Stock Markets Exposed - Please tell me if I correctly understand the Republican philosophy concerning "for profit" health care?

Please tell me if I correctly understand the Republican philosophy concerning "for profit" health care?

Please consider this real life situation and explain not only the ideological but the moral aspects of your defense of our current health system. Please note that this question has nothing to do with people getting "free" or "government" health care at your expense but with the structure of the "free market" health care system and it's implications for ordinary Americans. My father owned a small printing company in Alabama, employing about 25 people and most of the equipment was paid for as well as the building.This has been a family business, the American dream, since 1923. My father's health began to fail a while back and his doctor advised that he retire from the business which he did. My brother agreed to move to Alabama and run the company. My brother had an individual Blue Cross policy in the state of Georgia where he was living before the move to run Dad's company. My brother had had cancer some time back but was in remission and felt good about his health and the move. But, of course, as soon as he changed his address from a Georgia address to the Alabama address, Blue Cross cancelled him. No problem. He just called Blue Cross in Alabama to purchase coverage but was told that Blue Cross is incorporated in such a way that their policies are not transferable across state lines. They gave him the choice of purchasing another policy or adding him to the group at the printing company but either way, they were calling the cancer a pre-existing condtion and imposed a one year waiting period. Unfortuately, Dad had transferred his stock in the printing company to my brother in case dad passed away and this would avoid probate and other legal problems. We thought, But then the real trouble started. Before the one year waiting period that Blue Cross imposed, my brother's cancer returned with a vengence, hospitalizing him and requiring extensive and expensive treatment. The doctor and hospital bills soon ran into multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, overwhelming his ability to pay. His medications alone were costing over $3,000.00 per month. Dad pleaded with me to come back and run the company since neither he or my brother could. I did but it was too late. Since Dad had transferred his majority stock to brother, the doctors and hospital sued and obtained judgements against my brother, seizing the company stock and laying claim to the printing presses, the building and the company's operating capital. I watched in horror as my family's business which was founded in 1923 was auctioned off for pennies on the dollar to partially satisfy a debt to some doctor's and a hospital. Had the law suits that destroyed the business been due to negligence on the company's part such as an uninsured delivery van, then we would have deserved this. But this was a case where we tried to purchase insurance for my brother and could not do so due to an insurance company's clever lawyers preventing us from transferring coverage. And then the doctors, hoospitals and drug companies charging so much they almost no one could pay. This is but one serious issue with our health care system that plagues those of us who try to live the American dream of an "ownership" society, pay our own way and create jobs for others and to benefit our community. I would appreciate if some of you "conservatives" can explain to me how and why we should allow our health care system to continue to operate in such an insane and immoral manner and destroy the lives and fortunes of people who have tried to do nothing more than to play by the rules and to contribute to our community. PS My family moved to this country from Europe in the early 1900's to persue the American dream and find freedom from social and economic injustice.

