http://www.examiner.com/a-206490%7EDavid_Sirota__Addressing_the_country_s_health_care_taboo.htmlWASHINGTON - Here’s an idea rarely discussed in our nation’s capital: Health insurance should not be a for-profit industry.
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So if Americans want the private profit motive removed from health care, and the data shows nonprofit health care delivers better, more cost-efficient care, then why do so few politicians in Washington talk about creating a government-sponsored, nonprofit universal health care system? Especially at a time when health care premiums are skyrocketing, more Americans are going uninsured, and voters consistently rank health care as a top concern, the question is critical.
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No, as with everything in Washington, the real answer to the question is found by following the money. Politicians don’t talk about creating a not-for-profit health care system because they operate in a pay-to-play culture — one that rewards their silence.
Since 2000, the health industry has donated more than $370 million to the lawmakers of both political parties. The No. 1 recipient of that largesse last year was Republican Sen. Rick Santorum — the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate who has ardently opposed a single-payer health care system. No. 2 was Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton — who, just 12 years removed from her attempt to reform health care, is now giving speeches apologizing for her previous efforts. Also bathed in health industry cash has been Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. He has been a key opponent of health care reform — not surprising, considering he is also one of the heirs of HCA, the largest for-profit hospital chain in America.