Reader comments
Firms want health reform

Why is it that Health Insurance and employers MUST go hand in hand? Why can't we let the free-market system work in the health insurance system as it does in other areas? For example, with car insurance if you don't like the service you're getting you can just go somewhere else which creates competition. Wreckless driving increases a person's auto insurance. Sorry, but if you choose to engage in behavior that is a health risk (like smoking) then you should have to pay more in health insurance. I think employers should have NOTHING to do with providing health insurance. It should be a matter that is handled between the insurance companies and customers. The government should not get involved. If employers no longer were required to provide health insurance, they could pass their savings onto their employees by way of pay increases. Then, each person would get to CHOOSE how to spend their money and be responsible for their own insurance. Maybe if people actually have to DO something, they would be more inclined to live a healthier lifestyle! What a mess!

Maybe someday we can get past hiding behind party lines and talking points and do what is right for people. Utah businesses want and need public health insurance, as they recognize it to be vital for the improvement of our economy. Unfortunately, too many have been manipulated by the fear mongering press and politicians on the payroll of the insurance industry.

Not everybody who gets sick, by the way, has engaged in "wreckless [sic]" behavior. Some people just get cancer, or have heredetary health problems, or get sick from "wreckless" and under regulated industry polluting our air, soil and water.

Read the article...really. I love the line about how "People criticize other health-care systems around the world, but this is the one that is twice as expensive as any other and is the only country on earth where if you get sick enough, you will lose your house. And for some reason, we're fine with that."

Finally an article with truth. Take a look at international Healthcare ratings.

United States is the number 1 spender, the most money on healthcare in the world because it is privatized.

The United States is rated 72nd level of health and 37th in performance.

Lets learn and apply systems that are working in countrys that are better and have universal healthcare.

To much greed from bankers invested in the pharmacuetical and insurance industry who do not want to see this changed to a government system.

Check more international facts. These stats are provided by the World Health Organization. Do an internet search for: country ranking health who.

Another Reality Fact. Germans like quality and Japanese like to take whatever works and makes it better. This was not always the case but they changed to survive and so can the United States change to survive.

The United States needs to reverse the downhill health trend for it to survive economically.

A Healthy Nation boosts the economy.

A non profit government system is a good start.

One more expense for business to pawn off on the government. Employers are the beneficiaries of healthy employees and safety on the job and should share the cost of insurance and employee health care.

Business has far too long been undermining employee wages using cheap illegal labor. Business seems to forget that its employees are its backbone and the ones who make a company grow or go out of business. Employers should share their profits with employees whether its in the form of benefits in assisted health care insurance or higher wages. But the national trend of business is to screw its employees and cut their wages, especially in Utah.

I've been waiting for the corporate owners to get in on the band wagon on this issue just use another argument of employees costing too much to employ. To nationalize any health care will be disastrous for employees and america and ultimately these business owners. Health care insurance should be a shared expense of employee and employer, and government must stay out of this issue.

We are in america and what other countries do is of no concern in the working americans health care.

The big cause is waist. No testing = no correct diagnosis = repeat visits = Doc perscibing wrong meds, usually for Hypochondria,Depression, ADHD, Bipoler or whatever the popular excuse is for incompitance. Repeat visits cost money and so do progressive illnesses.Surgery or death costs more than an MRI,EKG, xrays,etc. Does it take a Rocket scientist to save money and keep costs down? Apparently it takes more than an insurance company and a Doctor with a "I'm better than you," medical degree.
I'm not even going into the wrong meds that are given for the bad diagnosis, like Paxil, Pozac,and whatevers the in thing at the time. Come on! They only have time to see a patient for five minutes tops. My mechanic spends more time on my car, costs less and keeps my car running great.Imagin that.Doing what he's trained to do. Should we expect less from Doctors and Insurance companies? NO WAY! WE WANT WHAT WE PAY FOR and we want them to spend the money wiser so more can afford insurance. Not much to ask, but well worth asking. Just my 2 cents and my life on the line.

Juvenile crime is less of a burden than a preexisting medical condition. If you rob a store as a juvenile at least your record is sealed when you become an adult. Not so with medical records. If you had a condition as a child, it follows you through out your life. Small companies may loose their coverage if they hire you. We do have the worst medical insurance in the world.

When I was in Canada on their public health program they wanted me to wait six months for a simple surgery that would help my with my urinary problems. I told them to stick it and flew to the U.S. and paid out of pocket to get it done. in essence Canada had property rights over my bladder not me. That is what big government gives you. NOTHING! They take away your freedoms. The U.S. has the best health care system. Obama wants to give us something worse than what we already have.

