There have been numerous occasions over the course of my adult life where I didn’t have two nickels to rub together.

I’m not saying I was dead broke, but rather there wasn’t a great deal of cash remaining out of my paycheck once all the normal bills were paid.

Included in those payments was my portion of the medical insurance premiums paid by my employer. Those premiums today still put a large dent in my bi-monthly paycheck….so much to the point where I pay more for healthcare every two weeks than state and federal taxes combined.

That wasn’t the case two years ago, prior to Obamacare becoming the law of the land. Following implementation, my health insurance premiums increased exactly $100 per pay period. That’s $2,600 annually….money out of my pocket (to help pay for another individual’s healthcare) that I could have spent locally and helped spur the economy.

Now that Obamacare is halfway repealed (Trump’s new plan still needs approval from the U.S. Senate), what can I expect from this latest attempt by our government to control the healthcare industry?

And what if the fallout of Trump’s new plan leads to the Republicans losing control of the House and Senate in 2018? If the Democrats recapture the majority, will that lead to another overhaul of “guvment” controlled healthcare? Will another fallout take place in 2020, with the GOP returning to power followed by another round of healthcare repeal and replacement?

Where and when does the merry-go-round end?

Prior to the passage of Obamacare, the healthcare plan I have through my employer, while expensive, was reasonable in the realm of what it covered medically (and I had a pre-existing condition: Type 2 Diabetes), the co-pay amounts for doctor visits and medication, lower out-of-pocket expenses, and it allowed me the freedom to choose my doctor.

Things changed, and not for the better, with Obamacare. I’m afraid that Trumpcare promises to sing the same old song.

I believe now what I believed prior to Obama’s plan taking effect…. government has no place in operating a healthcare plan. Our federal officials in DC have a sorry track record when it comes to doing anything the right way.

As I searched for the right words to say about this issue, I stumbled across an opinion from Mike Williamson, Sr. He is a conservative freelance correspondent with the Ennis (Texas) Daily News. His blog can be found at www.thewilliamsonway.net

Mike wrote…..There has already been way too much debate on issues which will destroy the best healthcare system in the world, one-sixth of the American economy and, along with it, our society.

Healthcare does not need change. It needs to be improved and the improvement needed is the REMOVAL of government, not the take over of the system by the government.

We have the BEST healthcare system in the world. Our doctors, pharmacists’ and researchers pour millions of dollars of time, effort and money into developing the healthcare drugs and medical technologies which, with God’s hand, perform miracles in making our lives better and last longer.

The government needs to encourage the healthcare industry and users of the system to do the things necessary to make it better through tax credits and tax deductions.

Insurance companies need to provide portability to policy holders so insurance can be taken from place to place. They also need to be allowed to compete with each other across state lines, which would also allow users to be mobile with their policies and increase competition.

Government can help people plan properly by encouraging them and their employers to use, and fund HSA (Health Saving Accounts) bank accounts which can then be used to pay for medical costs. Medicare taxes paid can be credited directly to an account held by the taxpayer to fund medical needs in emergencies or when they become elderly.

Insurance pools can be set up for the self-employed and unemployed so these individuals can participate in the same kind of group coverage employers get.

The government can help fund the insurance premiums of those unable to pay and it would be much cheaper than amounts currently spent on Medicare.

Otherwise, Congress is just discussing whether they want to us be sitting in the front of the plane or in the back when it crashes; they are doing nothing to prevent the crash for all of us yet they have given themselves a parachute to use while leaving all of us without.

Thanks, Mr. Williamson for hitting the nail directly on its head.

 

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.