Governor Set On Universal Care (NM-Richardson health plan, blasts greedy Doctors)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | January 16, 2008 | Winthrop Quigley

[CedarDave]

SANTA FE— Gov. Bill Richardson launched his personal campaign for universal health care Tuesday.

Some of his key arguments, advanced in an in-depth interview with the Journal:

* Health care is a basic human right.

* Universal health care is doable this year and it won't break the bank.

* Physicians are too greedy and need to give a little.

* A so-called single-payer system is out of the question.

* New Mexico has been historically cautious; now is the time to move boldly to make sure every resident of this state has health insurance.

Richardson, fresh off his abandoned presidential campaign, appeared ready to jump back into the fray in Santa Fe. He said the state has the money and lawmakers have the time to enact universal health care coverage in their 30-day session.

Richardson said covering the state's 400,000 uninsured people is both a human rights issue and an economic development program. And it's good politics, he said.

The governor said he would not support new taxes to pay for universal coverage and they aren't needed.

The plan developed by administration staff says that new spending on public coverage programs would be offset by increased economic activity in the health care sector, by funds collected from employers who don't pay employees' health insurance, and through more premium tax collections as more people buy insurance.

The governor said legislators have told him his Health Solutions plan is too expensive and that an election year is no time to consider universal coverage.

He discounted those arguments. "That was their objection to everything," ... he said.

~~snip~~

The governor called health "a human right of every citizen" and access to care similar to a citizen's right to public education. "Everybody deserves the best possible health care," he said.

[TexanToTheCore]

Looking forward to a new set of doctors at the Texas Medical Center.

[Cyman]

My feelings exactly if Ahnold’s plan flies in Kaleefornia. I and a lot of my colleagues will take a real hard look at the economics of practicing and living here.

[Marathoner]

after health care becomes a right, a single payer system will follow.

Excellent analysis. The only thing I would add is that once a single payer system is in place, it will be yet another magnet to draw illegals into this country (as if we needed another one).

[Hoffer Rand]

While I agree it is definitely time to read or reread Atlas Shrugged, the answer to what would happen if all the doctors in the US “shrugged?”

Think about the same issues you have communicating with tech support applied to health care. All our health care professionals would come from India.

As for the “greedy doctors” and the cost of their education, that’s the next step. First, create universal health care. Second, pay doctors at government wages. Third, discover nobody is going to medical school. Four, increase the number of HB1 Visas for doctors and nurses to compensate. Five, claim the high cost of medical school is what is keeping students from going, so all college education should be free. Six, make graduates of medical schools “owe” the government who paid for their schooling and force them to work at a pittance. Voila, greatest health care system in the world.

Works great, see? Now I need to scour my brain. Excuse me...

Incidentally, have you ever noticed that all the people screaming that universal (government run) health care is a must have yet to understand that they won’t be able to sue or gain compensation if they are the victim of malpractice?

[zerosix]

You'll notice, liberals NEVER want to cap the salaries of their lobbyiests, movie "stars," rock "stars," professional "athletes," even lawyers or other "fat cats", just the people who save lives or even liposuction from their jowls!

Especially in a poor state like NM that must have millions of illegal aliens, Richardson want's to drive medical care out of his state.

Let him move to Mexico where doctors don't make nearly so much (oh and take his illegal alien "migrants" with him.)

[Nachum]

The legislature will then throw more socialism at the problem until eventually there is a single payer system.

Let me be the first to offer a new health plan...

MEXICARE

For the new hospitals that will spring up just accross the border in Mexico to give you that bypass that they put you on the "National Plan's" 6 month waiting list for....

Oh, and by the way, all your old doctors who resigned to become stock brokers will be moonlighting at all the MEXICARE facilities. Just so as you'll be seeing some familiar faces when you get there....

[ponygirl]

Which is exactly how the government took over the country in the book. Always “for the good of the people.” Like slowly turning up the heat on the frog in the pot. Before you know it, you’re getting cooked and it’s too late to jump out.