Public Comments

Sorry to hear of your case In Canada we read these stories with shock. How can a modern country live like that. There is a better way
You apparently do not know the difference between "'for profit' health care" and "insurance."
those companies exist to make a profit,you may not like their terms but that is what they have established. you are mad at a company that explained the rules to your brother and unfortunately it didn't work out for him. but health care cost are high for a number of reasons,limited doctors,trial lawyers,and red tape. i understand why your upset,but put the blame on lawyers and medical schools too,they are even more to blame for the situation then you think and as far as the canadian goes,your health care sucks,not enough doctors there,crappy care and long waiting,so don't tout your system like it is any good,besides we have a constitution that prohibits such things
Their cripplingly stupid philosophy is to keep 50 million people out of the system in order to give the illusion that it runs efficiently.
Republicans would merely say that's your families fault and no one else's.
While I am touched by your family tragedy, I still don't see why I should pay for Your brothers healthcare. No doubt we have some flaws in our system and something like you describe should not be allowed to happen. Try to fix the problem not change the entire lifestyle. Your family did not come to America to be socialists, they came for freedom. SFC US Army Retired
We can fix the health care system without having the government run it.
sorry about your personal tragedy.why do you think universal health care is a solution.gov. health care focus is on the general population,not individual care.the result probably would have been the same only stretched out longer. want to see gov. health care visit a VA(veterans administration) hospital.As a business owner ,where was your emergency fund to take care of such situations.your argument is valid,however gov. health care is not the answer.
I sympathize with your story but I don't see much in the way of "understanding" any particular theory.....other than how those who favor government dependency seem to enjoy flaunting misery stories. How would your father have fared, I wonder, if another 30% to 40% of his income were going to taxes? How would he have fared if his company had to pay fines and taxes for every employee that did not purchase state-mandated insurance? How would he and your brother fared if they had a better understanding of insurance policies? Finally, your story doesn't seem to address why some of those health care costs are so high to begin with. Do you think, perhaps, that it might have something to do with the power of the Insurance and Lawyer lobbies? Do you know that it's not the Republican Party that is traditionally "in bed" with these industries?
"there is a reason they call it the "american dream"---you have to be alseep to believe it." george carlin we need to reprioritize where our money gets spend...not on the military industrial complex...but on education and the healthcare...things here at home, and not on our oversea's empire that is bankrupting the nation. I do not believe the current health care system is ideal. it is far from it. BIG PHARMA and their lobbing in DC is a huge problem, and the pharmecudical companies and their advertising need to be put in their place.. Socialized medicine will increase the amount of taxes the individual pays, so it will not be free healthcare for all... we are already being raped by the IRS as it is. There is nothing in the us constitution that says the government is to be in charge of our health and what we put into our bodies. period. the prorams that the government already provide for us are horrible...borrowing againts medicare and social security to pay for wars? really? you think the government should be incharge of our health? remember why your parents came to america..the constitution. personal liberty and freedom...not government mandates.
So, since we have only corporate interests in sickness then the Republicans and the Democrats will have a real interest in getting people sick. They've already made me sick. (Oh, I'm sure you've noticed! Preventative heckling, don't you know!) Viva Nunavut! Your case is not unusual. We just don't hear the stories of people screwed by a sick system backed up by sick people (a few are here today - give them the raspberry.) You know, in Canada, even foreign workers are medically cared for. Ah, for a moral county. Lots of Amricans go to Edmonton for healthcare. Actually 'rich Canadians' do go to the US. It's quicker because they're paying and getting first class care while Americans who can't pay are pushed away. For Profit health care makes wealthy Canadians more valued in America than lower paid workers. People don't die in Canada waiting for health care as often as Americans do in America. Lots of Americans go to Mexico for health care. It's pretty cheap. #1 in health care FRANCE #2 ITALY #30 CANADA #37 UNITED STATES #39 CUBA #40 BRUNEI I guess we should not be looking to Canada so much as France and Italy for a better program. http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
In a free market your brother could have taken his current health care with him to another state, such as a health savings account. So, who is really to blame for this problem - government regulations that really don't make any common sense. Would you be better off on government health care were people die waiting for treatment? They die, but at least it was "free".
"In Canada we read these stories with shock." In Canada, people come to the United States for health care that they need. Where are you going to go if we implement your idiotic health care system?
Republicans have taken this country to the edge of the bottomless pit. I hope things will get better now... Although too late for you, I am sorry. Good luck.
The problem isn't with the insurance companies. The problem is the high cost of health care that makes it impossible to get quality care without going broke. Obama's current plan to *require* all Americans to purchase insurance and to disallow insurance companies to refuse clients is intended to break the insurance companies. Obama's plan will cripple them and then we will all be in hot water without a way out. The root of the high cost is the way drugs and medical devices are patented. Whoever gets the patent can charge whatever they please, and they do. IMHO, the best thing that Obama could do is change the patent system and if an invention (drug or medical device) is one that serves humanity, it does NOT receive a patent! Period.
I'm starting a new question... who here honestly read that whole damn thing? Who did it? Don't encourage these long winded people!