The health care we receive here in the US in bar none, among the best in the world.  So why do we insist on calling this recent government attempt at takeover of our health care system a "Health Care Reform".  In fact what is reform?  Well, most dictionary definitions are as follows: "To change to a better state, form, etc.; to improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc." 

Still, the health care here in the United States, as we just stated, is without question among the best in the world.  Many people from countries where there is government controlled health care scurry to the United States to receive better, more comprehensive, and more expeditious health care or treatments than they otherwise have access to in their home countries.  These include Canada and European countries, where socialized medicine is the norm.

So, while the talk may be about health care reform, we submit that what the debate should be about is health care COST reform.  Additionally, to insinuate that insurance companies are solely at fault for rising health care costs is just absurd.  They make the payments, and in many cases they get the discounts, because of their pooled purchasing power.

Consequently, if we are to discuss costs, then we should fully realize why the costs seem to be constantly increasing, and doing so at a pace that exceeds inflation or income growth. 

For a minute, let us take a look at but one example of how this comes into play by increasing a doctors medical insurance and thus our overall health care costs.  My business partner was in a minor car accident recently.  He received no less than 30 calls from different attorneys over the next week attempting to get him to sue and claim neck or back injury or pain.  He was fine, they insisted he visit their doctors, chiropractors, and other specialists to initiate a lawsuit.  This same thing happens when someone has surgery, loses a finger in a lawn mower accident, etc... Unethical legal professionals want to sue the doctors even if the case is completely frivolous.  Then the insurance companies have to hire or pay their lawyers to defend the doctors in these law suits and the never ending circle of legal chicanery continues.  The lawyers have us all caught in a no win situation.  They sue doctors and file frivolous suits and demand that people have rights to file these suits in order to protect them.  Certainly no one would argue that people have such rights, but only in real cases.  Not cases initiated simply to acquire money with paid expert witnesses and paid examining physicians and sometimes plaintiffs who are simply lying.  Filing so many frivolous suits and so frequently, the legal profession has become the cause of the high malpractice insurance that doctors have to pay. 

So we say, let's start this medical cost reform with a healthy dose of tort reform.  Let's have recourse on attorneys who file frivolous suits, let's have tort reform where doctors can sue attorneys for any lawsuit they file which the attorney loses and where the doctor was found to have committed no wrongdoing or malpractice.  Certainly if the initiated suit discredits the doctor or puts them through unnecessary legal action, then the initiating attorney should be held accountable.  Let's start there and see how dramatically these frivolous suits drop off.

As for the next aspect of rising health care costs, the problem comes when the public and/or certain organizations that assist the public, abuse the system.  You may ask; How does this happen?  Let's take a look at a real life example.

Sleep Apnea is a condition where a patient stops breathing in their sleep.  This condition can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems, and even possibly death.  There are several treatments, one of which is using a CPAP machine when sleeping.  A CPAP machine connected to a hose and a mask which covers the nose or nose and mouth exert positive air pressure on the airway thereby maintaining an open airway while the patient sleeps.  CPAP machine prices can vary from a few hundred dollars up to over $1000 for a good machine. 

The problem lies in the restrictions and regulations on acquiring one of these machines.  This author suffers from this condition and was prescribed a CPAP machine.  I found a good machine online via a medical equipment supply company for $400.  They would sell it to me and bill the insurance company.  However, due to the fact that they were in the process of acquiring government approval to sell to medicare and medicaid patients indirectly through home health care organizations, and because the home health care company charged Medicare and Medicaid a much higher price for the same CPAP machine, they were forced to stop selling the machine to individuals at a significantly lower price ($400 and the original suggested retail price).  Therefore my insurance company had to pay $1200 for a CPAP machine for me, which was previously listed for sale at a price of $400.  The supplier has since updated all their online prices to reflect the new much higher prices because they are not allowed to sell to Medicare or Medicaid patients at prices different from those they charge other individuals.

Insurance is not meant to pay all medical bills all the time.  If we can all agree on this then we can at least begin to understand the problem.  Insurance, sold and used correctly, is for catastrophes, not for every little medical issue that arises.  Just like auto insurance is for when you have a car accident, not to pay for your gas, oil changes, brake repair, broken headlight, muffler problems, etc... 

