To be fair, I’ve tried to read and/or watch as many of the many appearances and speeches by Obama and Pelosi and others on the health care thing.  Befor I do my list, I thought I’d point out that they can pass and sign whatever the hell they want to…they have the votes….but those votes are eroding day by day.  It seems even their own party members don’t agree with direction the bills are headed.  Having said that, here are my thoughts:

1.  If you pay for 2/3 of universal care (because let’s be honest if there is a public option that’s what it will become) by cutting services/care/tests-whatever for Medicare patients….how will this impact our elderly?  What procedures will be seen as “waste” for older patients?  Think about it.  It’s scary.

2.  Why not fix what we have first?  They keep talking about how the current programs need to be fixed.  How about we fix those first, stop allowing fraud, pay providers what the services are worth – and on time, make sure those that actually can’t afford insurance (vs. those that choose not to buy it because they want a new car or whatever) are on Medicaid, put tort reform in place, mandate that those who can afford insurance purchase it, and then see what we have?

3.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of some bureaucrat  (doctor or no) deciding (for example) what type of allergy meds I’m allowed to have (whether they work for me or not) without ever having met me.  But I DO like the idea of making sure you can buy insurance, regardless of pre-existing conditions and putting caps on premiums.

4.  I think a person should have to provide proof of citizenship to access either current or future health care programs.  And I think this should include emergency rooms and clinics.  I know I’m a hard-ass on this..but if we can’t afford to care for our own citizens, why should we put illegals at the head of the line in our ERs?

5.  I think we should have local medicaid clinics in the inner cities to provide needed primary care for poor families vs. them not having access to a family doctor and clogging up our emergency rooms because they have no place else to go.  In the long run, I think providing preventative and non-emergency care in this manner will save tax payer dollars.

6.  I think a public option will lead to the destruction of our health care system.  We will become Canada, France, Britain and Germany.  Last time I checked….I didn’t see any U.S. Citizens going up to Canada to be enrolled in their system for “better care”.  Rather, I think we should give every family a set tax credit and let them go to the free market for insurance; if everyone has the same amount to pay, then insurance companies and health care providers will compete for those dollars and this will lead to better coverage and care for everyone…not just those that can afford to go outside a public system and pay for everything themselves like they do in France.