Health care - what a mess!

With the pundits scaring the living crap out of Americans on both sides of the issue, it is understandable that we are confused, frustrated, concerned and scared of this new health care program being proposed by the Obama Administration.

Some thoughts. . . but first, I will set the stage by trying to localize/"Meadville-ize" this issue.

Channellock Inc. is a 123 year-old, privately held manufacturer of high quality pliers and hand tools.

We employ about 425 people. We have never missed a payroll. We have never missed a tax payment. We have had to create and present business plans to various financial banks for funding.

We represent a private sector business model that up until the Obama debt schemes, has done okay. . .for 123 years.

We have health care at Channellock. It covers all associates that want to participate. Average annual cost of the program is $12,700 per associate. The associate pays between 20 and 25 percent of this annual premium. They also may or may not pay a co-pay and a deductible depending on which of the six UPMC (current provider) insurance programs they choose (single, family, married with spouse, etc.).

Channellock and our associates are private sector, private health care system users. Channellock, Inc. is the provider or a "third party provider". . .the customer!

To my knowledge we LIKE our program.

We do not want anyone to mess with it.

We do not need, or want, a national plan or a public option.

Now, there are three areas that would help our program:

A Health Savings Account System funded with a tax credit. Simple. Health care must be used to qualify. This would help reduce the individual's health care cost. . .pretty simple to implement in the tax code.

Tort reform. Why is this issue not being discussed? It has HUGE cost reduction opportunities because it would significantly reduce the cost of malpractice liability insurance premiums for our good doctors. (The bad doctors should be flushed out of the system by Hospital Boards of Directors effectively monitoring quality of care and utilization review procedures already in place.) Because of the sometimes huge settlements gained by heavy lobbying malpractice attorneys, all doctors must carry malpractice liability insurance that commands very large premiums. In order to protect themselves, the doctors demand/prescribe extra diagnostic tests at greater expense to cover themselves, legally (rightfully so in our overly litigious communities). Changing this whole arena with tort reform legislation would significantly reduce the doctors' cost of doing business. It would logically follow that their costs to us are also reduced. . .pretty simple.

Tort reform. . .DO IT!

Allow insurance companies to sell health insurance on national basis rather than limiting them to state boundaries. We sell automobile insurance nationally, why not health care insurance? This would allow more insurance companies to compete for our (and your) insurance business. . .leading to competition and competitive bidding, lowering premium costs. . .pretty simple.

I believe that with these three simple changes in our approach to health care insurance, costs would be driven down by having lower malpractice insurance premiums, lower insurance costs and a helpful health savings account tax credit.

It is amazing to think that all of this could be done without the TRILLION DOLLAR spending suggested by Obama and his czars, without the huge bureaucracy needed to run the Obama plan (and all the buildings, offices and overheads associated with it), without the terrifying, seizing control of your family's health plan, or potential rationing of care and on and on.

These three options would very simply cut the costs of health care and probably simplify the processes, too. Why don't the Congressional health plan creators actually ask the customer (that's you and me, the third party providers) what we want instead of jamming something down our throats that we do not want, that nobody trusts, that will not work and that will cost too much money - money that we really don't have?

Support these concepts and watch the health care system improve.

It's really not so messy.

Tell your Senators and Congress members, now. . .

Keep the faith. . .

Bill DeArment