by David Rosman

Created on: September 03, 2009

Columbia, MO - There are certainly a lot of questions and roadblocks thrown in front of HR 3200 and HR 676. (See "Do it right now," July 31 Missourian.) As a reminder, my support is to the universal health plan, HR 676. On July 24, 2009, Shawn Tully, editor at large for CNNMoney.com, wrote "5 freedoms you'd lose in health care reform." Let me try to respond to each and then the make-or-break question: How to pay for all of this. 1) You'd lose your "Freedom to choose your own plan." Yes and no. With a standard plan designed and administered under either proposed bills, you do have no choice in the basics. That does not prevent private insurers to develop and sell supplemental insurance policies much as Medicare Supplements are today. If the government keeps a hands-off approach to these supplements, there could be an unlimited number of combinations and customized programs available. 2) You'd lose your "Freedom of being rewarded for living healthy, or paying your real costs." Here, Mr. Tully uses an old propaganda tactic of fear and danger to make his point. There is little in real proof. Other than small discounts for "healthy living" that barely make a dent in the annual premium increases, discounts are few and usually limited to corporations for a percentage of the employees who quit smoking or lose weight. However, individuals rarely see the paper on which these suggested discounts are written. In fact, a well designed and promoted national health care system will provide treatments for obesity, smoking, drug addiction, mental illness and more, reducing the expenditures of the programs in the long run. 3) You would lose your "Freedom to choose high-deductible coverage." Isn't that part of the reason we are in the situation we find ourselves in today? Most Americans cannot afford the high deductibles and co-payments on top of the premium. Out of pocket expenses has put too many in bankruptcy. Businessman Ben Franklyn would say, "Continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is a sign of insanity." 4) You will lose your "Freedom to keep your existing plans." O.K. This one I will concede for HR 676, but not the President's plan. The President has specifically said in press conferences and public meetings that if you like your current coverage, keep it. 5) You will lose your "Freedom to choose your doctors." Maybe. In HR676, a participating provider must be either a not-for-profit or a government agency, or, if for-profit,

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