Letters March 17, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

By JH Weekly User

Identify the problem
In reading Matthew Irwin’s editorial titled “We can do much better” [March 3] it is apparent that he like so many of all political persuasions has little knowledge of the real problem with healthcare.

The article criticizes a few proposed bills in the Wyoming legislature, which in my opinion are the cart before the horse.

Most wish to blame insurance companies, pharma, and medical providers for the high cost of premiums and medical care.  The fact is we are all paying rapidly rising premiums and health care expense because the Federal government in its never-ending ineptitude has mandated and interfered with the economics of healthcare for decades to the detriment of all. Currently one half of all healthcares GDP are consumed with federally mandated programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIPs, malpractice losses and uninsured subsidies and mandates. The industry is losing 50 cents on every dollar of services provided to those government mandated albatrosses. This will get much worse as baby boomers exponentially subscribe to Medicare.

If the healthcare industry is losing 50 percent on 50 percent of the services it provides it has to make up those losses elsewhere. It really is that simple. That is the primary reason our premiums are rising at such a pace and healthcare billings to those that pay are going through the roof. It is also why health insurers are acutely aggressive towards pre-existing conditions.

It is also why medical providers such as the renowned Mayo Clinic in Arizona are no longer accepting Medicare patients and that is most likely just the beginning.
If we want to have a major rapid impact on the health care crisis, which I do believe exists, there are some very simple steps that must be taken immediately.

Demand that federally mandated programs pay their real cost of services so the rest of us either personally or through our insurance premiums do not subsidize them. Granted this becomes a budget issue but when the government devised Medicare and Medicaid they were inept in their actuarial forecasting. It has to be fixed and the programs on the table do not even address the issue. If these demands paid the real cost of services costs and pre existing condition issues would be dramatically curtailed.

The state government and not the federal government do have the constitutional authority to demand that those seeking medical services carry medical insurance. I would go as far as saying that the state can pass legislation whereas an illegal that receives healthcare may be denied or the employer of the illegal should be billed for the services provided to the employee.

Malpractice reform must be draconian. The bottom line is if you are sick or hurt it is your fault. That does not say there should not be protection for gross criminal negligence or intentional damages.

Personal responsibility can go a long way towards reducing individual cost and those simple concepts should be expounded. I could expand on this but the editor would not allow such a long letter.

Emergency rooms should be closed to services that are not life threatening.
The actual cost of medical services needs serious review, St. Johns’ Medical Center gave $1,000,000 in airline subsidies which then became an employee benefit to employees in the form of reduced ski pass prices. Is that a cost of medical services? Well if you use St. John’s Medical Center it is. And if you are a resident of Teton County you are contributing regardless of use.

Catastrophic reinsurance must be instituted to protect all from those ailments that are out of the norm. It can be administered in the same manner as uninsured motorist premiums.

I could go on. I blame both Democrats and Republicans for not succinctly identifying to the public the real source of the problems with the best healthcare system in the world. The same one that the Canadian Premier used for the treatment of his heart condition and the King of Jordon used for his.
The only way I know of solving a problem is first to identify it properly.
– Jim Hobson, Jackson

The Dimming of Democracy
It is from my observations of recent events within our nation engine room, Washington D.C., that there is an apparent mechanical malfunction occurring which has resulted from ignored problems of the past and only worsening.

The pettiness and arrogance of the congressional factions are literally rending this nation to pieces. I feel that the majority of the American people are utterly disgusted with the immaturity and ineffectiveness of the elite and aristocratic so-called representatives in congress. Whether it be healthcare, immigration, energy, out-sourcing, etc., the American people are becoming callously convinced that their governmental legislators are interested only in maintaining their cushy positions in future elections rather than serving and fulfilling the true interests and needs of their constituents; which is their elected expectation.

It may be harsh to consider this present state as a cancerous malignancy of political digression but yet it is hard to ignore the similarities to the decay of the Roman Empire. Knowledgeably astute political theorists from Aristotle to James Madison have noted that a democracy can only succeed within a smaller populace. A true representation of a populace of three hundred million people would appear to create a dimming on such a form of government.

Perhaps this “American experiment” is in the face of another challenging crisis. With that reality at our doors, I, as many others, believe that our present front line political warriors are too soft with opulence and self-ambition to surmount the present foes that face us all.
– Patrik Troiani, Jackson

Clarification
In the introduction to the Best of JH Readers’ Poll, we incorrectly implied that McDonald’s (silver medal, Best Fries) is not locally owned. We regret the error and hope people will continue to give business to the locally owned McDonald’s franchise.
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Letters March 17, 2010 | Planet JH News Article: Letters To Editor

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