Health care reform warrants consideration

The health care debate is generating a tsunami of misinformation which is unfortunate.
A noble idea to improve coverage and reduce costs for everyone is now in real danger of being squashed. Irresponsible talk by the following: Sean Hannity, "Become part of the mob;" Rush Limbaugh, "The health care symbol is similar to the Nazi symbol;" and Sarah Palin, "It is an evil program with care being decided by a death squad," is adding fuel to passion and turning civil debates into rowdy confrontations. South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint said "Let's break Obama and make this his Waterloo."
The Standard-Examiner has been running "Viewpoint" commentaries that are informative. Hat's off to the editor. I wish news channels would do this rather than presenting mostly "he-said she-said" versions.
Four years ago my monthly premium was $38 a month for my wife and me, with a very low deductible. We had dental and vision coverage also. Today, I am paying almost $700 per month with a $2,500 deductible. Over an 18-month period, my wife had to undergo three heart ablations. The first cost $62,000; the second $68,000 and the third $76,000. Note the escalation of cost in a matter of months at the same hospital and with the same electrophysiologist. We have no more dental and vision coverage.
Recently, I had the chance to compare the costs of simple medications and care during a two-month stay in India. An antimalarial tablet, Mefloquine (commonly used by LDS missionaries) requires a prescription in the U.S. and costs $25 per tablet. In India, the same medication made by the same drug manufacturer is available over-the-counter and costs less than $1 apiece. Dental crowns in India cost $10. Open-heart surgeries with after-care cost $10,000. Heart ablations cost $2,000.
I researched the Internet and watched TV specials about health care in various countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. ranks 37th in the world with France first. Japan is 10th, England is 18th and Canada is 30th.
Longevity and prenatal/maternal mortality indices in industrial countries are better than ours. They have non-profit plans, no insurance groups, no shareholder rackets to milk the system. Hence, a single-user plan is affordable nationally.
It is interesting that only Democratic leaders pushed for health care reform: Truman, Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and now Obama. We haven't heard much from Sen. John McCain. He could have been president. Don't Republican leaders think we need health care reform? Why are they the naysayers?
Obama's vision of reform is simple. Here is a condensed version:
1) Institute temporary provisions to make health care coverage more affordable for Americans who have lost their jobs,
2) guarantee choice,
3) make health care coverage affordable,
4) protect families' financial health,
5) provide portable coverage,
6) aim for universality,
7) improve patient safety and quality care,
8) maintain long-term fiscal sustainability,
9) reduce Medicare overpayments to private insurers through competitive payments,
10) improve care after hospitalization and reduce hospital re-admission rates,
11) expand hospital quality-improvement programs,
12) reform the physician payment system to improve quality and efficiency.
We need a health care system with access, quality, efficiency, and equity at an affordable price. Currently, we are last in the list of advanced countries.
The Canadian system is bashed because it is "socialized medicine." My relatives in Canada are perplexed at the false information, and the taking of a solitary case of inefficiency and condemning the whole system.
Unlike Canada, we have more than 50 million Americans with no access to a doctor or treatment.
Advanced countries have raced ahead of us because they have emphasized digitized medical records, low malpractice premiums, modest earnings for doctors and an insurance system that is not based on churning out huge profits.
Health care is not just a political and economic issue. It is a moral one. Everyday that we delay implementing reform, people lose health care benefits; small businesses go bankrupt; and families spend more of their income on treatments and premiums while drug costs rise.
Insurance companies and drug manufacturers see their profits soar. Their spending on TV ads and mail to sell their products skyrockets.
Almost 18,000 deaths a year could be prevented by people having adequate medical coverage. Our politicians in Washington have the best health care coverage (Federal Employees Health Benefits Program) in the country at a very nominal price.
They are "we the people." They are taken care of, but are they championing our needs?
Suresh Kulkarni is a resident of Perry.