Trumpcare (Not)

   Health care is too important to be left entirely to profit-oriented private business.

   Republicans in the House of Representatives celebrated their "victory" today as they passed, with a single vote to spare, the effort to turn the health insurance market back to the insurance companies and the various states that may or may not want to regulate how they do business.
   Now the bill goes to the Senate, where it will face fierce opposition and many amendments before it returns to the House for a second approval and then to the White House for the president's signature.
   Meanwhile, the crux of all the changes means the states can opt out of many of the federal provisions in the name of state's rights and the free market philosophy that says customers will have the "privilege" of choosing from the many variations of health care options that may or may not be offered by the dozens of companies that may or may not decide to offer policies to the young and healthy (yes, because they don't need it), to the old and sick (no, because that will interfere with corporate profits), or to those with pre-existing conditions (no, because that, too, will cut into corporate profits), and besides, people can go to hospital emergency rooms when they're really sick and get treatment there.
   The problem with that is that many millions of Americans who now have insurance through the Affordable Care Act (emphasis on "affordable") are likely to be priced out of the market and trust to luck that they will not become sick.
   Once they do, of course, and a crisis arises, these folks go to emergency rooms, where hospitals are required by law to treat them whether they can afford to pay or not.
   There are two problems with that situation: First, the cost of treating them is absorbed by the hospital, which then passes on the costs in the form of higher prices to others who have insurance or are wealthy enough to pay directly.
   Second, the cost of emergency, crisis treatment is far higher than routine maintenance and preventive care that affordable health insurance can provide.
   Either way, the additional cost is passed on to the general public. Meanwhile, however, the commercial insurance companies emphasize their corporate need for profit and recompense to shareholders.
   As things stand now, the United States is the only major nation that does not provide reasonable health care for all its citizens, regardless of ability to pay. Moreover, America spends more money per person on health care but has lower outcomes than other advanced nations.
   It matters not. Corporate profits, it seems, are more important than a healthy citizenry