Politician advocates nationalizing industry. Private
companies resist. Politician terms private companies
villains.
So goes the health care battle. Unfortunately, many
Americans apparently share this assessment.
Explains Rasmussen Reports:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared last week that health
insurance companies are "villains," and 25% of U.S. voters
agree with her.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that
37% disagree with the speaker and don't believe health insurers
are "villains." Virtually the same number (38%), however, are
not sure, a finding which should give insurers pause as the
health care reform debate intensifies.
Many of us have had frustrating experiences with health insurance
companies, but they are as they are largely because of government
policy. States and the federal government mandate coverage
for a multitude of products and services; the tax system pushes
people to treat insurance like pre-paid medical expenses rather
than real insurance. The rise of third party payment,
driven by government, separates patient from payer, with the
former wanting everything covered to the max, while the latter
has an incentive to pay for as little as possible. Congress
has promoted cost shifting by imposing price controls
through Medicare and Medicaid and mandating treatment even of
those in America illegally.
In short, the villains are the politicians who have created such
a messed up system to begin with. The answer, then, is
to treat the politicians like the villains they are and push them
out of the picture. Certainly villainous politicians should
not be given more power over Americans' health care.
