Deseret News | Close-up view of health issue shows its complexity

Reader comments
Close-up view of health issue shows its complexity

Anonymous | 1:29 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

Banks and insurance companies are not interested in people, but profits.

Doug G | 7:13 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

Health care is way too complex to approach it with the black and white answers of the howling mob approach we've got on the go. Only when you really need it and go through the system do you begin to appreciate this.

Dave | 8:24 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

It can all be fixed with a big enough tax.

Comments continue below

RedShirt | 8:36 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

To "Anonymous | 1:29 a.m." its funny that you claim that insurance companies are not interested in people.

Currently it is the insurance businesses that are fighting the government to keep costs down on insurance. If they only cared about profits, why not let the government pass whatever they wanted? Afterall 4% of $15000 is better than 4% of $12000.

Not Complex | 8:46 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

It's not the business, or within the authority, of the federal government to be involved in health care at all. That keeps it pretty simple for Congress, each member of which has taken an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.

It is NOT an ennumerated power of the feds to legislate health care solutions, so it devolves upon the people or upon the states to do so.

What the states need to sort out, if they have a mind to, is the fact that doctors and lawyers have between them increased the cost of "health care" to unsustainable levels. They are bankrupting people quite literally. At the same time people could live better rather than look for a pill or an operation to solve ALL their physical problems.

Brother Chuck Schroeder | 9:52 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

Marjorie Cortez seniors, the elderly, the disabled, veteran's, the homeless, the jobless, etc., all need healthcare to. Out of work, out of options, into retirement. Social Security filings up 22 percent as job loss forces some out of work force. Until now, much of the attention in this recession has been focused on the group of older workers who will toil for more years than they expected because stock market losses have put a severe dent in their retirement nest egg. Now, new research suggests that a larger group of workers ages 62 to 69 could find themselves with a thornier problem: No job, no prospect for finding another, and forced to retire earlier than they, or their finances, were prepared for. Already, there are signs some older workers are falling into that trap. Applications for retirement benefits for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2009, rose 22 percent over the 2008 fiscal year, to 2.57 million. That's much higher than the 15 percent increase that had been projected because of the increase in people hitting retirement age. We also need med's to. It's our turn. We earned it and built America to.

wallofvoodoo | 10:14 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

Redshirt, if you believe that the insurers are telling the truth & that they are doing this because they care about the people they insure, I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn. Cheap.

RedShrit | 11:01 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

To "wallofvoodoo | 10:14 a.m." the government doesn't care about the people, because their proposals will end up costing the people more money. What sense does that make? If cost is the problem, why implement a plan that will end up making insurance less affordable?

wallofvoodoo | 12:17 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

Redshirt, they care more than CEOs & shareholders. What the insurance industry isn't mentioning is that they are running scared becuase they are afraid the cash cow they have been milking at will is going to be a thing of the past. The reality is that this is what the insurance companies want to charge for the plan as is to keep the status quo of ripping off the public. The rates won't go that high, the insurance companies would go out of business if they did something as stupid as that. More likely they would have to (shudder) cut salaries for their CEOs & (shudder) become more efficient.

RedShirt | 12:44 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

To "wallofvoodoo | 12:17 p.m." you didn't answer the question. If governmetn cares so much about people, why are they trying to implement a plan that will make insurance less affordable?

As for private insurances becoming more efficient, they are much more efficient than the government. Look at your local garbabe collection, it most likely is done by a contractor. Or, look at the Senate Cafeteria, which was converted from a government run business to private because of deficits. Look at NASA, much of their work is sub-contracted out because it is less expensive.

Private insurance businesses run 10% to 15% for their overhead costs, then have up to 5% profit margins. The US government runs at 25% overhead. So, explain how the government can be more efficient if they currently are less efficient?

Invisible Hand | 4:27 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

There is nothing wrong with caring more about profits than people. That is in fact what makes the world go 'round. Everybody looking out for their own self-interest is how things get done. When the government steps in is when the problems start.

Ultra Bob | 4:51 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

To RedShirt | 8:36 a.m. Oct. 13, 2009

It is the insurance companies who wrote the legislation that you are saying the government wants. If the government wrote the legislation it would only take one page and go something like this:

“The Federal government will pay for all health care costs that are reasonable and proper for all people in and of the United States of America“.

“No one will be forced to use the Federal Health Care payments and individuals or groups may seek additional health care at their own cost.

“The cost of the Federal Health Care shall be borne by all taxpayers of the United States according to the tax on incomes.

The insurance companies are spending millions, maybe billions, of dollars and manhours to defeat real health care reform. And the way they do it is to pay congressmen to pass the laws that help the insurance companies and defeat reform.

Remember, the government is the people.

Ultra Bob | 5:12 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

To Not Complex | 8:46 a.m.

It IS the business of the Federal government to promote the general welfare of all the people of the United States of America.

It is the congressmen who are doing the bidding of the corporations that are not being true to their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.

When a problem like the unsatisfactory, unfair and over priced health care system is operated by crooked, selfish, unscrupulous gangsters, it IS the business of our federal government to come to the aid of the people.

Our national government was created to help people have the good life, not to help the greedy prosper off the troubles of the weak.

State government is impotent and useless against the private corporations and will be even less so if the corporations are nationwide.

Ultra Bob | 5:23 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

To “RedShrit | 11:01 a.m.”

“the government doesn't care about the people”.

How do we go about convincing you that the government IS the people.

The reason our government makes bad laws is because private individuals and private corporations buy the bad congressmen. If we stop the private buying of congressmen we will improve the quality of the laws.

Deborah, West Virginia | 8:27 p.m. Oct. 13, 2009

The working poor are the ones that will most benefit from the proposed health care bill. (the ssi nonworking group already have a nice government version of free health care and the rich can afford the best doctors and medicines. The working poor have nothing. They go on day by day just praying that they don't get sick.

I for one am thankful that we have a president going to bat for us against the powerful deep pockets of the giant insurance companies and their legons of lobbists.

As an American, I think it is time.

The next time I am in the doctors office to get my flu shot, I hope and pray that my neighbor will be blessed with that same privilege.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.