Saturday, September 05, 2009

The Healthcare debat in the US

WASHINGTON - MAY 11:  U.S. President Barack Ob...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I saw a very interesting status posting request in Facebook by couple of my friends. It read :

" No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day."
I agree with the message... I don't believe anyone will disagree, let me rephrase that majority will agree. I am seriously confused about the debate. I think we are mixing the overall goal with the process and method. I don't think even the cold hearted Insurance Companies, Big Pharma or AMA will disagree with the above statement. I don't think it is a fair argument that Big Pharma, insurance companies etc are there only to make money. 
I think many of them actually have Good Vision statements that drive them. Just to clarify I went to their websites to see what they set out as their vision, here are some excerpts:

Pfizer: We dedicate ourselves to humanity's quest for longer, healthier, happier lives through innovation in pharmaceutical and consumer health products.

Our Mission
       
We will become the world's most valued company to patients, customers, colleagues, investors, business partners and the communities where we work and live.

Eli Lilly: Lilly makes medicines that help people live longer, healthier, more active lives

Three long established core values guide Eli Lilly and Company in all that we do:

Integrity

We conduct our business consistent with all applicable laws and are honest in our dealings with customers, employees, shareholders, partners, suppliers, competitors, and the community.

Excellence

We pursue pharmaceutical innovation, provide high-quality products, and strive to deliver superior business results. We continually search for new ways to improve everything we do.

Respect for People

We maintain an environment built on mutual respect, openness, and individual integrity. Respect for people includes our concern for all people who touch or are touched by our company: customers, employees, shareholders, partners, suppliers, and communities.

Ok with that said, yes, mistakes are made by Pharma companies of course it is exasperated because of the sector they are part of. I don't believe the Government can solve anything, it all comes down to the people. Government should GOVERN, not OWN, MANAGE or CONTROL businesses. I would say set parameters for the Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies to work under. You don´t have to do that by launching a Governmental Insurance Company! If the issue is Insurance companies need to cover people with pre-existing conditions make that  a law, let the market decide what should be the price for such a service. Artificially subsidizing all the case through a pseudo government insurance plan makes the quality of health care go down.

I want to see the entire plan proposed by the White house because I see a lot of chatter and not much facts. Will post my finding after I read the proposal.
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