According to a Rasmussen Reports survey, as of January 4, 2010, the majority of voters in the U.S. oppose the current health reform legislation. Although this is intended to be a professional blog, I will state my opinion on this matter in that I too do not agree with the current health reform bill for several reasons.

Insurance will be Required

I will admit, I have been private-pay for the majority of my life. I have visited the hospital a couple of times in my life as private pay and currently obtain my dental and eye care as a private pay patient. I consider myself to live a very healthy life and take care of my health. I know this doesn’t rule out accidents and unforeseen health issues, but my risks are greatly reduced compared to someone who doesn’t watch their health. I’m not comfortable with the thought that I’ll be forced to obtain health insurance or face a significant penalty. I feel that health insurance should be a choice since it involves many personal choices. Some have compared this to the requirement of needing car insurance. However, even with care insurance, you only need to carry liability insurance, not full coverage.

Although the health reform bill is still being debated, both the Senate’s version and that of the House carry a penalty. This penalty could end up being anything from 2.5% of your adjusted gross income to $750 (or 2% of income, whichever is greater) by 2016. Why should I be penalized if I choose to remain private pay and look after my health. Why must I be pooled into having to pay for coverage for those that choose not to take care of their health.

Paying for Bad Habits

The health reform bill is going to require insurance companies to accept anybody no matter their pre-existing conditions. This will increase their costs and a higher premium will now have to be divided between all the insured. Here’s my dilemma with that. I don’t drink often, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, I drink mostly water, I eat healthy, I exercise, I try and remain as healthy as I can. Why should I be paying for those that decide to smoke, to eat unhealthy, who don’t exercise, who decide to drink frequently, and who will overall run a higher health care cost.

Demand will surpass Supply

It’s the basic principle of supply and demand. According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 650,000 physicians in 2008. According to the U.S. Census, in 2007, a total of about 250,000,000 citizens were insured. Let’s assume insured individuals will frequent a physician  at least once per year if not more often compared to non-insured individuals. The current figures represent about 385 patients per physician. Once everyone is required to carry health insurance, the frequency of visits to physicians will increase since more will be covered by the required insurance and might even encourage visits for non-major situations.

According to the same U.S. Census report, there were about 50,000,000 uninsured in 2007. Those 50,000,000, with a portion having more serious health conditions, will put a strain on an industry that’s already short on health care providers and employees. With the increased number of insured patients, we’ll now be averaging 461 patients per physician. Hospitals are already reporting a shortage of RN’s and are having difficulty in keeping up with capacity. What will an increase of 20% do to a system that’s past capacity?

Existing Health Plans

We have affordable health plans that exist today. Today, if you wanted to get basic health coverage which meets the needs of most individuals, it would be $150 per month. Before the system becomes over-burdened, the $150 per month will seem like a great deal. The plans exist, but people have other reasons not to get health insurance and it might not always be about not being able to afford it. Just like myself, I would rather save that money on the side in a savings account for a true emergency knowing that my healthy lifestyle will keep me from needing frequent health care.

What we should do

The reason health costs have been increasing is due to increasing demand and not enough resources to handle the increasing need for health care. We have a pandemic of people who are not taking care of their health while at the same time the number of clinics, hospitals, physicians, and health care staff is not keeping up with demand. The basic law is when demand surpasses supply, costs must increase to seek equilibrium. If we want to put downward pressure on health costs, we need to increase the resources (supply). This means more hospitals, more clinics, more public health campaigns, subsidized education for nurses and physicians, increased incentives for those in the profession, and so forth.

Let me know your thoughts and if you agree or don’t agree. I’m open to a debate since that’s what we need. We need more discussion about this. We need to discuss the pros and cons and not just rush large legislation without knowing the specifics.

Other links of interest:
Associated Press: Government health insurance option appears doomed
Associated Press: Schwarzenegger says health care bill a ‘rip-off’

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