morningstar55

On February 18th the CEO of our company was voted out after doing a great job in that position for over 20 years and working for the company for almost 30. The next day people in another state who put themselves in charge started laying people off, including me after serving that company for almost 9 years. Because I did the work of so many people they are now finding out how valuable I was as I am hearing that there have been problems getting everything done in my absence.

I am more fortunate than most because I got a good severance package and will be collecting unemployment while I look for work that is almost as much as I was making.
The main thing that is a hassle (besides unexpectedly having to up-date and distribute my resume) is the changes that come with the health insurance. My family has to switch over to my wife's plan and we are both losing the primary care physician that we've had for 15 years.

This drives home yet another reason that this country should do what not only all 14 countries with a higher standard of living than the US but, most other industrialized countries have done, get rid of the for-profit health insurance companies and adopt a SINGLE PAYER system.

Here's even more advantages besides not having to switch doctors:
1. Lower cost - Instead of having to pay what has become for many people, premiums higher than their mortgage or rent payment a simple income tax increase of say 1% per $20,000 earned could replace the premiums people paid because only 5% to 15% of the cost would go to administrative expenses to do the paperwork and enforce fraud protections, instead of the up to 85% of what insurance companies use for executive bonuses, advertising and paying over $1.4 million dollars a day for lobbyists in Washington D.C.
2. Healthcare providers would be happier- doctors and Hospitals now spend almost as much on paperwork and fighting with insurance companies as the spend directly on the cost of care. A universal form of reporting and billing could cut down on waste and fraud and doctors, nurses and hospitals could make more money, and get paid faster.
3. Drug costs could be strictly enforced to match the lowest costs that other countries pay. Right now the U.S. has to pay an average of 10 times the cost that other countries pay because of the power that Ph. A.R.M.A. has on lawmakers.
4. Employers and employees would not be tied to each other over healthcare expenses. No more workman's comp., or insurance paperwork would cut back on a big headache for companies while employees would be free to change jobs or go into business for themselves because they keep their SINGLE PAYER healthcare wherever they go.
5. More healthcare providers- A country not going bankrupt on healthcare could better afford to give medical students a free education thus increasing the supply of doctors and driving down the cost of getting healthcare to rural areas.
6. Wellness programs to prevent illness - Providing better and affordable healthcare begins with prevention, so instead of people waiting till things get emergency room bad, they see their doctor's earlier and even start and stay on wellness programs.
and most importantly...
7. No more 45,000 people a year dying because of no insurance or healthcare.
Sorry if this takes money away from the insurance Fat Cats but they have not been playing nice and it's time ofr them to get out of the sandbox!
Just remember... There is NOTHING that Insurance companies can do better than what you and your doctors working together and getting paid a fair amount from a well placed system can do.