by Jerrie Lynn South-DeRose

Created on: October 04, 2007

Health care and the lack of affordable health insurance, is a very divisive and critical issue in the United States as over 11 million Americans do not have insurance of any kind. As the election heats up even more after the first of the year, candidates will be offering a plethora of solutions and variable plans.

Although I do think the federal government should expand existing government health programs to help the uninsured, I do not think this should strictly be taxpayer driven, nor that any health program should be free to everyone. Just as there are different types of coverage with different insurance companies and plans, there should be different types of coverage with any government health program.

I am a single working parent with pre-existing conditions and no health insurance. I do not qualify for state medical assistance. My income falls just above the cutoff and the state insurance for working families only covers children. Government health insurance programs should be driven income driven as they are now. However, depending on a family's income, those programs should be set up so that persons like myself could pay a premium. The premiums could be set up on a sliding scale and families should be charged a co-pay to see a physician, as well.

Existing government health care programs that only cover children could still charge families a premium, depending on their income and factoring in rent, utilities, and other costs.

Government health care programs should also set strict guidelines. For instance, I think one guideline should be put in place to discourage trips to the emergency room. I know one ER nurse who told me that probably 40% of ER patients have a virus or cold, children are brought in with a non threatening low grade fever, etc. The ER charges are significantly higher than a trip to the family physician. This cost is prohibitive.

Other guidelines should be linked to preventative medicine. It has been proved time and again that preventive medicine saves the government millions in the long run in additional medical, dental, mental health, and prescription costs. Doctors should have to prescribe generic medicines whenever possible.

Another way that government health care programs could limit the cost to the taxpayer would be to require states to provide written information on how to apply for low cost perscription programs and the location of any health care clinics that provide quality health care at a lower cost and who often partner with hospitals so that patients can get lower cost lab work and x-rays. The government could also give clinics more money so that they can see more patients.

For instance, I get two types of insulin, and oral medications for chronic ulcerative colitis and diabetes through two pharmaceutical company medicine programs. I pay $5.00 per prescription for three months at a time. Walmart, for one, now has a list of medication that cost $4.00 for a months supply. I get my thyroid medication and my oral diabetes medication at the local Walmart pharmacy.
Government health care programs could also require all pharmacies to do whatever possible to get the lowest cost medications available.

Without some kind of solution taxpayers like myself will eventually pay more to social security for those persons who will, at some point, be unable to work and go on Supplemental Social Security or require hospitalization and expensive surgeries.

Learn more about this author, Jerrie Lynn South-DeRose.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.