The Two Requirements for a Successful Health Care System

On the one hand this article is on point when it emphasizes the power and control held by the large private Corporations. And the details about WellPoint’s rich powers that be are nice because, for one thing, it is unusual to see it.

But on the other hand, this article is unrealistic when it claims that corporate power to dictate the law could be curtailed through the existing political channels. Unfortunately, the power of the large corporations has so far surpassed that of the government that, these days, the corporate executives and boards ARE the government, for all practical purposes. Obama is really just an executive/director "at large" of the large corporations, and a vestige of the previous and now defunct democracy of the US.

With regard to the health care system, several dozen countries have shown anyone with half a brain that there are two minimal requirements for any system that can work. As you will see immediately, the executives and directors in control of the US will not agree with either one of them.

There are two completely required beginning building blocks for a successful health care system and, for that matter, a successful economy. If you don't start with these, you won't be finishing with a successful system:

(1) Profit for all basic, fundamental and standard health insurance is strictly disallowed for any private companies that are allowed to provide that insurance. What basic, standard coverage is has to be carefully and in detail defined by health experts under Government supervision.

(2)The Government must provide a workable set of regulations, subsidies, and/or direct investment that prevent the cost of the health care itself from rising at rates substantially above the overall rate of inflation. This can be done in many, many different ways, including, for example, paying for the education of doctors and other health industry employees.

Again for emphasis, you either do BOTH (1) and (2) or else your health care system AND your economy are destined for severe underachievement and eventual collapse.

Despite the fact that the US economy is already partially collapsed, when the US economy will be completely collapsed can not be known. It could be in 20 years or it could possibly take as long as 120 years. If someone forced me to say, I'd make an educated guess that the US economic system will be defunct (with the dollar next to worthless and no longer the primary reserve and international settlement currency) in roughly 50 years.

At this point, the timing depends on how things develop in other countries. What is going to happen and when in other countries is obviously less predictable than what is going to happen in the country you are immersed in. China in particular is notorious for lack of transparency and relative unpredictability.

But if I am still alive when the US economy is completely collapsed, you can bet that I will not be shy about saying "I told you so, and you can check the Common Dreams archive to verify that I did!"