Health Insurance - A burden on business

I don't understand why we burden businesses with the task of providing health insurance.

My company, TriLibrium, is in the process of adding this employee benefit and we've probably spent a collective 20-40 hours of our staff time discussing our needs, creating an employee census, shopping for an agent/broker, supplying information, evaluating options, etc. etc. None of which relates directly to our business as accountants and business advisors.

I have no problem paying the money but wouldn't it be nice if this was simplified? A business tax on all employers in order to provide universal health insurance would level the playing field and eliminate their administrative burden. This administrative burden is a hidden cost of our insane, for-profit private health insurance system.

Like everyone, we all want comprehensive insurance. All of us need access to health care and worry about catastrophic problems that might not be covered due to coverage gaps or maximum coverage provisions.

From an economic standpoint, it makes so much sense to create a single, large insurance pool with everyone in so we can equally spread the risk, lower administrative costs and reduce the fear and anxiety we all have around health insurance.

We need universal health care. I believe the best system is Single Payer. We could solve all these problems by adopting Medicare for All!

We need campaign finance reform

I’m opposed to the Cap-and-Trade scheme making its way through Congress as the Waxman-Markey bill. I strongly support greenhouse gas reductions but the 1,400 page Waxman-Markey bill is a corporate boondoggle that only Wall Street traders and speculators could love.

My preference is for a Carbon Tax with 100 percent dividend refunded directly to citizens on a per capita basis. This is simple to administer, revenue neutral for the government, would flow through to all activities and industries, and provides appropriate incentives and market signals. Those who pollute less than average would actually be subsidized by those who pollute more than average. While this is a simple solution, you can count on Washington to overlook this in favor of their lobbyist ridden legislation.

My strong opposition to Cap-and-Trade is due to the fact that I don’t think it goes far enough and we don’t have time to waste on half measures. It’s a scam that is going to transfer billions of dollars to speculators and polluters and because it fails to accomplish much, other countries don’t see the US response as meaningful or credible. As Dr. James Hansen points out in his recent entry on The Huffington Post, this measure will create a decade or more delay before we’ll get another chance to create an economically and ecologically sound climate change policy.

I have the same sick feeling about health care reform. While the best shot at getting a comprehensive, affordable and universal health insurance plan is HR676 (Single Payer Health Care system), it isn’t even being discussed due to the pervasive influence of corporate lobbyists. My fear is we adopt some weak and ineffective system that sets back real reform another decade or two.

I’ve been a Single-Payer supporter since I first learned about the idea of universal health care back in 1991. I’ve been waiting 18 years now. I’d love to see the US solve this problem but we won’t get there if we allow corporate lobbyists to set the agenda like we have with carbon.

Best Congress Money can Buy

I've long supported the Green Party because they refuse to take corporate money as a matter of principle. I also appreciate the unwaivering commitment to peace, sustainability and democracy.

The Green Party has also been a long-time proponent of universal, single-payer health care system. Unfortunately, Americans aren't getting a fair and unbiased hearing on this proven approach. I believe that is due to the corporate domination of our political system.

Amy Goodman from Democracy Now did a story today on Senator Max Baucus (D) and some of the key people drafting health care reform. The original reporting was done by Max Dennison of the Montana Lee Newspapers Montana State Bureau. Here is what she reported in her story:

• Senator Baucus chairs the Senate Finance Committee. In the last six years he's raised nearly $15 million of which 23 percent came from insurance and health interests.

• Senator Charles Grassley (R), ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee received 23.5 percent of his financial support over the past six years from insurance and health sectors.

• Senator Charles Dodd (D), who is essentially running the Health Committee in the absence of Senator Ted Kennedy got 23 percent of his funds from the insurance and health sectors.

The Washington Post recently reported that almost thirty key lawmakers have personal investments totaling nearly $11 million.

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has at least $50,000 invested in a healthcare index.

• Senator Judd Gregg (R), a senior member of the Health Committe has up to $560,000 of equities in major healthcare companies including Bristo-Myers Squibb and Merck.

• The family of Congresswoman Jane Harman (D) held at least $3.2 million in more than twenty health care companies at the end of 2008.

• Senator John Kerry (D), and his wife Teresa Heinz kerry hold at least $5.2 million in companies such as Merck and Eli Lilly.

• Senator Johnny Isakson (R) holds at least $165,000 in pharmaceutical and medical stocks.

• Senator Kay Hagan (D) holds at least $180,000 in more than twenty healthcare companies.

• Senator Chris Dodd's (D) wife serves on the board of four healthcare companies and received more than $200,000 last year in salary and stock for her service.

• Eight of the twenty-two member Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have financial interests in the healthcare industry. This committee was to hold a hearing today on healthcare reform.

Doesn't that look like a conflict of interest? Do you doubt their corporate ties and personal investments influence their decisions? This is absurd.

