On the recordJanuary 18, 2011
Everyone knows that insurance companies make money not providing health care. After all, they are in the insurance business; they are not charities. But with as many as 29 million Americans suffering from preexisting conditions, insurance companies want Congress to repeal health care reform. The provisions which require covering people with preexisting conditions would eventually cut into insurance company profits. Repeal means Americans will continue to pay more for insurance but get less--that is, if they can afford health insurance in the first place. The very idea of health care reform, solely within the context of a for-profit system, has been more than problematic. Today, 50 million Americans have no health insurance. What are we going to do for them? Rather than waste time debating how much reform insurance companies will permit, if any, it is time to change the debate. It is time to end the for-profit health care model. It is a time for not-for-profit- health care, single payer, universal Medicare for all, with an emphasis on wellness and personal responsibility. More about that tomorrow.
