Rudy Giuliani's new "health plan" recycles Bush's dead-on-arrival proposal, which sought to withdraw the employer-based coverage many Americans have now and replace it with ... nothing organized. Bush and Giuliani envision a world where Americans use tax cuts to buy health coverage individually, without the buying power that employers - or governments - possess.
How well is the healthcare "free market" working today? It's driving sick and wounded Americans to seek care ... in Mexico. So if you're a Bush supporter in Crawford, be nice to the guy watering your lawn. His cousin may be operating on you someday.
The Dallas News wrote about the trend toward seeking care South of the Border. Cost is a big motivator for many of these cash-strapped Americans, of course. But as the News points out, long waiting times - which free-market defenders argue is a byproduct of government care - are also driving people like Cesar Vega of McAllen, Texas to Mexico.
They call them "medical refugees." While some Mexicans come to the U.S. to make a living, some Americans are going to Mexico to stay alive.
The Giuliani plan would make things worse. Rudy's running hard to become George W. Bush II, and their health proposals are virtually identical. And yesterday's announcement demonstrated that he can be as bellicose and hostile on healthcare as he is on terrorism - and as lacking in substance. As the New York Times reported:
(Giuliani) excoriated Democrats for advocating a "socialist" solution to solving the problem of the nation's 44.8 million uninsured, saying the party's candidates encouraged a "nanny government" by proposing a greater government role in health care.But what would Giuliani's plan accomplish? He's not sure. ""You have to start bringing the price down before you can figure out how many people can you include," he said. "It can't be done with a magic wand all at once."
The Times observed that Giuliani "offered no assurances that insurance companies would not 'cherry pick' by insuring only healthier people, or by charging much higher rates to more vulnerable people -- like those with chronic diseases."
Giuliani said people ave "no incentive to wellness" under today's system, but there's no greater incentive to "wellness" than knowing you won't receive medical treatment if you become ill. Maintaining health requires access to routine medical care. And many chronic diseases aren't preventable.
Speaking of the proposals put forward by candidates Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, Giuliani said "we are in for a disaster (under their plans). We are in for Canadian health care, French health care, British health care."
But health care in Canada, France, and Great Britain can look very appealing - especially if you're a "medical refugee."
The Sentinel Effect: Healthcare Blog
RJ Eskow at the Huffington Post
Follow RJ Eskow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rjeskow
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