Power

I’d like to be writing about business but feel the health care situation is dire and that we have a unique opportunity to really solve this problem. I also know firsthand how the healthcare mess impacts TriLibrium, my colleagues, my family and our clients. This problem must be solved to bring America in to the 21^st century.

I used to be fairly oblivious to class power. I’ve always felt kinship with the underdog and have always been in solidarity with labor and the people who do the work. I think saving and investing has value, but the Wall Street mentality of large and fast returns to investors who in reality do nothing, is absurd. That mentality has lead to the current crisis which is creating so much turmoil in our communities.

The reason I was oblivious to class power was the myth I’d been taught that portrayed a level playing field for all people where one’s efforts, skills and luck determined one’s fate. What I failed to appreciate was how the rules of the game influence the outcome of the game. And in America, the game, the rules and the outcome are largely controlled and determined by the investing class through their political contributions.

When I talk about the owning/investing class, I’m referring to the top 1-10% of Americans who own and control a majority of the private assets and financial wealth in our country.

When you examine our system through the lens of class, you can see where the rules of the game define class power.

A social safety net helps the working class while diminishing the power of the owning class. Without a social safety net, workers are particularly fearful of job loss and accordingly, will do anything to keep their job since they know that job loss would mean economic ruin. Job loss without a social safety net means no food, no shelter, no health care and no education.

The owning class is vehemently opposed to a social safety net because (a) they don’t need it and (b) it gives power to workers to walk away from being exploited. This is one of the reasons corporate America and the owning class is opposed to universal health care. Job based health care gives those who control the jobs (owners and corporations) power over workers. Universal health care takes that economic weapon away from the owners.

I believe universal health care is vital to our future and that the only system that will work is a not-for profit, universal, single-payer system. I believe it is being blocked by rich and powerful forces who more than anything, want to keep this powerful control lever over American workers.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the money that might be influencing the people charged with deciding our future health care system.

Single Payer, not public option

What health care reform proposal is supported by a majority of doctors, an overwhelming number of nurses, has over 70 co-sponsors in the house but is off the table due to the corporate control of our economy and political system?

Single Payer Health Care.

The cost of health care is destroying businesses. In 2008 it cost a small business $12,700 to ensure a family of four. That is expected to rise by nearly $900 in 2009. Who can afford that? This is what the for-profit, private insurance system has delivered.

Add to that the administrative burdens to the employer, the out of pocket cost to employees plus the constant fear of being dropped, denied, or let go and other psychological cost as well and you have a system that is harming this country.

This must change and single payer is the solution. The so called "public option" being discussed by corporate supported Democrats doesn't go far enough to address the root problems in our health care system.

I believe the "public option" will fail to solve our problem and will actually be a major set back for those of us who simply want this problem solved.

Nick Skala, an expert and advocate for single payer recently was in Washington to speak to Democratic Progressive Caucus about single payer. Here is a story about his experience and a link to his video report.

The unfortunate problem is a federal government controlled by corporate interests and lobbyists. The industry spends far in excess of a $1 million per month and all the people making decisions about health care reform have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the industry.

We need campaign finance reform as much as health care reform but that is another discussion for another day.

Corporate control of our system is one of the root causes of our collective predictments. Corporate media, corporate lobbysists, corporate agendas, corporate control. If you want to learn more about corporate domination, I recommend the movie "The Corporation" and/or When Corporations Rule the World by David Korten.

Single-Payer Health Care

We are over a year into this crisis and we have yet to see a single reform beyond massive government spending programs designed to restart the same system that created the mess.   Isn’t that akin to using a defibrillator on a 75-year old, 1,000lb, diabetic smoker?

While I’ve been advocating the elimination of Wall Street, the implementation of a Carbon Tax with a 100% dividend and the 32-hour work week, today I’ll weigh in on health care reform.

One fundamental change I support [and we don’t hear enough about] is the Single Payer Health Care system. 

Single-payer is the system that removes private insurance companies from the picture; the government pays all the bills, but health-care delivery remains private. People still get their choice of doctors and hospitals. Single-payer reduces administrative costs and eliminates expenses for-profit insurance companies add to health-care delivery. 

How nice it would be to never have to worry about health insurance again!

This would benefit everyone, including business.  Managing health care plans is an expensive proposition for business.   Beyond the high cost of coverage are the hidden costs of shopping for insurance, evaluating options, legal and tax compliance, HR overhead, employee benefit education and communication and other administrative costs.

Despite being closed out of the debate by corporate media, single-payer is developing critical mass.  H.R. 676 "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All," has 65 co-sponsors in Congress.  I myself won’t vote for a politician who doesn’t support universal health care.  Groups like Single Payer Action (I am a paying member) are growing and taking action.

I believe all of us suffer as a result of our for-profit health care system.  We need a system where everybody is in, and nobody is out.  Single-payer is the solution.  I hope you’ll take action (contact Congress, talk to people, get educated, tell your story, etc.)  right now, to help further single-payer.