TERRE HAUTE — Don’t give up on health care reform
In the wake of Scott Brown’s upset win in Massachusetts for the U.S. Senate, many are wondering why the Democrats don’t give up on pushing ahead for meaningful changes in our nation’s system of privately managed health insurance and forget whether Americans can access affordable health insurance even if they have a pre-existing medical condition.
Some Democratic politicians no doubt wish the issue would go away until the next election cycle passes, but the underlying facts of America’s health care system won’t allow that to happen because we have the most expensive health care in the industrialized world. We spend 17.3 percent of our gross domestic product on health care compared to our industrial competitors in Europe and Asia spending 10 percent each. Per capita, U.S. health care costs roughly $6,200 compared to the second costliest nation, Canada, which spends $3,800 a person. Other industrialized countries spend about half as much a person as we do. U.S. health care costs are rising much faster than inflation, so health insurance premiums will be rising steeply for individual Americans and companies offering insurance to their employees.
A major reason health care in America is more expensive than other countries is that the cumulative administrative costs of American health insurance companies are about three times greater than in countries with government-controlled systems or countries where health insurance companies are regulated like public utilities.
Although health care in the United States may be excellent for those who can access it, Americans’ overall health statistics of are not superior to people in other advanced nations. We do not have the lowest infant mortality considering only white babies. Nor do we live longer than people elsewhere. Adult females and males have been ranked respectively 43rd and 42nd in world health care statistics. In one analysis, we rank only 37th out of 191 nations in overall health care, just behind Costa Rica. (If Americans manage to reach Medicare age, their comparison to international health statistics improves.)
Our system of health insurance, which comes primarily from large employers offering it to their employees, means individuals who own small businesses or who do not get health insurance at work usually must purchase high-priced health insurance policies (if they can afford them or get coverage not excluding their pre-existing conditions).
Some 47 million U.S. citizens currently do not have health insurance; the total number of people finding themselves without insurance greatly increases over a five-year span due to people being in and out of jobs, companies going out of business, etc. Hard-working Americans by the millions are essentially trapped in jobs because they or family members have pre-existing medical issues.
U.S corporations often find it hard to compete internationally because of the cost of providing their employees health coverage. This, of course, depresses job growth. Health insurance costs are also a key reason for age discrimination in hiring — older employees drive up health insurance premiums for group policies.
Because the private health insurance industry can exclude people with pre-existing conditions, millions of individuals cannot really shop for rates, so companies like Anthem in California are expected to raise annual premiums in 2010 by 39 percent. Could Indiana be next in line for increases few can afford?
Because so many hard-working Americans lack insurance or are underinsured, bankruptcy is medically related in more than 60 percent of America’s 1.5 million annual bankruptcies, and the percentage is rising annually, according to 2009 articles in Health Magazine and The American Journal of Medicine.
Opponents of current government health insurance legal proposals tend to call laws ensuring Americans reasonable access to health insurance names such as socialism, communism, and Obama Care as if the speakers were defending “The American Way of Life” from foreign evil.
What a pity the people so zealously defending America’s health insurance industry basically as is seemingly don’t care all that much for living Americans. Approximately 44,000 of our fellow citizens die annually in our current system of health care due to lack of health insurance — yes, approximately as many Americans are doomed to an early grave each month as we lost during the tragic 9/11 attacks.
— Steve Kash
Terre Haute
Better places for a new gravel pit
The proposed gravel pit is an excellent idea. I’m for more jobs. I’m for increased revenue for the area.
What I’m not for is a business of this type plopped down in the middle of a sleepy, middle to low income neighborhood. Yes … my neighborhood.
I bet if it was on the edge of Richland Manor or near Dixie Bee School those who live there would also complain. And win. Money talks in this town.
Why not move it to an area that will keep those trucks, noise and pollution away from law-abiding, taxpaying, average people.
Even the area west of 13th Street and south of Haythorne is better. Still in the area, still close to their destination, but it will be out of the neighborhood, away from our kids who ride bikes on the streets, skateboard in the streets, play basketball in the streets.
Yes, we play in the streets up here. We have no sidewalks, we have no city water, we know our neighbors, we walk and talk and live on our streets. Let’s not let the money talk in this case.
Look at the big picture. Or better yet, how about in your neighborhood, Mr. Sinclair?
Lots of empty areas toward your neck of the woods.
— Patty Cottom
Terre Haute
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