| As the Presidential race heats up it is | | | | will undoubtedly to some extent meet its |
| hardly surprising to discover that health | | | | objective, which is quite simply to win |
| care and in particular health insurance is | | | | votes. However, it will not do anything to |
| high on the agenda and, for tens of thousands | | | | improve the health care system as it is |
| of people, the potential for solving the | | | | simple does not address real world issues. |
| problem of getting cheap insurance coverage | | | | |
| for people suffering from pre-existing | | | | Health care today is big business and it has |
| conditions might make Hillary Clinton's plan | | | | little to do with providing health care and |
| an attractive choice. But will it work? | | | | everything to do with earning profits for the |
| | | | insurers. Now you can talk to the insurers |
| As with the majority of proposals it sounds | | | | all day long however, unless the government |
| great and promises to offer new choices for | | | | is willing to throw money at the problem then |
| those who currently have insurance coverage | | | | costs are not going to come down. |
| and also for the forty-seven million | | | | |
| Americans who are currently without health | | | | Anyone who has experience of private medical |
| insurance. In addition, it promises to cut | | | | treatment carried out abroad will know only |
| your monthly premiums and give you greater | | | | too well that a large portion of the cost of |
| security of cover. For individuals suffering | | | | providing care in the US represents profits |
| from pre-existing conditions it promises to | | | | for the insurer and not the actual cost of |
| "end discrimination based on pre-existing | | | | providing care. You have only to seek medical |
| conditions or expectations of illness". | | | | treatment in any of the wonderful hospitals |
| | | | in the Far East for example to realize that |
| This new plan to meet America's health | | | | you can get the highest quality of care at a |
| insurance requirements calls upon insurers to | | | | mere fraction of the cost of getting that |
| work with employers and patients to provide a | | | | same treatment in the United States. And if |
| high standard of health care at an affordable | | | | you believe that the standard of treatment |
| price and also calls on government to | | | | abroad is not as good as that in the United |
| implement reforms to the health care system | | | | States then think again because a lot of the |
| to both raise the quality of care and | | | | medical facilities throughout the Far East |
| decrease costs. | | | | are staffed by highly qualified doctors and |
| | | | surgeons and have some of the most modern |
| This of course is precisely what we all want | | | | equipment you will find anywhere in the |
| to see but if it were that simple why is the | | | | world. |
| health care system in such a mess today and | | | | |
| why are costs increasing instead of | | | | It is all very well to talk about working |
| declining? | | | | with the insurance companies to lower costs |
| | | | but the simple fact of the matter is that it |
| The truth is that this is merely the latest | | | | is not in their interests to do so. Costs |
| in a growing list of proposals to reform the | | | | will stay at their present high levels and |
| health care system and is nothing more than | | | | indeed will continue to rise until the US |
| pie in the sky. In effect it is nothing more | | | | government decides to take over the |
| than a political document which is extremely | | | | responsibility for the provision of the |
| well written and beautifully presented and | | | | mainstay of health care in the United States. |