Monday
Oct262009
Health Care Reform Will Shock Americans, Warns Policy Analyst
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 11:51AM
Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service
Dennis Smith, Senior Fellow in Health Care Reform at the Heritage Foundation, warned Monday that many Americans will not be prepared for the proposed changes to the U.S. health care system.
“Clearly Medicaid will be a very large part of it, now more than half of American’s to be insured will be covered under the Medicaid system. It will be a great shock ... going to a local welfare office to obtain [Medicaid] eligibility and finding access problems,” said Smith during an interview with Talk Radio News Service.
“The states are already at a breaking point with Medicaid. Just last year the Government Accountability Office warned Congress that Medicaid was unsustainable,” he added.
Smith also discussed the mandate for Americans to purchase health insurance, arguing that through the requirement, the federal government will essentially be telling Americans how to spend their income.
“This is going to be a big shock to the system... Some people are going to be very resentful towards the federal government,” said Smith.
“By 2019 this will be 20% of our economy, one in every $5 dollars spent is basically going to be run by the federal government, and I guarantee they’re not going to get it right,” added Smith.
Smith also warned that Congress risks putting too much strain on the medical industry by compounding the already existing physician shortage with another 20 million patients.
“There’s already a shortage of physicians who participate in Medicaid,” said Smith. "How are these people going to be served?"
Dennis Smith, Senior Fellow in Health Care Reform at the Heritage Foundation, warned Monday that many Americans will not be prepared for the proposed changes to the U.S. health care system.
“Clearly Medicaid will be a very large part of it, now more than half of American’s to be insured will be covered under the Medicaid system. It will be a great shock ... going to a local welfare office to obtain [Medicaid] eligibility and finding access problems,” said Smith during an interview with Talk Radio News Service.
“The states are already at a breaking point with Medicaid. Just last year the Government Accountability Office warned Congress that Medicaid was unsustainable,” he added.
Smith also discussed the mandate for Americans to purchase health insurance, arguing that through the requirement, the federal government will essentially be telling Americans how to spend their income.
“This is going to be a big shock to the system... Some people are going to be very resentful towards the federal government,” said Smith.
“By 2019 this will be 20% of our economy, one in every $5 dollars spent is basically going to be run by the federal government, and I guarantee they’re not going to get it right,” added Smith.
Smith also warned that Congress risks putting too much strain on the medical industry by compounding the already existing physician shortage with another 20 million patients.
“There’s already a shortage of physicians who participate in Medicaid,” said Smith. "How are these people going to be served?"
Reader Comments (3)
So, what you are really saying is that Medicaid needs to be fixed.
Much of the wording in these statements offers little more than fear and nothing in terms of possible solutions. The fact that 20 million patients would be added to the system and would increase the physician shortage means that the physician shortage needs to be addressed by more physicians or more efficient handling of patients. It also implies that medicaid also needs to be fixed.
Identifying that getting coverage for an additional 20 million people is the root of the problem is basically saying that reform should never be attempted.
Scare tactics from the wingnuts continues to flow. While our congress struggles to address a problem that has been recognized for decades, the angels of doom stand in the shadows throwing rocks. Will problems arise from a new approach to health insurtance? You bet. Some have not even been realized. When we see them, we shall fix them, and move on. Opponents, and supporters of the unlimited profits of insurers, would have us think about the issue of insurance reform forever--until "we get it right". No legislation is perfect, but in practice it is perfectable.
I find it interesting that many of the same talkers who say Obama is "dithering" (for a couple weeks) over Afghanistan, want us to "dither" for a few more decades over healthcare and insurance reform. And all of this while 45,000 loyal Americans die every year because they have no health insurance. Clearly they have one of three things in mind:
(1) I have my insurance--so screw you.
(2) I'm being paid to say these things in order to defeat reform.
(3) I want to do anything to bring down this President.
The "right" fought against, and was on the wrong side of history when Social Security and Medicare were passed. They are about to be on the wrong side of history again.