Reichley Column: We don’t have a health-care crisis
Published: June 16, 2009
I was driving up Va. 234 past the speedway today and saw a billboard announcing that the Prince William Hospital is the top-rated orthopedic center in the region. In March, the hospital was awarded
the “HealthGrades 2008 Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award.”
Some politicians looking to spend more money and get more power are trying to scare us by telling us we have a “health-care crisis.” They insist that hasty action is needed to “fix” the problem.
We have over 16,000 licensed physicians in Virginia.
FindDoc shows 73 primary care physicians in Manassas who take Aetna HMO insurance.
Google finds 31 opticians in a five-mile radius of Manassas.
We have two large hospitals with 342 beds.
Our two hospitals handled over 345,000 outpatient visits, served over 112,000 emergency room patients and performed over 5,100 births (numbers from US News online).
When I tore my retina, I saw an optician and had an operation with a retina specialist the same day. When I had severe back pain, I had access to MRI and other equipment to diagnose the problem.
And when I needed physical therapy, I had a choice of therapists in our area.
We do not have a “health-care” crisis. We have well-trained physicians in almost every conceivable specialty. We have top-rate facilities and the latest equipment. While we have to wait for some tests
and procedures, the wait is nothing compared to countries where they provide government health care. We also have a tremendous selection of drugs for every need or want.
And we are a charitable country. The Virginia Association of Free Clinics Web site lists 54 free clinics in Virginia, including one right in downtown Manassas. These clinics provide treatment for those
who cannot pay for services.
Virginia has a medical insurance plan for poor people, called “FAMIS,” which has very low costs. In fact, most states have such programs. The federal government’s “SCHIP” program provides health
care for children in families making up to three times the poverty level. But many families do not take advantage of these programs, no matter how cheap they are. A lot of the 45 million uninsured are
uninsured by choice, not because there were no affordable insurance plans available.
But our health care isn’t cheap. Our costs are high, because we have so much care available. If you go to the hospital, you might get multiple expensive tests on expensive equipment. If the equipment
wasn’t available, our costs would be less — but our care would be less complete as well.
Our drug costs are high because it seems every day there is a new, more expensive but better drug available to treat our illnesses. You could stick with the drugs we had 10 years ago at the risk of not
getting the best treatment possible. But we all want the “best.” People are living longer because of expensive maintenance drugs that were unavailable at any price a decade ago.
When politicians scare you about “health care” they are really talking about “health-care cost” — and they are usually pushing a new health insurance program that they will control.
If you already have health insurance, and five out of six of us do, be scared of what the politicians will do to your insurance — like tax it to pay for their new program or force you to pay for insurance you
don’t want.
The politicians talk about “controlling costs” — which invariably means cutting expenses by limiting services. Of course, each of us can do that now, by deciding how much money we want to spend for
our care.
But some politicians think they would be better at choosing for you.
Some want to “level” the playing field, by limiting your ability to pay for your own treatment or limiting what treatments are available. They will have to limit services, because when people get free health
care, they will use it far more often, overloading the system.
Obviously, our system is not perfect. But problems with individual providers and hospitals won’t be fixed by replacing the current system with a new government-run system. If you have a broken
windowpane, you don’t tear down your house and build a new one.
There are people without insurance. It must be tempting for them to get “free” health care. But it isn’t free — their neighbors who are paying for their own insurance will pay through their taxes.
Charles Reichley has been a Prince William County resident since 1981. He can be reached at critically .
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Reader Reactions
oh by the way…
I just heard Rep Dingle talking about the new health care plan and I find it amazing that one of the main parts he kept going over and over is that insurance companies will no longer be allowed to have a waiting period or pre existing condition clause in any policy. mmmmmm great, I think as soon as this passes, everyone should cancel their insurance, save thousands each year ad if and when they get sick, they can just call up the insurance company and buy insurance. What a stupid thing to do, no pre existing? Can you imagine how many people will cancel their coverage? Why do we have insurance? so that if we get sick, we can afford it. This plan is beginning to stink to high heaven.
well, we have beaten this issue like a dead horse, so, I am done, I hope you stop hating America so much, and I hope you are not on medicare, cause like my mom, if you are, God help you when the doc tells you no tests for you, it isn’t worth it cause you are too old. Listen to what they are saying, the first thing they are going to do to pay for this, is cut medicare and medicaid programs and cut tests etc for medicare…you sound like you might be old enough to be on medicare, and all I can say is too bad, hope you also have a PRIVATE supplemental…you are going to need it.
