The health-care reform debate is just as strident as ever, and there is little hope of bipartisan legislation to fix what's broken.
Much about the health-care system and medical insurance system is less than optimum.
We do wonder how a worker in an insurance office can judge whether a physician is acting in the best interest of a patient or is merely ordering additional care or testing on a whim.
So we ask, if the insurance carrier deems a doctor's orders are unnecessary and without foundation, can the physician be sued for malpractice?
The answer, of course, is no. But nobody seems to be able to resolve this conundrum or determine who is right and who is wrong.
We also question the Medicare structure. Proponents of government-regulated health care point to Medicare as an example of a government success story.
That's mostly true. Medicare is not perfect, however.
Example: When a retiree begins drawing from Social Security, Medicare comes into play. So does the annual cost of living adjustment, or COLA.
The COLA is designed to preserve Social Security purchase power. Social Security does not award merit raises, but adjusts the monthly payment — with Medicare deductible — so the payment will not devalue.
That should mean that the actual value of the last payment is the same as the first, regardless of how long the retiree has been in the system.
So why do many retirees receive notices of the COLA, then get another notice saying they make too much and their Medicare benefits are scaled back?
That COLAs and Social Security income levels are not on parallel sliding scales is inexplicable.
Not all is right in health care. We need solid ideas on how to extend health care to everyone and eliminate the current shortcomings. It won't be easy, considering the partisan bickering.
And to those who insist that reform legislation includes death panels that "will pull the plug on grandma," we issue this challenge: Name one member of the U.S. House or Senate who would vote for a death panel. Name one member of House or Senate who would serve on such a committee.
Replies from North Carolina's congressional delegation — both houses — will be appreciated. We wouldn't mind getting responses from Sen. Chuck Grassley or N.C. Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry, either.
It's for public edification. We have a right to know who these people are and to demand answers on the health-care reform issue.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement