It is always the rackets. Are we surprised? You shouldn’t be. The current state of healthcare and the inability to do anything, by democrats or republicans, was driven by the collision of capitalism and the good of the people. The people lost, again. Same story. Insurers, care providers, and pharma companies own our government representatives. Democrats and republicans have no resolve or courage when it comes to building a real solution. Which would be to reign in these companies and their shameful profit motive that drives our terrible healthcare system. It is terrible. The entire civilized world agrees. America sucks at healthcare! Even worse we are going to do nothing about it. Politicians did not and will not have the balls to do what is right and take on the healthcare rackets. People are going to die. If they don’t die they are going to live the rest of their life enslaved by debts they cannot possibly pay. If you are lucky to get medical care and live you are destined to be owned by the corporations that made your survival possible. The leaders of these companies are in boardrooms right now telling their peers that if you are not able to afford their care and products than it is OK not to save you. The free market creates such great care and the lowly everyday stiffs that get sick or have a disease would have been dead years ago if it weren’t for the stock market, price competition, or heavily funded R&D. We should be thankful that guys like Martin Shkreli can raise the price of a drug 100x overnight. It is OK if the epi-pen price goes up 500% and the CEO of that company, Mylan, was paid $97 million in 2016. Sticky-pricing goes unchecked. This is the phenomenon in healthcare that is opposite to accepted economics. Usually when a product is new it is sold at its highest price. Then when competition comes in and supply is increased the price goes down. Not in healthcare. Prices go up once they know a drug or a treatment is effective. An insane price gives competitors cover and the green light to offer the same product at a higher or similarly inflated price. Consumers need this to survive so they pay. They have no choice. If a shirt is too expensive you don’t buy it. Because you don’t need it. The laws of supply and demand apply when you are buying a shirt or a lamp. Not with the epi-pen, an HIV drug, or a life-saving heart surgery. You need them and if you can’t pay the outrageous price you can choose not to buy. But you better have your affairs in order. This fact has perverted the healthcare industry into what we know today.

There is one positive outcome of this unreal healthcare market and environment. Americans, including me, are awakening and engineering our lives to the truth that there is a superior health care plan in America. It does exist and everyone has access to it. DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO NEVER VISIT A DOCTOR. Physicians in America view you as a customer. Somebody to sell something to. Making sure you are physically fit, eating better, getting proper sleep, meditating and relaxing, reducing stress, and working on your own ailments is the ultimate low premium and low deductible health plan. Otherwise you will develop the traits of the life-long customer insurers and pharma companies seek. Unfortunately, many of the people that are suffering at the grips of healthcare capitalism can’t choose this health plan. They have a condition that chose them not through bad health decisions or wrong doing. Rather they were born with a disease. Or developed one as an adult. They were forced into being customers.
This latest health care plan chooses the companies over these customers who are in need. Remember that. There is no other spin or free market based talk that can cover this one up. Citizens united chose money over democracy. Obamacare chose insurers needs over people and created this half-baked garbage solution. Coverage could be purchased by anyone which was a definite win. I think it still was a noble thing to go after. Coverage for anyone. You still must buy it, but nobody could be denied. Good stuff. However, Obama and the democrats had no balls when it came to, what I am sure they knew at the time, would be the plan’s downfall. The fact that insurers still could choose pricing and they could still make final decision according to their bottom line. Republicans just doubled down on the inept Obamacare by deciding to just repeal it all and take more money away from Medicaid. Neither party attempted to open competition across state lines creating real economic forces to reduce pricing and costs. Do whatever you want insurers, providers, and drug dealers. We are fully in support of your bottom line. The people!? Nobody cares about them! They’ll pay cause the have to! Do I still get my campaign money or are you pulling it? Both democrats and republicans promised the best three course meal made with the finest ingredients. What we got was a highway rest stop chain restaurant. Both parties took the coward way out and deflected by blaming each other. Which is the modus operandi for Washington in 2017.

When it comes to situations like this I come back to a notion that sticks in my mind. Why can’t these rackets be changed and the people that are currently rich stay rich? If healthcare is truly reformed won’t insurers, providers, and pharma still be rich? Maybe they drop from obscenely rich to filthy rich. A hit they can take. What is so bad about that? The key thing to remember is that healthcare capitalism is the enemy of healthcare for all. Once that becomes the conversation and the narrative things will start going in the right direction.