The New York Times gives us our latest feature story of the betrayal of the generation that elected Obama as the story of a young adult's medical bills cripple her financially. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/nyregion/18insure.html?hp
Obama was elected by the smart youth of America that sought change and now they get to see, not so much. They have fewer job prospects. They have higher expenses. They are the group that represents the largest number of UNINSURED.
This story isn't a feature article, it's an embarrassment to the American people. Obama is risking his credibility on banks, on auto makers, on poor children getting SCHIP dollars, on doctors getting increases in federal funding just so that they don't turn away Medicare patients, on doctors getting an extra 2% bump in government money if they use medical technology, on billions being spent to help get health records online saving insurance companies money and the young adults...nothing.
Obama should be shame faced, he should be embarrassed because he has already slumped into the cloud of lame duck President: "It will take time", "I didn't create this problem," even as he perpetuates and expands the problem.
Is there a reason he funded SCHIP before introducing legislation to help the LARGEST group of uninsured? Could he not have enough vision to imagine government subsidies to help young people pay for insurance coverage if those young people are working part time, or students, or volunteers? Would he really get LESS bang for his buck by addressing the lives and health of the next generation rather than "helping" crooked bankers, crooked insurers and crooked civil servants?
Here it is Obama: We are being RAPED by insurance companies. After decades of selling us less and less INSURANCE (coverage of the RISK of the costs of medical treatment) in exchange for the distracting benefits of "wellness" coverage (you know those finite costs that are easy for insurers to cover, but that leave you facing bankruptcy or death if you are actually ill), Obama comes up with the technology bug as his means of saving billions...for WHOM? There are NO mandates that every nickel of savings be passed onto consumers. There are NO mandates that utilization rates must cover medical expenses for treatment for premium paying patients instead of the stupidity of "wellness" and the admitted use of consumer dollars to pay for overtesting (defensive medicine) used by doctors watching their own insurance rates.
Mr. Obama: Why have you not suspended the giveaway that is Federal Benefits programs for the upcoming 2010 election year as the first step of making good on your campaign promise to provide every American with the same great benefits your family enjoys as federal employees. Why? Because you are being a Washington guy.
Why have you not provided for the expansion of Medicare/medicaid insurance eligibility to EVERY person and family who chooses to participate in that form of health insurance, regardless of income rather than giving into the pet project of SCHIP? Because you are a Washington guy.
Why have you not earmarked any of the billions being thrown at bankers who invested badly (yeah, they're going to solve the FINANCIAL problems), at health insurance companies that lost money investing badly and now are buying up banks so that they can get some of your bank bailout money (yeah, they're a good RISK) at car companies (because the last model of handout dollars worked so well there), at expanding federal jobs (because programs like HIPAA haven't wasted enough taxpayer dollars, we need more government jobs) WHY IS NONE OF THAT MONEY BEING USED TO HELP SUBSIDIZE INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO PUT YOU IN OFFICE...YOUNG ADULTS, MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES, PART TIME WORKERS, VOLUNTEERS.
This is a disgrace and don't kid yourself. Learning the ropes using billions of dollars is a betrayal of trust.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment