What should be done about American Healthcare?
To narrow the debate down to "Government Run" Vs "Consumer-Directed" just might be setting ourselves up for a lose-lose situation. Is it possible that both sides of this argument have built-in flaws that might keep us from finding a good (read workable) solution?
When Obama or Clinton say "Universal Health Care", they mean "Universal Health Insurance". And while it may be that Health Insurance is the way to go, I see evidence that Health Insurance is part of the problem.
I would argue that health insurance needs to be reformed/regulated to be more responsive to the needs of the people it is supposed to be providing its service to. It appears that, in many instances, the desire to "watch the bottom line" interferes with the need to provide payment for needed health care. I also see evidence of fraud and corruption within the system that adds to the rising cost of health care.
And, isn't "the cost of health care" the real problem that needs to be addressed?
If "Government Run" Health Care equals making everybody give money to the insurance companies and trusting them to handle the disbursement of payments for NEEDED health care, well ... it's certainly possible (and most likely probable) that we would be setting ourselves up for more of the same-of-what-we-already-have, runaway health care costs. AND, that doesn't even take into account the ample evidence that the government does a lousy job of managing a bureaucracy to oversee money matters.
When it comes to "Consumer-Directed" Health Care ... it appears that the major pharmaceutical companies are well-entrenced in an existing system that is more concerned with selling drugs than providing health care. My argument here is that the bottom line (the desire to make a profit) sometimes gets in the way of providing health care.
It seems that, in this argument, like so many others, lines have been drawn, and the people that are in a position (or want to be) to make policy have a battlefield mentality - my side against your side.
I would hope that reasonable people with open minds would be willing to take a look at the current health care situation, and ...
Decide what is the best way to provide affordable health care to everyone who needs it.
Recognize what obstacles stand in the way of reaching that desirable outcome.
Find possible solutions to overcome those obstacles.
Work honestly, diligently, and without regard to politcal party posturing to implement those solutions.