Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Socialized medicine won't solve healthcare problems

It's amazing that health care insurance companies are asking the government to review their practices and behaviors. There behaviors and costs have been escalating out of control for years with no check or balance. The only problem for me with the health care insurance companies asking for this is that they are doing it out of fear that they will no longer exist. Why have they not policed themselves and stopped the extreme abuses in premiums and elsewhere that have existed for years ? It's simple, because they have not had too. They have not had to answer to anyone for years of abuses to those who pay the premiums that keep these companies afloat.

Unfortunately, I would love to see private insurers get their hands slapped and slapped big time BUT, not if the solution is to spank our health care system into socialized medicine. Talk to anyone who lives in Canada and England and ask them how effective this socialized health care system is. They will tell you what I have heard from patients who have lived there. Simple physio for injuries can take months to be accepted into. Medical procedures are determined on a worst case scenario basis. What this means is that someone, whom you don't want to, is deciding who gets treatment first and who is on the wait list.

I have a simple suggestion for private insurance companies. Reduce premiums and gradually put yourselves out of business and allow the health care system to head toward fee for service. It will be a gradual winding down of your life cycle but not as painful as Obama's quick death plan.

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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Culture of Negativity in The US

This current Swine flu hysteria has shown me a few trends in the consciousness of the American people that have me concerned.

1. We as a people seem to be obsessed with negatives. We see a media that is focused on reporting the most negative and depressing aspects of our society. Whether it be crime, social or health related news the picture is always negative and bleak. This consciousness is troublesome when we talk about the "Laws of Attraction". Those who hold to these tenets would say that the more we focus on violence, crime, illness, disease and natural disaster, the more of those things we get.

2. There seems to by a hysteria surrounding negative events that does not follow positive ones. When we have a huge medical or social breakthrough, the information is in the news/media for a day or two at most and then quickly falls out of public view. If there is a negative happening, such as the Swine Flu, it is spread, talked about, dissected and analyzed to the point of absurdity, all the while creating high levels of stress to those who buy into this culture.

3. We don't share the positive information anywhere near the level or frequency that we will share a negative piece of information. I think this is probably not unique to the US but to mankind in general due to are human nature.

Please evaluate your communication over the next few days and weeks and see if you are in some way contributing to a culture of negativity. If we can increase the number of people that are contributing positive information and energy into our society the effect will grow and spread exponentially and move our society to another place.

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