So too is health insurance for catastrophes like cancer, heart attacks, strokes, emergencies or surgeries, etc...  it is in essence the same as auto insurance or home owners insurance.  It is meant to be there when you have catastrophes or major medical issues.  It is not meant to cover every office visit, cold, cut, scrape, shot, vaccine, medication, or hangnail you may encounter in life.  If you insure everything then you better expect it to cost a lot. 

Next, health care is not a right, it is a privilege of those who work hard and acquire health care for themselves and their families.  Let us consider an example of a person who works hard, educates themselves, gets a great paying job, or runs their own business,  This person can afford to drive a Corvette.  This does not mean that I should have or be given a corvette by the government, or even a car at the expense of another person.  The same is true of health care.  A corvette is not a right, nowhere in our constitution does it state that we have the right to life liberty and a Corvette.  Nor does it state we have the right to life liberty and government provided health care or government health care insurance.  These are privileges we earn through hard work.

We can probably all agree to provide for or help those who cannot care for themselves, for example those who are physically or mentally handicapped or otherwise disabled and who simply cannot provide for themselves, we may even agree as a society to provide for those who defend our freedoms and fight for us in war (ex. Military veterans), or even possibly our senior citizens to a certain extent, but we do not all agree that health care is a right to be afforded to everyone and that should be funded by those who work hard.  We also do not all agree that those who work hard or earn more should give to everyone else through a government run and MANDATED program.  This is simply absurd and these types of entitlements are not what made America the nation with the highest standard of living the world has ever known, nor is it what made America great. In fact, taking from or taxing those who work hard or earn more, in order to provide for others who may not, is just stealing, only by the government and supported by mandated programs, laws, and taxes.  It is akin to Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor.  Worse, if it is justified by creating a crisis or playing on peoples emotions or pain points, for some reason that escapes many people, the masses support it.  Maybe, just maybe, politicians realize that promising handouts and something for nothing to the masses will secure them votes.  Still, we would all be wise to remember "There is no free lunch", there is a cost.  Maybe losing freedom and having government involved in every aspect of the lives of it's citizens is ok to some people.  Yet it appears that many are starting to awaken to the real threat this poses to their own freedoms and to the United States as a nation. 

Frankly, many people do not believe that government involvement in health care would be beneficial for individuals, health care professionals, the relationships between them, or the quality and quantity of timely care that patients would receive with such government intervention.

The fact remains, there is absolutely no program that the government is running, or has ever run, that has been on budget, reduces costs, and which impels us to trust the government to run or manage such a huge portion of our economy and private lives as health care. 

Many, if not most Americans believe that government has no business in our health care.  Many Americans recognize that government intervention will lead to rationing procedures and care, higher taxes, potentially no cost savings, all the while leading us down a path towards socialism.  Without question it will lead to larger and larger government which is exactly what our founding fathers wanted to prevent. 

This health care debacle is nothing more than a direct usurpation of freedoms by an ever expanding and growing government.  That in itself is dangerous.  The elite would love to hand down their seats in the congress to their children and have special privileges, special insurance and medical care, and force "we the people" into dependency on government and into government run programs.  We urge you, don't allow it folks.  This is exactly what our founding fathers feared with a large and growing government.  It is the reason the United States of America fought for its independence to overthrow the oppressive rule of England, high taxes, and insane policies of King George at the time of succession. 

We are now approaching the same type of situation that we faced when the United States declared its independence from the King of England.  The Obama administration and radical leftist politicians are about to really incite the masses here in the United States.  Beware!  You are about to awaken the sleeping giant in the form of the American people and their values.  Freedom is a powerful virtue which people do not take lightly.  When usurpation begins to infringe on freedoms  and liberties people become active.  This is why we are seeing tea parties, marches, and masses beginning to revolt.  As soon as the people recognize that some politicians are trying to infringe on their freedoms or take some away from them, they will fight to the death to save it.

Health care reform may lead down a path towards revolution, and not in a good way!