It is almost time again for the United States to hold open enrollment for their own form of healthcare (legalized extortion) insurance! So let's take a quick look at how this works in a supposed world where it is taught to be a "smart consumer", to shop wisely and ultimately be satisfied with spending a given amount for goods or services. (I think they call it capitalism?)
Healthcare in America
It's all about making money, not paitent care...
Where is the Mafia now?
Sometimes watching an old documentary or investigative report on TV about the mobster days makes me wonder, “what ever happened to organized crime?” I can tell you this, it seems very clear that the extortion rings from bygone days are alive and well in the health insurance industry. At the very least it is incredibly clever of the 1% in how they are able to manipulate “their” system (it is in no way a system that benefits the masses and as such cannot be called “our” system) to harvest the maximum profits for themselves. Keeping the minions running on the treadmill is certainly clever but even more so in that they are able to legislate many of the tactics employed – making it legalized extortion. Even those tactics that are not legislated are in many cases unenforceable either because it is virtually impossible to litigate against the corporate behemoths or there is no desire from enforcement agencies in any real way to police the industry’s infractions.
They say you dream about the subconscious, that may be true and if so perhaps very telling. My dreams of late are much like the one I'm about to describe and that is certainly very telling.
Having now to deal with a persistent, chronic illness last night's dream starts in the office of a specialist physician. The physician begins telling us excitedly, about new research and how the latest technology is creating huge advancements in the area of our specific condition. This certainly piques our interest as we listen intently for more detailed information, which we quickly learn is dependent on one specific thing. That one very specific detail, our physician informs us is that we must maintain our premium payments otherwise for certain we will be excluded from the benefits of any advancements in the area of our disease management or cure.
[Originally published 10/2014] It's been our official healthcare all year long, the legislation dubbed, the Affordable Care Act also known as “Obamacare”. How has it faired? That may have mostly to do with your political point of view and little to do with the truth. Even with this new legislation enacted we still have a market-based system of healthcare. People will only get the amount of healthcare that they can afford rather than what they need or is required. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) takes our failed system to new heights with the only participants gaining value from it - the upper echelon of the health insurance industry, for-profit hospitals and the big pharmaceuticals.