Nostra"dan"mus

Since this is our last post of the semester, I thought it would be appropriate to make some predictions of what HEALTH CARE in the U.S. might look like 10 years from now (based on current trends of course).

1. Government health care will push private health insurance companies to bankruptcy (they will probably be bailed out though) ha ha.

2. More Americans will have access to health care and will no longer have to choose between food or medicine.

3. Taxes to pay for gov't health care will increase

4. Quality of gov't health care will decline over time (cutbacks) as Washington feels pressure to lower taxes.

5. We will see nightly reports on the news talking about how we can continue to fund gov't led healthcare.

6. Hospitals and health care workers will become frustrated by "big brother" dictating how they give care.

7. Drug companies will be forced to lower the cost of their Rx medications (although, being this is a 500 billion dollar industry, it's hard to see them taking it in the shorts).

8. People will get tired of gov't supervision, and the pendulum will start to swing back the other way.

If I were really taking a Nostradamus approach, I would have had to disguise my predictions in the form of a riddle and or symbol. But, thankfully, today we still have (some) freedom of speech.

I know my predictions sound different from my once optimistic view of gov't led health care. Over the course of the semester and about 75 news articles later, I find myself seeing that any extreme change to health care will have a profound effect. I now believe that balance is the key to most things in social policy. Also, broad, sweeping federal policies don't always work that well for everyone.

Thank you all for your wonderful posts.
Please, feel free to make your own predictions on my blog.
(Someone could still be Edward Cayce or Hal Lindsay).

The End is Near

The end of private health insurance that is.
Many critics of the new government led public health insurance plan, believe it is the kiss of death for private health insurance companies.

The Wall Street Journal explains in detail just why this is so.

So, what do you think. Can private insurance companies compete in a "free market" with public (government run) programs?

What the?!

There have been some shocking developments out of Iowa.
Don't worry, the cows and corn are fine.

Iowa has approved Gay Marriage.
This is a great article from the AP explaining how it all went down.

That makes 3 states, Mass, Conn, & Iowa. Next, possibly, is Vermont.

Personally, I am surprised to see this happen in Iowa.
Rural Midwest is typically conservative and ultra religious.
Is there a change happening?
Are people becoming more accepting of alternative lifestyles?

I would like to think some good will come of this.
Mike Alvear writes some interesting commentary on the upside of Gay Marriage in this article.