Published: October 17, 2008 12:27 am            

U.S. healthcare is actually greedcare

The timing is right today to toast the twin values of fairness and common sense.

The gigantic U.S. healthcare machine practices neither virtue, it seems.

When I speak of the U.S. healthcare mega machine, I am referring to providers (doctors, nurses, physician assistants, therapists, specialists, dentists, orthodontists, et cetera), pharmaceutical companies, drug stores as well as the manufacturers and retailers of medical equipment and supplies.

And, of course, the almighty insurance company.

I’m not really sure what the health and dental insurance companies insure anymore, but it’s definitely not the “covered” person’s physical and dental health. I’m sure of that. Perhaps the almighty insurance companies are in business to protect the humongous salaries, tasty sweet perks and mind-boggling bonuses of their CEOs? Perhaps the almighty insurance companies are protecting similar interests for their corporate board of directors who are, usually, the same caliber of person as the CEO. It’s important to protect their wealth and interests – literally at all costs – too.

How can these CEO-types give their wives, children, grandchildren (in some cases) and mistresses – and their mistresses’ children – proper Christmases, Hanukkahs and (fill in the blank here) if we American citizens deprive these poor CEOs their annual multimillion dollar bonuses?

It used to be CEO bonuses were predicated on good performance. Not these days.

These near-destitute CEO-types must get their $50 million annual bonuses even if the companies they supposedly lead are consistently unprofitable. The poor CEOs deserve their huge bonuses even if their companies show historic quarterly losses. Even if the companies require corporate welfare, in the form of millions upon millions of millions of free U.S. taxpayer cash injected into their company’s bank accounts, simply to stay in business.

Who’s going to pay for the CEOs’ therapeutic (or non-therapeutic, for that matter) massages, spa visits, manicures, pedicures, private wine cellars and golf lessons after they’ve destroyed the companies they supposedly lead and the lives of the thousands of workers they’re charged to prosper with? Why, the American taxpayer, of course.

I believe the sickness of the U.S. healthcare industry is the symptom of the same causes of the nascent Second Great Depression: greed, lack of ethics and idiocy.

The prognosis of the U.S. healthcare industry does not look good.

For many Americans, their health insurance is really in name only; it’s just a neat-looking plastic card to keep in their wallets or purses. The almighty insurance companies, as well as plan administrators, have raised deductibles, co-pays and exclusionary periods and clauses so high, many health insurance plans amount to catastrophic only coverage, if even that.

Greed.

The providers have to make their huge salaries. Why? Because they went to medical or dental school, that’s why. It’s a similar warped American concept to the attorney who graduates from Regent University or Thomas M. Cooley Law School and passes the state bar examination on the third attempt — after having had “Bar Exams for Dummies” tutored to him or her over several days at the local espresso bar. That same lawyer believes his or her “professional expertise” is so valued a client must pay $200 per hour just to talk him or her or to read their client’s e-mail.

Health care providers are some of the most arrogant people in this country. They have the ultimate items for sale: Health and peace of mind. Is there any amount of money you wouldn’t pay to stay alive and healthy?

Greed, greed, greed.

I have a close relative whose teeth are in terrible disrepair because he’s afraid to go to the dentist and then receive his “Patient Responsibility” bill in the mail after having some needed dental work done.

Recently, I had routine, every-few-years, preemptive blood work done during my summer check up. The blood work involved all of two minutes as the nurse drew out three short tubes of blood and then sent them off to a local laboratory.

A few days later, I received a bill for $800 from just the laboratory analyzing my blood.

I believe the vast majority of Americans are reluctant to seek out and receive proper medical and dental care because pricing has effectively forced them out of the healthcare marketplace.

All because of good, old-fashioned American greed.



Kinnamon is a staff writer for Enid News & Eagle. Contact him at dave.kinna mon@sbcglobal.net.