Joni what is “sundowning?“
I stand corrected. And how could “accusing you” of being native born be attacking you? You sound whiney enough to be native born American… But what’s the difference? Australia is nice also. Lucky to be born there, too. So what’s the problem? Do you think nice countries like Australia and the U.S. are free and require no taxes to support schools, hospitals, roads, defense, ports, courts, prisons (for your illegals), public health, etc. Need I go on? Yes, for Joni I need to go on.
actually rain,. you are so off base I was not born here, I made the decision to be American on my 18th birthday I also decided to stay in America instead of returning to Australia when given the chance….so, the next time, maybe you should wait before you attack someone.
I and actually every single person in this country decides to be an American, because unlike many other places, YOU have the choice to stay or move someplace else…..mmmm there’s those darn FACTS again.
well well well, hello and good day to you too phdee…..I am so glad the Lord saw fit to allow you to join us, now, I feel complete.
I didn’t “choose” to live in the U.S. and neither did joni. We were lucky to be born here. And if other people “choose” to live in the U.S., joni wants them deported or arrested. Most people in the world are stuck where they were born. We were lucky to be stuck here. And having living in many countries, worked in many countries, for most of my adult life, one thing that it teaches you is to notice stuff when you return to the U.S. Like roads, laws, nice neighborhoods, red lights, fresh food, health, things that work… Need I go on. Joni and jmv just think that it was always there or that they built it personally. My point is that I not only appreciate our country, but also its imperfect system, and I don’t get my panties in a wad about being expected to contribute to the place that helps me live the life I work to have. Joni may have lived overseas, but obviously the experience was lost on her. I only ask these people to understand, appreciate, and be grateful for all we have been given by the very virtue of being citizens of this land. Too much to ask? But all I hear is whining about their miserable lives and how Obama is going to make it worse. Talk about living on another planet!
Joni is going to have a stroke or chronic scours if she doesn’t slow down. She is realluy on a bashing and hate filled mood.
She says “they” are “well read and educated.“ Yet, she cites numerous TV networks, media columnistds, newspapers, etc. she avoids or no longer reads. She clearly is a right-wing nut - it’s my way or no way. Just like my brother and sister, both closet racists, Republicans, Obama haters, lone wolves, et al. Educated? Like my siblings, Joni must have majored in ignorandce, if she went to college. Can’t you see her in a debate. She’d kick over the table, and stomp out. She is as arrogant as she is ignorant.
As p;roof of the “private sector” doing no better than government, I offer the 1930 depression era and the present economic bust - the bnks, insurance companies, Wall
Street, financial institutions,etc.
Remember: the fed govt fills the leadership positions with “educated people” from the private sector. True, most probably don’t have experience similar to job requirements, which means you don’t need a skill to hold a job, Or, should we say they have already reached their level of incompetence. Boardsx of corporations contain goons who have connections but no experience. It’s the way the world turns, like it or not. And don’t ignore how those private businesses sure ran to Uncle Sam when the going got tough. Ah yes, socialism for the wealthy, capitalism for the poor.
You’re doing good rainfly.!!!
vmj have you ever heard of “sundowning?“
BTW Rain, if you were/are self employed, then why the devil are you so quick to support a government that wants to tax the small business people TO DEATH? It is a two faced argument. The federal government is trying to tax you people to death (and my bro in law too) and I can’t figure out why you want so much gov control when you have to see the crazy taxes. We have the highest corp tax in the WORLD. This new so called health reform is going to destroy the small businesses and not cover over 33 million people….Your argument makes no sense.
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