[Vision2020] Debunking Some Health Care Reform Myths

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (July 9, 2009) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with special
thanks to Lenna Harding.

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HER VIEW: Debunking some health-care reform myths
Lenna Harding

I am appalled by the amount of misinformation floating around about
Obama's health care reform plan. By using buzzwords and phrases to
deliberately deceive folks, this does our country great disservice. Rhonda
Hackett in her June 7 article in the Denver Post does a great job
debunking some of these myths. I'll try to touch on some of her more
telling points.

One myth is that taxes in Canada are extremely high because of national
health care. In fact they are nearly equal, with the average after-tax
income in Canada being 82 percent of gross pay while in the U.S. it is
81.9 percent. Canadians also get some benefits we don't get such as tax
credits, family allowance and cheaper higher education.

Another is that Canada's is a cumbersome bureaucracy. Actually, the
operational overhead for their single-payer system is just 1 percent. Ten
percent of Canada's Gross Domestic Product is spent on care for 100
percent of the population while the United States spends 17 percent while
15 percent have no coverage and millions more are underinsured.

Another myth is that the government decides who gets what care. This is
false. The Canadian government has no say in these matters while in the
United States, some insurance providers decide who can get what care.

Some myth-sayers point to the instances where Canadians crossed the border
to get care at their own expense. In most of these cases, their plan paid
the bill and it occurred because isolated rural areas didn't have the
services needed. This happens in the states, too.

The last myth I'll touch on is that the Canadian government runs the
hospitals and doctors work for the government. In fact, 90 percent of
doctors are paid on a fee-for-service basis and submit claims to a single
plan for reimbursement, whereas in the United States, claims are submitted
to a multitude of insurance providers. Hospitals are run by private boards
or regional health authorities.

I say a pox on those who run the TV ads crying socialized medicine and
other scare tactics. In truth, the Canadian system has much to teach us.

I do have some suggestions for changes in Obama's plan that I think would
be improvement.

For one thing, I don't like the idea of tax credits as a way to make
premiums affordable. Someone who owes no tax now would get no benefit from
this. I'd rather see a sliding scale of premiums based on income divided
by the number of people that income supports. Families with too little
income would be enrolled with no premiums. To serve children only defeats
the purpose of the reform. If a parent gets sick with something
contagious, the whole family is at risk. With some potentially
debilitating illness, the family can lose its income.

I do favor provisions that prevent you and me from having to subsidize
unnecessary cosmetic, purely vanity surgery or other medical procedures.
Reconstructive surgery should be covered for birth defects, disfigurement
and injuries.

I also favor a plan that covers dental, orthodontic and eye care. These
affect a person's health or ability to function in the everyday world. For
those who say government-run insurance is bad, I would point them to
Washington state's Uniform Medical Plan for its employees and retirees. It
isn't cheap, but I get excellent coverage including dental and eye care,
and I can choose my doctors and take myself to specialists without a
referral - contrary to the TV ads.

There were a few provisions that made it necessary to consult with the
insurer before coverage was granted. Each time, my doctor made a case for
her recommendation, and I got coverage. This also was true with
medications.

Before dismissing Obama's plan out of hand, let's all have a share in
tweaking it and making it better. Don't leave our country without reform
by defeating a perfectly reasonable plan because of buzzwords and scare
tactics.

Lenna Harding grew up in Pullman and lived her first 20 and past 30 years
here. She is a longtime member of the League of Women Voters and served on
the board of the Gladish Community and Cultural Center.

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Thank you, Ms. Harding, for saying what so many of us feel.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown