Universal Health Care or Americans Are Getting Lazy

America has the highest health care costs in the world. Why? Health insurance. Plain and simple.

Beginning in the 1980's, the rise of for-profit health insurance companies began. We saw health insurance costs slowly begin to rise, then escalate at an alarming pace. In the meantime, the health insurance companies were raking in the dough and giving their senior officers enormous sums of money. The zenith to this insanity, I believe, was the $1 billion in stock options to the CEO of United Health Care. Excessive. Ridiculous. Shameful.

Knowing that most Americans had health insurance, the drug companies, doctors and hospitals began to charge more for health care. They got greedy, too. And, let's not forget the government's support of anyone and everyone getting treatment at hospitals, even if the person has no insurance and/or is not a citizen of the USA. They add to the problem because they walk away without paying for anything.

Sen. Obama has suggested we go with his plan or the Federal Health Insurance Plan. At first blush, we think "Yeah. That's what I want. The same great plan offered to federal employees." Well. The federal employees are offered a variety of health plans with premiums ranging from $329. to $1,115 a month. You heard it - that's monthly. Their employee, the government (in other words - us), pays some of the premium, so the employee pays around $85 to $402 a month, depending on the health plan.

Now, here's the rub. We would pay the full premium because we are not government employees. Some of us might be lucky, their employer may help pay some of the cost. Maybe the government would offset some of the cost based on income. Who knows. But, health insurance would be required. You'd have no choice. Instead of going to the health care companies, large sums of our money would be deducted from our paychecks every week to go to the federal government. Think of the billions that would be coming in to the Fed. Scary.

But Universal Health Care, at least the plan that's been discussed, is not the answer. I've heard nothing of reducing the cost of health care. Instead, it's all about the government taking over our choice. Our choice to choose the plan we want. Our choice not to have health care if we don't want it. Our choice is our freedom.

We know our representatives in Washington have proven time and again that they are irresponsible with money. They have raided our social security until it's bankrupt. They never funded the new medicare prescription drug plan put in effect a few years ago. Didn't anyone wonder how we were going to pay for it? Well, we are now $53 trillion in the hole for social security and medicaid/medicare. Imagine what Washington will do when the billions start to come in for health insurance. They will spend it on everything else.

Americans need to wake up and smell the coffee. Our representatives are not looking out for our best interest. If they were, they would have nipped the escalating cost of health care in the bud. They have the authority. They have the power. They should have taken control to stem these rising costs. But, no, they did nothing.

Here's what Congress should do:

- Institute legislation to make all health care companies non-profit organizations with limited profits. Profits will be put back into their health fund for the future year.

- Set the maximum premiums allowed, according to the plan.

- Regulate and limit the cost of malpractice insurance. You have a better chance of being injured in a car accident than by a doctor's negligence. Car insurance may provide you with $100,000 worth of coverage. That's all you'll get. It should be similar with malpractice insurance.

- Regulate the fees charged by doctors and hospitals to ensure that the public is not being overcharged.

- Regulate the cost of drugs priced by the drug companies and the cost of medical equipment to hospitals and doctors.

I know these are radical ideas. The idea of regulating health care seems suppressive and socialistic, but this is one industry that has got out of control. The only other alternative would be to get rid of insurance entirely, but that's not the answer.

I'm sure we can think of a number of good ideas that warrant looking at on health care. Certainly we should make sure that all Americans are covered, and possibly base health premiums on income, but we DO NOT need universal health care. The costs are too great that we will see sub-par health care, long lines, less quality, cronyism and corruption, and misappropriation of our health care funds.

Don't be taken in by the sweet sounds of universal health care. Ask our reps. for help in curtailing the cost of health care, but don't give them the authority to take it over.