Joey's Blog » Health Care

Future Policies and Ideas to Research

joey — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:35:10 +0000

A Brief list of future topics to research and cover. Going forward this list will be updated.

War – Iraq
War – Afghanistan
Foreign Policy – Iran
Foreign Policy – General Guidelines
Health Care – Costs
Corporatism – General Concept
Health Care – Current Insurance System

Health Insurance Not a Free Market – The Source of Employer Based Health Insurance

joey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:12:48 +0000

Health Insurance Not a Free Market – The Source of Employer Based Health Insurance

Due to the Federal Reserve and other government policies, inflation soared both before and during World War II (WWII). As a remedy to soaring prices resulting from the Fed’s created inflation, the government passed the 1942 Stabilization Act, limiting wage (salary) increases firms could offer, but not limiting the type of employee health insurance plans they could offer. Congress capped wages, a socialist measure, preventing firms from competing for employees through wages. Firms want the best labor (employees) and without being able to offer competitive wages, they were forced to compete through offering better health insurance plans. Congress through wage control, a socialist device, forced employers to compete by offering better health insurance to their workers by banning competitive wages.

Further, in 1943 and in 1954, the government gave preferential tax treatment for companies contributing to employee health insurance plans, providing financial encouragement and a tax advantage based form of compensation.

The health insurance market has been manipulated by government since its inception. During WWII, our government’s socialist measures of wage control and the ensuing preferential tax treatment have fostered a government involvement in the health insurance market. The health insurance market has not been and is not a free market. It will not be free until government strictly limits its interference.

Mises.org – The Health-Insurance Market Is Not Free – http://joeyconway.com/q7kx9w

Economic History Services – Health Insurance in the United States – http://joeyconway.com/mqyaf5

Right to Health Care

joey — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:56:01 +0000

To define rights and put them in the context of our history and government, the second section of the Declaration of Independence reads, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These are the three unalienable rights which this country and its government have been founded and built upon. An individual should be guaranteed the freedom to act however they choose as long as it does not infringe on another’s freedom. This is the fundamental concept of rights.

At the heart of the Healthcare issue appears to be confusion around the rights of individuals and the extend of government protection regarding these rights.

Health care is a service provided by doctors, nurses, etc. to any individual for a price.

On the most fundamental level, guaranteeing any individual a right to receive a service infringes on the right of another person who provides the service.

Declaring every individual has a right to access and receive health care, universal coverage, also declares every individual in the healthcare industry, doctors, nurses, etc are required and forced to provide their service. To assert health care rights for the individual seeking the service, asserts individuals providing the health care service have no rights. Another approach is to subjugate individual rights, doctors, nurses, etc., for the “greater good” of society. For idea, the “greater good” of society, leads down the road to communism where the individual exists for the sole purpose of the community.

In all cases, claiming the right to receive healthcare service violates the right of the healthcare service provider. To take away the rights of health care providers, doctors, nurses, etc. enslaves them to the party removing their rights, in this case, the government.

To access and receive health care is not a right, but a desire, want, need or demand. It is a form of enslavement to remove the rights of a group of people. A right to health care is not just or morally right and is inconsistent with the principles this country was founded upon.

Quotes:

In the House of Representatives on Sept 23rd 2009, Ron Paul states, “1.) No one has a right to medical care. If one assumes such a right, it endorses the notion that some individuals have a right to someone else’s life and property. This totally contradicts the principles of liberty.”

Ron Paul states in an NPR interview, “I do not believe peoples’ needs or desires or wants or demands are rights. ”

Source Links:

Declaration of Independence – http://joeyconway.com/f9xdw4

Mises – Involuntary Medical Servitude – http://joeyconway.com/63hqxd

NPR – Ron Paul: Leave Government Out of Insurnace Plan – http://joeyconway.com/r37f5a

House.gov – Ron Paul – More Government Won’t Help – http://joeyconway.com/e53542