The power of rule-making

At the end of a story in today's Tennesseean was the perfect example of why we need government-run health care coverage for everyone.

The story talked about the cost of various treatments for cancer and that significantly higher-priced treatments may bring only marginal benefits to patients. But the part that really caught my eye was at the end.

In renewing the prescription plan last year, the 71-year-old Geiger didn't notice that Thalomid coverage had been changed. It now was classified a specialty drug, costing a $1,051 monthly copay that she couldn't afford.

Just imagine developing a condition that required expensive medical care that was covered by your insurance, only for the insurance company to change the rules of the game and dump a significant portion of the cost back on you.

Insurance companies don't want you to use the insurance. They just want you to pay for it.

It's cruel twists such as this that make universal health care one of the most important issues we face. Private companies are primarily concerned with profits, not with their customers' health. Why would we rationally choose a system where we trade our health and that of our family to fatten someone else's wallet?

The conservatives would have us buy health care policies and maybe even give us tax credits to help pay for it. But those are of no value if private firms change the rules at the time when we are most vulnerable and most in need coverage.

A properly run government program would put quality of life before costs. That doesn't mean the system would spend money mindlessly, but that financial concerns would come after the health of a patient.

It's time that we reset our priorities on health care and realize that high-quality, universal care is what we want for those we love; we should make sure it's available to everyone.

    -- Jim Grinstead