American Health Care Emergency – Winning Health Insurance Reform

The following was based on a new article by George Lakoff.

Populating the Administration with people from inside the beltway will help in some ways and hurt in others. Progressives are losing the health care reform effort because the inside the beltway team is using methods that have always failed in the past.

They have failed to use the methods from President Obama’s successful election campaign. They are fighting the conservative opposition the same way they always have. They are preaching to the choir while fearful members flee to join the other ‘church.’

Instead of trying to negate the lies of the other ‘church,’ but only reinforcing their lies instead, or talking about the logical interests of of the health care customers, everyone should be talking about what is wrong with the current health care system – The American Health Insurance Failure. It’s broken and needs fixing. The American Health Insurance Failure should be pointed out over and over and over, and consistently from every member of the Administration. They should also explaining how this failed system can be fixed.

Rename the reform effort – The American Plan. The “public option” only helps the other ‘church’ by making it the government option and how the other ‘church’ hates the government. The American Plan will fix our failed health insurance system.

We have a significant health care emergency. Tens of millions must resort to expensive emergency rooms for lack of insurance. Twenty thousand Americans die each year because the can’t get health care. Costs of health care have been, and are, growing faster than wages or inflation while quality suffers from birth to death. Other nations cover all citizens for half the cost. The American Plan is a response to this emergency.

Just because you have health care coverage via your employer doesn’t mean your insured. Loss your job – lose your coverage. And unless you are really rich and can afford to buy your own insurance, you are stuck with what your employer provides. You have no choice. The American Plan is about coverage if you become unemployed or have a preexisting condition when you change jobs. It is about choice.

For profit health insurance is about denying care. Even if you’re wealthy and can afford your own insurance, an insurance company doesn’t have to insure you – it’s their choice not yours. If you’re healthy, maybe they will choose you? The American Plan takes choice away from the insurance company and gives it to every citizen.

Health insurance is about delaying expensive health care. “I was, diagnosed with a terminal illness, and I had to wait 6 weeks to get an appointment … … I could have died by then. … I later discovered, my insurance company would have been very happy with that outcome.” Twenty percent of doctor recommended treatments are denied by health insurance companies.

Twenty to thirty percent of what is paid to insurance companies goes to denial of care and adding to the bottom line. This high fee constitutes a private tax on citizens which only benefits insurance company executives and investors. This is taxation without representation. The American Plan will provide relief from this unfair tax.

Doctors care about your health – they know you, insurance companies don’t care – they don’t know you. Corporations have no empathy. The American Plan is about helping doctors provide better care with higher quality and lower cost.

What about the insurance company bureaucrats? They put profit before health care. They ration care. They delay care. They deny care. The American Plan will put a stop to this.

Care is rationed by insurance companies. They have to authorize medical procedures – that takes time – and may be disapproved. They force your doctor to rush through your exam and get to the next patient by negotiating lower reimbursement fees for each patient. You have to pay more for each visit, so you don’t see your doctor as often?

Insurance companies are inefficient and wasteful. Their administration costs are 8 time higher than government provided medicare.

The American Plan is about doctor-patient care and making it better.

Let The White House know they are losing the health insurance reform battle to fear mongers and that they need to change their approach. They need a new plan – The American Plan.