R i g h t a r d i a: Rationing is a fact of life for Americans with private health insurance

Monday, August 10, 2009

Rationing is a fact of life for Americans with private health insurance

We already have rationed medical care in the US. These are the facts:

One in five Americans has no medical care at all. This includes the poor, people who work in small business, the unemployed and people with pre-exiting conditions.

Half of the people who work in small business have no health insurance because premiums cost 18 per cent more than people who work in larger corporations.

One in five Americans has no health insurance at all.

Before the single payer Medicare system, 50 per cent of seniors had no health care. AARP endorses the president's plan to cut excessive payments to Medicare corporations. This will provide better medical care to Medicare recipients.

Five million unemployed have lost their health care insurance. Cobra costs were prohibitive until the Federal government recently agreed to pay two thirds of the Cobra costs for the unemployed.

Private health care companies routinely deny claims to people for treatment that extends life to people the health care corporations determine do not have a good long term prognosis. Experimental treatments are also denied.