| Monthly Newsletter Vol. 2, Issue 8 |
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Find an experienced attorney who understands Read through our Frequently Asked Personal Injury Questions We Can Help |
Jay Trucks & Associates, PC
600 Pine St. Clare, MI 48617
1.800.762.8623
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On the Public Option for Health Insurance These days, there are few people who would claim that the American health care system really works. Over the last decade, we have learned that in terms of nearly every major indicator of the state of health care in America lags behind that of other nations we otherwise consider our peers. And if we consider the subjective experience of health care, chances are you are not satisfied with the care you have received. How much time do you get to spend with your doctor? How long do you have to wait for emergency care? How much do you have to pay for care above and beyond what your insurance covers? And when you compare your experience today to prior experiences or that of your parents, the chances are you will be even less satisfied. And we pay dearly for our care. The United States spends more per capita, even after adjusting for purchasing power, than any country in the world. Health care spending consumes about 17% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to 10.7% for Germany, 9.7% for Canada, and 9.5% for France, all countries will lower infant mortality rates and longer life expectancies. And these costs are expected to rise at about twice the level of inflation to consume about a fifth of our GDP by 2017. On a personal level, studies show that between 17 and 62% of bankruptcies were due to medical reasons. The most recent study, published in June, showed that 57% of people filing bankruptcy in 2007 had at least $5000 in medical debts, and that 75% of people filing bankruptcy for medical reasons had health insurance. Overall, the study showed that the chances of filing bankruptcy for medical reasons had more than doubled from 2001 to 2007.Most agree that our health care system is broken and needs to be fixed, but we disagree about how to fix it. The best solution is single Payor, another less satisfactory choice is known as the public option, in which the US government opens to the public the same plan that currently covers members of congress and their families. It will make private insurers compete, if they can't then the public option will clearly be the better choice. It will cost less than doing nothing. It may work better than the nay sayers predict. The 47 million uninsured & those underinsured will clearly be better off. Those happy with the present situation can maintain their status quo. But when we look at countries that offer some form of public health insurance option, we see that they have what we desire: better care, cheaper. This makes the public option look like our best bet to really reform our health care system. Lawyers for the Injured |
