Duman for Assembly - Health Care

Health Care

Like clean air to breathe and safe water to drink, health care is a commodity that is necessary for life. Quality health care should not be bestowed upon only those privileged few who can afford the astronomical costs, but should be available to every citizen of the state.

We must have a single-payer, universal access, comprehensive coverage health care system. Since that does not look like it is coming from the federal government any time soon, we must do it here in Wisconsin.

Nearly everyone agrees that the United States has the best health care in the world. The problem is you only have access to that health care if you are wealthy. Much of the talk has been about the x-number of uninsured, with hardly a mention of the under-insured. The number one cause of bankruptcy in the US is medical bills. Others refrain from seeking medical treatment because, even with insurance, they can’t afford the co-pays and deductibles. This is unconscionable. Meanwhile, since 2000, health insurance premiums increased by 87% (compared to cumulative inflation of 18% and cumulative wage growth of 20% during the same period). The average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance has increased more than 143% since 2000. Average out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments for medications, and co-insurance for physician and hospital visits rose 115% during the same period.

The “profit motive” must be taken out of health care. Insurance companies are in the business of not paying claims and must be removed from the equation. In 2005, United Healthcare, one of the largest health insurers in the US, posted a net income of $3.3 billion (yes, that’s billion — and that’s after paying all claims, salaries, operating expenses, etc). Former United Healthcare CEO, William McGuire, who was replaced in December 2006 due to allegations of options backdating, received compensation of $341 million for the five years from 2001-2005. How many uninsured people could have been covered with $341 million? [As a sidebar, United Healthcare is a Minnesota-based company but cannot sell policies in its own state, because Minnesota only allows nonprofit organizations to provide health insurance.]

We need a single-payer health care program. I am not suggesting one giant, state-run HMO. I am suggesting private doctors, private choices; focus on wellness and preventative programs; no deductibles, no co-pays, no lifetime caps; coverage for pre-existing and chronic conditions; a plan that doesn’t change each time you change jobs; and includes prescription drugs, mental health, vision, and dental.

A single-payer plan has many advantages: individuals pay less toward their health coverage resulting in higher discretionary income and relief from the worry of catastrophic medical bills; small and large businesses alike benefit from reduced employee benefit costs and would be more competitive in the market, both in attracting the best employees and the ability to offer lower prices on their products and services; doctors are free from hounding insurance companies for approval for medical procedures and could concentrate on keeping their patients well; administrative costs would drop from 30% to 8%, saving millions; … and the list goes on. What are we waiting for???

The Republicans in the State Assembly do not think there is a problem. They consistently use the phrase “private markets”, which is exactly what we have now. They suggest negotiating with insurance companies to offer lower rates. They propose “risk pools” and “health savings accounts”. The wealthy love HSAs because it’s yet another tax shelter. If you cannot afford health insurance, how can you afford a health savings account? Where is the compassion in this conservative stance? This simply will not work.

Every industrialized nation in the world — except the United States — has a national health program. The reasons for doing it are innumerable. It is the best solution and we need to do it here in Wisconsin. It is simply the right thing to do.