes caps on damages.
I imagine that this is great news for the litigation industry lobbyists who donated millions to the Democrats and the President.
In short this is not a bill any MD should endorse unless he/she has given up the dreams of a better life for themselves and their families.
HCP National is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We are a medical malpractice insurance broker and risk manager.
