Government/Business
May 11, 2017 at 6:55 p.m.
By -
Health insurance in America is a prime example of why you cannot run a government like a business.
America has the only health care system in the world designed to avoid sick people. Private for-profit health insurers do whatever they can to insure groups of healthy people, because that’s where the profits are. They also make every effort to avoid sick people, because that’s where the costs are. The goal of health insurance companies is to maximize profits, while government at its heart is not a business. Businesses and corporations exist for the purpose of maximizing shareholder value – to produce profit and returns on the investments of owners and shareholders.
By contrast, government in a democracy exists to protect the rights and improve the lives of its citizens. If you run health care like a business, that means prioritizing profits. If you run it like a government, that means prioritizing care, and saving people’s lives, and not worrying about making a profit. The problem in a nutshell is that not everything that is profitable is of social value and not everything of social value is profitable.
For example, pornography and gambling are of questionable social value, but each is quite profitable and exists in the private sector. Meanwhile, few would argue that the police department, fire department, libraries, parks and public schools are of no social value, and yet they could not exist if they were required to be profitable. These entities’ role in our society has nothing to do with profit, but is supplied by our government as a public service, and again could not exist if they were required to be profitable. The goal of health insurance companies is to maximize profits. While the goal of a government in a democracy is to represent the will of its citizens, and provide things like health care, security, and infrastructure without a profit motive.
If you run health care like a business, that means prioritizing profits. If you run it like a government, that means prioritizing care, and saving people’s lives, and not worrying about making a profit. Anyone concerned with governing (the well-being of its citizens), and not business would be looking to provide more care for more people, not more profits, however the insurance companies could care less about the well-being of the people they extort, consequently their first priority is the profits of their shareholders.
Government and business have different missions and serve different purposes. Businesses exist to make a profit. Government has a broader purpose: to uphold the general welfare and provide stability and security; to serve the common good; to help improve the education and well-being of the people, without worrying about making a profit.
The health insurance companies are nothing short of an extortion ring, using health care in this country to extort it citizens, and have what little bit of government we have left in the palm of their hands. Some government services should never be privatized.
Bennie Hively
Warsaw, via email
Health insurance in America is a prime example of why you cannot run a government like a business.
America has the only health care system in the world designed to avoid sick people. Private for-profit health insurers do whatever they can to insure groups of healthy people, because that’s where the profits are. They also make every effort to avoid sick people, because that’s where the costs are. The goal of health insurance companies is to maximize profits, while government at its heart is not a business. Businesses and corporations exist for the purpose of maximizing shareholder value – to produce profit and returns on the investments of owners and shareholders.
By contrast, government in a democracy exists to protect the rights and improve the lives of its citizens. If you run health care like a business, that means prioritizing profits. If you run it like a government, that means prioritizing care, and saving people’s lives, and not worrying about making a profit. The problem in a nutshell is that not everything that is profitable is of social value and not everything of social value is profitable.
For example, pornography and gambling are of questionable social value, but each is quite profitable and exists in the private sector. Meanwhile, few would argue that the police department, fire department, libraries, parks and public schools are of no social value, and yet they could not exist if they were required to be profitable. These entities’ role in our society has nothing to do with profit, but is supplied by our government as a public service, and again could not exist if they were required to be profitable. The goal of health insurance companies is to maximize profits. While the goal of a government in a democracy is to represent the will of its citizens, and provide things like health care, security, and infrastructure without a profit motive.
If you run health care like a business, that means prioritizing profits. If you run it like a government, that means prioritizing care, and saving people’s lives, and not worrying about making a profit. Anyone concerned with governing (the well-being of its citizens), and not business would be looking to provide more care for more people, not more profits, however the insurance companies could care less about the well-being of the people they extort, consequently their first priority is the profits of their shareholders.
Government and business have different missions and serve different purposes. Businesses exist to make a profit. Government has a broader purpose: to uphold the general welfare and provide stability and security; to serve the common good; to help improve the education and well-being of the people, without worrying about making a profit.
The health insurance companies are nothing short of an extortion ring, using health care in this country to extort it citizens, and have what little bit of government we have left in the palm of their hands. Some government services should never be privatized.
Bennie Hively
Warsaw, via email
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