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After much talk about how now is the time for health care reform, the first announcement regarding this long awaited and necessary change came when President Obama announced that the health care industry has voluntarily agreed to reduce increases in health care costs by 1.5% a year for the next ten years so that instead of costs continuing to rise by 6% a year they will now only rise by 4.5% a year.
That is about as exciting as the "Buy Ovaline" commerical that decoded from the Little Orphan Annie secret decoder ring in A Christmas Story.
To coin a phrase, this is not what we've been waiting for. It could have been issued as a White House press release instead of the political dog and pony show in front of the cameras that it was.
Obama trumpeted that it will save $2 trillion over the next ten years. What is bothersome is that it will only save $2 trillion over the next 10 years if nothing else changes.It gives every indication that he is not serious about universal health care which is the only thing that makes sense and the only thing that represents real health care reform.
The 1.5% cut in increases is about as disappointing as the Ovaltine commerical disgused as a secret message from Little Orphan Annie.
If the dramatic overhaul that's been promised comes about and universal health care becomes a reality, that $2 trillion in savings as a result of a decrease in costs will be to the benefit of the health industry, the big business entities like insurance companies who are the real culprits in the outrageous cost of health care.
A decrease in increases is just the kind of Washinton double speak that Obama promised to change.Again, it signals that Obama may not be serious about real universal health care because if he was, that kind of cut wouldn't and shouldn't matter to patients who,under universal health care woudln't have to worry about those costs.
Obama said that this is only the opening salvo in health care reform. But it's hardly a salvo. And unless there is a real change in direction and philosophy, the idea of universal health care is going the way of Ovaltine.
Comments
I'm very disappointed at this lame start on "health reform." So instead of my personal health insurance going up from $550 a month sooner....ehrm, wait, why the hell am I paying that much in health insurance that isn't all that great anyway (high deductibles and high drug claim rate)? Oh right, COBRA the magic word that they keep bandying about as if it would save the people who can't afford insurance. Cobra insures that you get to pay 10 times what you paid before you lost your job, got divorced, etc.
Good article. I think the health care industry is ramping up for a fight and this is their precursor to "we tried to work with the administration, but..." We will see how serious the president is in taking on these interests.
Jenny - Indianapolis Liberal Examiner
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