Health Care and Iraq Two Big Issues in November Elections

Health care and the war in Iraq (and other places) look to be The Big Issues in the upcoming November election. I admit that I’m watching how things unfold during the campaigns with at least as much interest as I watch “Survivor” (OK, now you know). My ears always perk up when the candidates discuss health care.

Sadly, I have friends and acquaintances among the 47 million that statisticians say don’t have insurance. Others I know are scared to retire early because they know they can’t get insurance on their own. Still others can’t change jobs because their new health care plans wouldn’t include their doctors.

For several years, when my husband was self-employed, I carried the coverage because I was an employee. It was a lot cheaper than if my husband purchased health insurance as an individual. Now he’s an employee and carries the insurance for both of us. He’s holding off on retirement to keep the coverage for me.

According to recent news stories, many states are grappling with The Health Insurance Dilemma.

California is decreasing payments to physicians for Medicaid patients. Florida is cutting $500 million and Maryland $40 million from their Medicaid budgets. Maine wants to charge Medicaid recipients and cut health department funds. Massachusetts wants legislation that requires public reviews of insurance companies that try to increase premiums by more than 7 percent.
Georgia wants to create a Web site that compares health insurance plans.

Iowa will make insurance for kids mandatory and provide coverage for low-income families. New Mexico is passing laws that will make it more difficult for insurance companies to cancel policies and deny claims. Oklahoma has joined a multi-state suit against the federal government which claims it overstepped its bounds when it eliminated millions of dollars for Medicaid.

Oregon is holding a lottery to see who of the 80,000 people who signed up will get the state’s health care coverage (there are only “a few thousand slots”). And finally, Washington state’s legislature overwhelmingly voted to require insurers to receive approval from the insurance commissioner before changing premium rates, and – get this – the legislature wants insurance companies to return excess profits to the state.

Does anyone see a trend here?

And are all these attempts at fixing our non-system just Band-Aids for a systemic disease?
Should we have a national universal health care plan, or should states re-invent the wheel to meet their own needs?

What do you think?