Filed under: Products and services, Management, Television, Rants and raves, Personal finance, Politics, Presidential elections
Health care is a very serious matter, and polling indicates that Americans think about it of the utmost importance, rating it right after the economy in general, and above the Iraq war and homeland security.
It is strange to me then that ‘television,’ while not showing up in national polls, ranks higher then health care as a priority when it comes to household spending. If you believe the numbers in the news, 99% of households own televisions but only 84% have health insurance in any form.
Certainly cost and availability are the screaming issues of the day. However, value judgments also play a roll and I believe that whatever solutions are proposed, individual choice and responsibility should remain of paramount importance and that maintaining competition in the market place remain a principal goal.
We can’t prevent people from making dumb decisions via legislation and should not overlook the fact that some people actually have chosen TVs or something else instead of coverage when we discuss the issue of national health care policy and trying to legislate solutions.
Could you envision the uproar that would ensue, if when you were about to buy a huge flat screen Television you had to show proof of medical coverage? But what does happen when you try and legislate behavior. For myself I would like to know how people are managing their resources when they show up for health care services with no capability to pay and a home full of goodies like Play-Stations, iPods, high powered stereo systems and the like, or buy lottery tickets and go to the race track.
President Bush recently submitted a $3.1 trillion dollar budget increased defense spending and cut health care. “I’m, sure he knows ideal,” but that’s the opposite view of a majority of Americans. Look for the health care debate to be front and center throughout the upcoming presidential elections and into the next administration.
Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the design and research principal for an architecture & planning firm.
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