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Editorial: Health Insurance: Who should pay?
How much longer will businesses continue to pay for health insurance for their employees? Years ago, it started out being a fringe benefit that some companies offered their employees. Then, it almost became a requirement that employers provide health insurance for their employees. It is now provided for most governmental workers, both national and state. Then, welfare programs incorporated a type of healthcare insurance in the form of healthcare and prescription drug coverage for their welfare recipients.
As the system has evolved, the pharmaceutical companies changed their primary marketing emphasis from individual physicians and pharmacists to the healthcare controlling entities, the third-party payors, and the governmental providers. It's easier to sell to a single representative of thousands of insured or beneficiaries than it is to individual healthcare practitioners.
Also, since there is less pricing competition, the prices for pharmaceuticals has skyrocketed; another disadvantage to limited competition in the marketplace. This can also occur when a company is successful in establishing limited formulary coverage for the drugs they want to cover to minimize competition; but the patients have fewer choices, and since patients simply pay their co-pay, no uproar occurs as drug companies increase the prices of their products.
Many employers are dropping health insurance benefits for their employees due to the escalating costs of the premiums. This results in more individuals being without healthcare insurance.
It is interesting that in a healthcare proposal just released by a political candidate that healthcare coverage will be available to all; however, there is no mention of health insurance coverage by employers. One tends to think that the plan may include the government paying for or providing health care for its citizens. With the fiasco with Medicare Part D, the reported problems in federal hospitals, and the limited budget available, I don't think the federal government can afford to pay for health care for citizens. Also, I don't think many healthcare practitioners would want to practice as an agent of the government with continually reduced payments. One of the students rotating through our facility recently said she saw no problem with it: just let the government pay for it! When I asked her, "Where does the U.S. government get its money?" �she did not know the answer (She immigrated into the U.S. and is now a U.S. citizen.).
I think some may believe that health care is a "right" in the U.S. However, neither the Constitution nor the Bill of Rights states this. If one looks at the actual needs for living, food and water come first; however, the government certainly cannot provide food and water for all citizens.
Whatever happened to the way of life our country was built on where you work for what you get, and you don't depend upon the government for handouts!
Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief
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