Insurance Reform, Not Health Care Reform

Here's a few bullet points on the new "health care" bill going through the senate (courtesy of the AP):

• Health insurance companies would be prohibited from denying coverage to people with health problems, or charging them more.
• For the first time, Americans would be required to carry health insurance, either through an employer, Medicare or Medicaid, or by buying it themselves. Refusal would bring fines, except in cases of financial hardship.
• Federal subsidies would start flowing to individuals and small businesses buying coverage in the exchange, helping them afford the premiums.
• Most employers would be required to offer coverage or pay a tax, under the House bill. In the Senate version, employers would get a bill if any of their workers got subsidized coverage in the exchange.
• Medicaid coverage would be expanded to pick up millions more living near the poverty line.

As you can see from these major points, this plan does nothing to address the real problem: Health care costs. Instead, its only aim is to get everyone on insurance.

Here's a few bullet points of my own:

• If you buy your own insurance right now, you can expect your premiums to keep going up because health care costs are going to continue to go up.
• If your employer pays for your health care, you can expect your wages to keep remaining flat because your employer's health insurance premiums are going to keep going up (because health care costs will keep going up).
• We will get to have this debate all over again in 10 years because this bill does not address the fundamental problem: Outrageous health care costs.
  

The only really good thing about this, in my opinion, is that everyone is required to buy insurance. This is good because, as a nation, we already provide "insurance" to everyone. Think about it this way...

If someone poor and without insurance walks into an emergency room the hospital is forced to treat them (I think this is a good thing). But because the person can't afford the care, the government and/or the hospital picks up the tab. Since the government's money is our money and the hospital recoups its costs by raising rates on those that can afford it, we as a nation are already "insuring" everyone. So I like the idea of formalizing that policy.