The Great No-Fault Crisis in American Health Care

stalingrad scene from "enemy at the gates"

Many people do not make the connection between the film “Enemy at the Gates,” about the siege of Stalingrad, and contemporary health care policy. Well, we’ll fix THAT!

2012 has slipped calmly into the distant past and 2013 came in slipping and sliding.  The Republicans played the “No Game!” and the Democrats played “Game On”!  Noting happened except a bunch of news coverage about how terrible “The Great Sequester of 2013” would affect the economy.  Well, we are now in the third month of 2013 and the annual deficit for this year is still close to $1.3 Trillion dollars.  Oddly, $85 Billion dollars is being shorted from the 2013 through the imposition of “The Sequester”.  That means that on our best day, we are still short $1.2 Trillion dollars in spending for 2013.  So, where do we get that money?  Ben Bernanke cranks up the printing presses and the United States goes down the road and at the present rate if we add that$1.2 Trillion dollars in shortfall for this year……that means our National Debt in January 2014 will be $16.5 Trillion dollars plus $1.2 Trillion or  nearly $18 Trillion dollars down.  You also have to consider our Import-Export shortfall which has nothing to do with our National Debt or our 2013 Annual Deficit.  Does any of these things matter?  After all, the New York Stock Exchange is at historic highs.  Someone, mostly Global Companies are making a killing.  The 1% is benefiting and has no problems.  It is just the rest of us….with apparent issues.

Here meanwhile in the hinterlands, the cost of food, gas, energy, pharmacy prescriptions, healthcare Insurance are spiking upwards strongly.  The blame game runs rampant.  It is all because Obama Care is coming says the Republicans.  It is all because of the greedy corporate global economy says the Democrats.  What about the truth?  Republicans blame Discretionary Entitlements!  So, what are Discretionary Entitlements?  Depends on who you might ask.  Is Social Security Discretionary?  How about the Disability Part of the equation?  What about Medicaid for the States?  Is that a Discretionary Entitlement for the old and disadvantaged?  What about Medicare?  Is this another Discretionary Entitlement?  When 45 million new people start getting Obama Care rather that having to go to Emergency Rooms of America….what is going to happen?  Close all the Emergency Rooms of course!  No more demand there…..unsustainable for private, university or public hospitals.  How about Paramedics?  What do they do?  How about ER Doctors?  What will they do, all become Hedge Fund Managers?

The whole process has become rather frustrating.  Our society as a whole seems to be ripping apart.  Between “Shingles Advertisements” and Domestic Killings and Abuse being followed in the news…….there seems to be great mounting stress in our society.  Companies here in America are still being encouraged to out source their jobs overseas.  Even the LA Times uses Consumer Representatives that reside in the Philippines!  Times for those with unpaid Home Mortgages and Commercial Real Estate are still very tough.  Just try and buy a house today in this economy.  You will need a  780 FICO Score and very low Consumer Debt and a very high monthly income even to qualify.  The national craziness is not restricted to those with low incomes.  Whether we are talking about Lance Armstrong, Lindsay Lohan or Tia Manu……….folks are freaking out.  What is true is that the phony economy of 1998 to 2008 were not going to last forever.  The world economic crisis is still hangin over our heads like the proverbial  Sword of Damocles.    Republicans will be voted out completely in 2014.  They are officially done.  They keep riding the same old tired issues, with the same old tired game plan, with the same old tired players.  The Republican Party has become Unsustatinable in the Extreme.

Meanwhile, the cost of our 2012 Health Care has doubled in 2013.  Our deductibles have more than doubled.  Our out of pocket for virtually any surgery will cost a minimum of $6000.  The pharmacy relationships with Doctors has now become an even greater giant rip-off.  Need an injection for that shoulder or knee.  The kind that you might require every six months or more…..try $1500 for that first injection, followed by $750 for each of the following.  How is it possible for Insurance Companies to double their annual Premiums to Private and Corporate Clients, Military Retirees, Public Employee Union Members and for everyone else – when they are going to be adding 45 million new clients either paid for by the clients or by the Government?  Does this sound like a World War II Ration Card Scheme?  It is.  They want to discourage the use of the Health Care System.  They want the big money for doing little….it is called “The American Way!”.  Is it the time for the “Torches and Pitchforks” yet?

We need to throw out the Congress!  The House and the Senate.  These folks do not represent the people.  They are representing those wonderful 1% who still don’t want to give up “a penny” for the so-called underclass.  That’s fine….we always like to know who our enemies are!  These are not our friends, our pals or even fellow Americans.  They are Globalists that figure they can always move to a Caribbean Island if things get tough here in the heartland.  President Obama got a tax cut for the underclass making less than $250,000 a year.   The stock market skyrockets……hmmm.  What if the cost of Health Care was Regulated and limited to 20% a year while we go through the Obama Care process?  The Big Insurance Companies want their money up front however.  Blue Cross, United and Etna are not going to go along with offering affordable healthcare to the Private or Public Sector….they already have too many clients.  They already want to “Off Shore and Outsource” all their Administrative services.  Try to understand the Insurance Companies Problems:  “Self Insurance Relationships” have killed their business.  Big Companies have all become “Self Insured for each member – up to a million dollars in benefits!”  This way, the companies only pay a modest Admin fee to process the claims – rejecting as many as they can and then blaming the “in name only” Medical Insurer.  Think you have Blue Cross, United Healthcare or Etna Coverage?  Think again!  Right after you use up that first million dollars in benefits if you work for a big companyor Public Employee Union!

The Great No Fault Crisis in American Health Care ….. did not happen overnight.  It took millions of dollars in Special Interest money to hand selected candidates to public office that would do their bidding willingly.  Guaranteed to get re-elected, guaranteed to get invited to every special Tropical destination Junket and every high dollar Special Sporting Event.  There is little doubt that every political party gets this treatment and every public political pundit in or out of office is being targeted.  Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Big Agra, Big Chemical, Big Oil, Big Banking and don’t forget the AMA and those lovelyBAR Association members that represent ambulance chasers of every description.  But hey, these are just our own friends and neighbors, church going folks, benefactors that have special events for broken kids and the like.  Hey, maybe it is just the system we have to live with?  If so, we need some news folks that are honest enough to tell us, point out the worst offenders and letting us know “all the realities of politics”.  Good and Bad!

A famous novel about “Stalingrad in World War II” was called “Enemy at the Gates”.  It was about how the Russians held off and eventually beat the Germans in a most pivotal battle of World War II.  It offered hope, when there was no hope.  It offered the idea that with enough will and determination the evil in life can be defeated, the homeland can be protected and if we are willing to sacrifice……we will win  and secure the treasure of  truth and victory.  Can Americans come together for once and fight the great common enemy of greed, graft and political corruption?  Or will America simply become another Mexico or Third War country……willing to live through pay-offs to everyone just to live and get through the day?  Have Americans been living with this reality since our beginning?  Has it always been this way?  Isn’t it grand that the Internet has finally set us free to find the facts and go public?

The Great No Fault Crisis in American Health Care……..2013 – it’s just the beginning!

About Ron & Anna Winship

Independent News Producers/Writers and Directors for Parker-Longbow Productions. Independent Programming which includes a broad variety of Political, Entertainment and Professional Personalities. Cutting Edge - a talk show...is the flagship of over 30 URL websites developed or under development. The Winships have been blogging for the Orange Juice since back when nickels had buffalos on them, and men wore onions attached to their belts, because it was the fashion back then.