This morning I went to President Elect Obama’s website change.gov and expressed my opinion on what is necessary to provide affordable health care in America. I’m sure it’s one in two million but hey, I said my piece.
“I am one of the millions of Americans that helped President elect Obama get where he is. That said, Senator McCain was very right about at least one thing that being the underlying source of health care issues in this country: the cost.
While lack of affordable insurance is foremost on consumers minds it must be determined why health insurance is unaffordable. Hospital corporations continue to emphasize their increasing operational cost while reporting record earnings to shareholders and owners year after year. 28.1 billion in profits in 2007. Do we really need to be playing a profit margin game with peoples health and lives?
While I’m all for capitalism I do not see where it is in the best interest of Americans to allow hospitals and health care conglomerates to continue increasing their costs to maintain and increase profit margins. These cost must be brought under control and only government intervention can do this.
It will take sweeping “change” to achieve this because businesses in the health care industry can no longer be looked at as a “for profit” investment, such as HCA. Otherwise any price controls would be met by the hospitals through a reduction of resources and services to patients in order to meet profitability.
Businesses in the health care industry can no longer be run under the same business and administrative principals as other corporate entities. They must take on an operational structure similar to other not-for-profit organizations. Anything less will continue the cycle of rising costs now estimated at 6-7 times the annual rate of inflation.”