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Health Care Legislation: For It Or Against It?
As a grower or retailer, where do you stand on the health care-for-all legislation Congress is currently debating? A recent GreenhouseGrower.com poll shows 74 percent of readers are against health care legislation that covers every American. A couple readers, however, indicate premium costs are spiraling out of control so much that they're in favor of a government option. Where do you stand?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Pawelek on -
I personnally would applaud a program that would allow reasonable health care access for all if I trusted the organization that ran the program....but I do not. Our Federal Government is the largest spending most innefficient organization in the history of mankind and considering it's past history billions would be wasted in mandates and over excessive paper shuffling. Most independent grower I know already work 12-14 hour work days, 6 days a week and the added burdens of our govenment mandating what one has to pay entry level employees per hour and now a possible law to mandate the funding of health care may be the last financial straw for many family owned businesses. Over the 35 years I have been in the nursery business I have seen production per square foot increase dramatically and profits at the same time fall to razor thin margins. I fear there will come a day shortly where being in business for one's self will not be worth the time and effort. Some nurseries I assume will actually have to lay off some employees in order to pay for additional mandates from our government. As I understand the health plan now it would be funded by relatively wealthy Americans but I also remember from history when the Social Security program was started the American public was promised that the part taken out of one's pay check would never, ever exceed 1%. We all know now how that figure worked out!
Michael Pawelek
Pecan Hill Nursery
www.pecanhillnursery.com
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Permalink Reply by Davy Wright on -
One more step toward democratic socialism. I believe that all it will do is add to the hidden healthcare tax already paid through higher premiums charged to cover uninsured/unpaid medical visits. The hidden tax will become a new profit base for many healthcare insurers.
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Permalink Reply by Steve on -
You better get worried when someone tries to rush something through Congress. The fact of the matter is that this is complicated issue with the incomes of hundreds of thousands of Healthcare workers at stake and the health of every American Citizen. I would much prefer a through investigation of the issues involved before Congress actually does something. I do not think it is fair to single out any one group at funding this program whether it be on the backs of small business or the wealthy Americans. I also do not think you can arbitrarily saddle the poor with fines for getting health care services if they cannot afford this new insurance. This is a VERY difficult issue.
My own observations coming from a family where my Father is an Anesthesologist; I ask you how can you reform healthcare costs without Tort reform? Most people do not realize that most every hospital has personnel that follow the Doc's around during surgury documenting everything that goes on. This is solely for the purpose of protecting the hospital from lawsuits. There are some parts of this country where the malpactice insurance for Doc's is so high that there are shortages of Doc's of specific specialites. Our current President is against Tort Reform in the context of Healthcare Reform I say what is the point without it.
I think that for the good of everyone's health We need to outlaw the practice of large monetary settlements in the case of malpractice. Set up a Panel of experts and if that pannel agrees that malpractice occured then the Doc's Malpractice insurance would be responsible for any expenses related to future health complications to that patient no pain and suffering, no clames for the family in "lost income" Remember the reason we go to a Doctor is because we have health issues that we cannot fix ourselves. If a Doc or hospital has Repeated clames against them then the Panel of experts would have the authority to revoke that indivual's license to practice Medicine. It is time to tell the Legal community to earn their income somewhere other than the Healthcare industry.
I personnally think it is obsurd that any hospital should be allowed to operate as a for profit entity. Think about it... how many hospitals were for profit before 1950? You will have to look long and hard to find a for profit Hosptial back then.
The Insurance companies are crying foul the loudest because they stand to lose the most money. It is about time somebody reigned then back.
Our Government could do a great deal to improve our health by setting realistic daily requirements in our diets; The average Grocery store in America has 10,000 products on thier shelves that have corn products in them. Ask any farmer how they fatten their livestock for slaughter and they will tell you that they feed 'em corn! I am not so sure that it is in the best interest of the average American that the Same Government agency that is in control of the crops grown in our farm system (USDA) is also responsible for determining what should be in our diet. Espcially as powerful as the Farm Bill is in our country. You would have to be totally blind not to realize just how big a health problem obesity is in our society.