[advertising guy]

I did

[rod1]

I would except I am still trying to figure out the cost-benefit of Richardson’ private little railroad boondoggle. Does that one get counted under greed or just Gubanatorial stupidity?

[N3WBI3]

(* Health care is a basic human right.)

I swear these people would not know what a right is if it jumped up and slapped them on the fact... YOU CANT GIVE ME A RIGHT YOU TOOLS! A right is something I have so if by ‘health care being a right’ you mean the government should not interfere in my own pursuit of it then yes its a right.

This is the most scary argument. If states like CA and MA want to provide health care more power to them, at the state level its not nearly as awful as at the federal level. But make no mistake you dont give me rights you can leave me alone or take them away thats all the govt can do.

[N3WBI3]

So let the voters of NM deal with it. I honestly am not in principle opposed to a state covering all of its people (short of a forced single payer system) but they need to knock off the ‘its a right’ crap..

[TexanToTheCore]

Katy, tx is building new hospitals rapidly and it is a great place to live.

[cherry]

my dtr being on Medicaid and had to cancel her latest treatment because Medicaid hadn't approved the paperwork yet!

no one should go into doctoring...become a teacher and have more time off and a better pension.....and you can't be fired and you can't be sued....

seriously, there are parts of this country where Doctors are in short supply.....

[Osage Orange]

I do it every day...

Ha!!

[bill1952]

Your point would apply to almost any point on the medical time-line continuum.

There are always advances, sometimes quicker, sometimes slower, but the costs were still always governed by free market principles.

Had there been no government intervention at all then prices would not have risen in the fashion that they have.

One might argue that the proliferation of money into the medical coffers has driven medical technology, but that is not an exponential multiplication of end price.

The more money poured in - and mandated to pour in - the more things will cost, including the parasites that inevitably attach themselves to the feeding trough, including lawyers, insurance agents, administration and bureaucracy.

[lgwdnbdgr]

The plan developed by administration staff says that new spending on public coverage programs would be offset by increased economic activity in the health care sector, by funds collected from employers who don't pay employees' health insurance, and through more premium tax collections as more people buy insurance.

Niiiiice. They aren't going to raise taxes, they are simply going to increase the "funds collected from employers..." For his next trick, Richardson is going to eliminate the sales tax and replace it with "funds collected from consumers."

Seriously, though, the last thing our health care system needs is to beat up even more on health care providers. Already, we have too high a percentage of specialists (which really means too LOW a percentage of generalists). Make general medicine less rewarding and you'll drive even MORE med students away from general medicine.

[pallis]

Ah-boy! We are going to pay dearly for this loser’s loosing. He’s been flying around the country (in our plane) impressing himself with himself, and now he feels the need to prove himself to liberals. Something about his dismal attempt to be more than a New Mexican poverty pimp, has our pudgy punk thinking he needs to lay the groundwork for another try, meaning he will need to squat in (on) New Mexico awhile longer. What a bummer! People of New Mexico should get ready for a pant load of environmental and health care crap to come out of this blowhard. It’s a good thing we have a part time legislature that is full time dysfunctional.

[Peet]

In the democrats’ authoritarian socialist paradise, any doctor that “quit” would be imprisoned.

There's a gynocologist who just wants out of all the hassles of the business, so he decides to go to school as an automobile mechanic.

After a couple of months, his first major test is to tear down and rebuild an engine. He gets a grade of 150 on the exam.

Much surprised, he askes the teacher if the maximum grade wasn't 100.

The teacher explains yes, but since he tore the engine down perfectly, he got 50%, then since he rebuilt it perfectly, he got another 50%. The teacher goes on to explain that he got an additional 50% for doing the whole job through the tailpipe.

Peet

[lowbridge]

bump

[Alberta's Child]

Had there been no government intervention at all then prices would not have risen in the fashion that they have.

It wasn't just government intervention that drive up prices. A bigger influence was the proliferation of insurance coverage in the last 60 years -- which meant that most medical care was covered by third-party payment. This is a perfect recipe for rapid price escalation.