Those rankings don't tell the full story about either the quality of care we have in the US or some of the unique problems we face that contribute to them. Just ask a Canadian or Brit how great they think their system works when they have serious problems.

The AMA outlined to Obama what they perceive as the major problem in spiraling costs, tort lawyers run amok over the system. Doctors have to practice defensive medicine, order unnecessary and expensive tests, and pay higher and higher malpractice premiums each year to cover themselves. Anyone with half a brain know those costs are passed on to the system and individuals in the form of higher premiums each year.

Secondly, the obesity rate in the US has doubled since 1990 and is by far the highest in the world. This also coincides with the time frame healthcare costs began spiraling upward on a yearly basis. If more isn't done to change Americans lifestyles and get people back to personal accountability in taking charge of their own health, "healthcare reform" will do nothing more than make this epidemic worse and will be akin to putting a bandaid on a hemmorage.

The required multiple insurance policies, and taxes businesses have to pay are the biggest hurdle impeding the backbone of the country's economy. It is simply too expensive to pay everyone and your employees too.

I have never hired illegal workers and neither do most employers. I never had insurance or even Workers Comp coverage on myself, while having to cover employess...couldn't afford it.
Costs combine to create the biggest deterent for small business, what built this country in the first place: The bigger you get, the less money you make. Small business doesn't get the breaks of big business, and more and more of my independent business customers are disappearing, limiting your choices, consumer.

I realized in the first year of business here that I net the same amount of money by myself as I did employing a dozen people previously, something I did for nearly a decade. Less headaches, same money...hmm, tough one.

As a result I did all the work myself for the last five years, and my body is paying for it now. Without insurance, it took 3 years and dozens of visits different doctors to diagnose the problem, btw.

Say what you will, (80% of) the people have spoken.

It is still "We the people" right?

Why don't these small businesses get together and create a larger pool of employees? When you do this, you can greatly reduce your premiums and the insurance companies are more likely to give you a better deal. The greater the pool, the more attractive deal for insurance companies as this pool makes it more likely that there will be a greater chance of profit.

To just wondering: Health insurance is not analagous to car insurance because Socialist governments don't usually provde government car insurance or government mandated car insurance, even though transportation can be as big a factor in maintaining employment as health. The risk is different because drivers can control their actions but we can't always control injuries, cancer or other non-lifestyle related illnesses. Not all drivers can get car insurance because of loss experience. If health insurance is sold based on loss experience many people would be uninsurable. Who should pay for health insurance for the uninsurable? Does the right to have health insurance rise to the level of the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? What about the "right" to housing, a car, air travel, clothing. How does government decide which rights to protect and not protect?

PEHP covers small groups that have government affiliation as a LGRP (Local Government Risk Pool) - this includes even tiny communities with one or two employees. This way they get to take advantage of large group rates. The same could work with small business if they would just do it! Combine for the better rate which is exactly what will be happening if we go to single payer/government programs. Seems like a no-brainer to me. If private industry would tackle the problem of finding a way to cover the uninsured, the ineffective government would not have to.

Can we do away with insurance all together? I pay these guys and they've never done anything to make me healthier. All they do is hassle me when they get a claim.

Itsmeagn accidently hit the nail on the head "The big cause is waist." For far too many its too much wasit.

There are always a lot of health care libertarians on these blogs. I think it's a valid option, but it can't be a halfway deal.
1) No goverment health care. Return what money old folks have paid in to medicare. Then let them go find policies. 80 year olds with preexisting conditions. Should be interesting.
2) This business of families stashing assets so Grandma is on the goverment's dime at the care center would end. They either pay their own way or let their kid's take care of them.
3)If some one doesn't have insurance or cash & needs emergency care, just have a spot out by the hospital dumpster to haul them. No free lunch.

"Lots of liberterians"

???

Read the article. Nearly 75% of respondants were not even democrats. Nice try, though.

Why do people that work for the evil large corporations have such good healthcare? Because they can spread the health cost risk across a large number of employees. Why did we create laws that prevents companies from forming large groups to share the risk? It makes no sense that a small business owner can't join with others in getting a discounted rate. If we did this, I would bet we could reduce costs to both employer and employee.

What gives government the right to take some people's property to give somebody else free health care? Just because the government does it doesn't mean it's not stealing. For you smart people, please let me know what provision in the Consitution allows the Federal Government to take property from some people and give it to others. I just can't seem to find where it says that.

Do you remember how many people wanted "No Child Left Behind?" Almost everyone supported the concept and Bush pre-implementation, but when the concepts were enacted the nightmare began.

A government program rarely provides what it's hyped up to do. Of course a survey asking people if they want lower healthcare costs gets a lot of support. But that doesn't mean what gets passed won't result in higher costs, less access, worse care, and more taxes.