The folks who are absolutely enchanted with their current health care plans are out in force jamming the phone lines, honking horns and demanding that things remain exactly as they are.

God help any member of Congress who tampers with the wonderfulness of things as they are! I’m sure they believe that such rational arguments as horn honks and sign waving are going to change someone’s mind.

I know it’s small-minded of me, but I’d like to know exactly what it is about the current state of health insurance that they love.

Is it being denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions? Is it having insurance arbitrarily cancelled? Oh, I bet it’s the “donut hole” in their drug coverage. You know, the time you have to pay full-pop for your drugs.

If they’re self-employed, or don’t have insurance with their jobs, I guess they don’t want to have tax credits for the health insurance they buy for themselves. Having tax credits ‘forced down their throats’ would be simply dreadful. And of course it would be terrible to be able to keep their kids on their health insurance until the kids were out in the job market and getting their own insurance.

Cross-posted to Blogger.

Nicholas Kristof, in a November 4 New York Times column, writes,

The moment of truth for health care is at hand, and the distortion that gets the most traction is this:

We have the greatest health care system in the world. Sure, it has flaws, but it saves lives in ways that other countries can only dream of. Abroad, people sit on waiting lists for months, so why should we squander billions of dollars to mess with a system that is the envy of the world? As Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama puts it, President Obama’s plans amount to “the first step in destroying the best health care system the world has ever known.”

That self-aggrandizing delusion may be the single greatest myth in the health care debate. In fact, America’s health care system is worse than Slov—er, oops, more on that later.

Envy of the world? Not hardly. Kristof goes on to cite the statistics (and their sources) to demonstrate that this delusional belief is just that…a delusion.

The House has taken the first step toward a modest reform opposed, as always, by all but one Republican and a clutch of conservative Democrats.

Kristof’s column is here.

Terrified that there might be a government alternative to their profit-based schemes the industry’s public relations weasels have rushed (in a campaign costing millions of dollars) to assure us of the horrors of government controlled health care.

A common meme goes this way: “Oh..My..God! Do you want the Government to stand between you and your doctor? Oh, the horror!” Your only defense is to love your good ol’ all-American health insurance.

Love my health insurance? Impossible to do. Well, maybe I could if I could understand it, but the 145 page magazine-size document detailing my entitlements, protections and rights of protest under my current plan almost baffles the understanding.

I say “almost” baffles the understanding because it is clear from the beginning that my premium is going up 14%, and that the drugs my doctor can prescribe for me have been changed.

When it comes to standing between me and my Doc no one beats my insurance company. Consider the following, taken from my 2010 Renewal Information tome

“The drugs on this list are selected by the plan with the help of a team of doctors and pharmacists.”

Yeah? Whose doctors and pharmacists, certainly not mine.

And here’s the kicker:

“The list must meet requirements set by Medicare. Medicare has approved the plan’s Drug Guide.”

In other words the government’s involvement is now a good thing; just please, oh please, don’t let the government go into the not-for-profit insurance business!

The health insurance industry whines that if here is a fully fledged public option for-profit insurance companies will be forced out of business. How would that be a bad thing?