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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One final thought, I believe it would be better for individuals to be able to purchase insurance that protected them in the event of being a victum of malpractice. You have the option to purchase insurance at any airport before you fly on an airplane. So why not say before a major surgury? If you had this option for protection against accidents that occur from your healthcare provider there would be no need for lawsuits. Everytime a lawsuit occurs the primary benificary of that lawsuit is not the malpractice victum it is the lawfirm that handled the case on both sides of the aisle.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Petak on -
As a Wholesale grower, we do offer Health Insurance for our FULL Time employees. We do not offer it to our seasonal ones, they are like a revolving door and are only here for a short time. If the new Government Health care goes thru I'd have to add and extra person just to keep up with the paper work. Right now we offer 2 different levels of health insurance: One we pay for in full (for the employee only) and one that that has a bigger benefit package. Both are offered to everyone...the only difference is that the "premium package" the employee has to pay the dollar difference between the lower and the higher package; guess which package most employee's pick. I do believe that everyone should be insured, I just don't think that it should be on the backs of the employers; everone should contribute to his/her health care. This government (and the ones before this one) with their unfunded mandates are putting hardworking people out of business whether it be big or small business.
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Permalink Reply by Jon on
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I spent 5 years working for the federal government. Inefficiency and waste is an understatement. Sometimes I felt like for every dollar that was collected in taxes, only a nickle actually went to fulfilling to need. You could throw a $100 trillion at public healthcare and there would still be folks going without.
As a federal employee, I had the pick of about 10 different healthcare plans through private insurance companies. Some were spendy, but covered dang near everything. Some were really quite cheap, but covered a lot less. It bothers me that these programs aren't simply offered to the general public at those prices. Millions of folks could jump on board and get what they want at decent prices, but then the ugly truth raises it's head, the rest of the folks want it for free and they want someone else to pay for it.
As far as a federally managed program, forget it. I got hurt on the job and was "covered" by the federal workmans comp program (handled through the Dept of Labor). Paperwork and delays for the first 7 months. (I only got diagnosed by going through my private insurance) Then when I actually got covered, I couldn't find a doctor who could treat my problem who would accept the federal comp insurance because of all the BS involved. You basically get sent to a pain management doctor and get put on pain pills, and figure out how to live with it. One doctor actually described it as being expected to work for free because he was never going to get paid.
So give the government more money so they can manage healthcare for everybody? Forget it. They can't manage what they have.
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Permalink Reply by ROBERT LAROSE on
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I deal with both the Federal government and state government beurocrates everyday. The last thing that any citizen wants to do is place our health care in the hands of government bureaucrats who are not accountable to anyone. Its bad enough to deal with large insurance carriers, but at least you have the choice to move to a different health care provider. Each year I ask each of our team members within our company if they want to have a decrease in health care contributions if they go into a program that might not guarantee their current doctor is a participant. Over 90% of them respond that they will pay more money than give up their current doctor. That says it all.
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Permalink Reply by Nicole Jackson on -
I would LOVE to see us go to a universal single payer health care system. Yep, I just said it. The current plan congress is considering has a major problem, it doesn't take PROFIT out of the system. We must stop paying doctors by number of procedures and go to a performance system.
This should get everyone all hot and bothered... now back to work for me ;)
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Permalink Reply by Reid on -
I agree with Nicole, take the profit out of the system and you'll have a service based industry. That won't happen because the whole health industry has everyone in Government bought and paid for.
I have Government health care now, I've been trying to join the VA for the last few years..! As a Honorably Discharged Marine Corp Vet the Government denies my applications because I've been discharged to many years before I applied to join, so when I need medical help I go to the border towns in Mexico for it
No matter what Washington does it's not going to get any better, I can't think of anything they've ever done right in the first place.
Whatever they do will only benefit the current health industry.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Wolfsohn on
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We need to change the health care INDUSTRY into the Health Care System. Those complaining about "government run insurance" should take a look at the VA system, which treats patients for a lower cost than any other portion of the industry. And, with a high satisfaction rate from the patients. While headlines are all over about medicare fraud, the administrative costs of medicare are much lower (and without profit) than those of the private industry.. I would love to see a single payer system. It would change everything from "us against them" to "we".
I wouldn't eliminate private insurance.. Those that can afford it may want to purchase "premium care".. I agree that the ala carte payment system is one of the central parts of the problem, but, there's enough blame here to go around to all..
that damned socialist awaits the flames..
Brian Wolfsohn
Shack In The Back Growers
Southwest Ranches FL
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