Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

I have a few questions about the healthcare reform bill that keep coming up in discussions I have with my husband and friends not associated with TOV. I'm not saying these questions or their answers are good or bad, right or wrong. It's just food for thought.

Everyone keeps talking about the federal government regulating health insurance. Doesn't it already? Every state has a State Insurance Commission.

Doesn't the government already control healthcare to the extent that a group of physicians or a locality can't arbitrarily expand an excisting hospital or build a new hospital. It is called a certificate of need. It is administered on the state level and on the federal level.

Doesn't the government already dictate the medical care of Medicaid, Medicare and military insurance patients?

My step-daughter (who has excellent health insurance with her job) gave birth to our first grandchild a little less than a year ago. Before the baby was dry behind the ears, the hospital staff had social service (government) people in the mother's room filling out forms to give the baby a Social Security number. As she signed authorization forms for government testing of the new-born's blood, she and her husband were getting lessons on how breast-feeding is better than formula feeding. (Did you know they don't give samples of baby formula to the mother at hospitals with a new baby and refuse to give information on certain breast pumps because "they set you up for failure and want you to formula feed your baby"). Not saying breastfeeding is a bad thing, but they actually have a government agency for breastfeeding:

http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/

The government controls what information and how medical staff can give out patient information, even to famiy members. Right? The HIPPA law. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. HIPPA, according to the US Dept. of Labor: Limits the ability of a new employer plan to exclude coverage for preexisting conditions;
Provides additional opportunities to enroll in a group health plan if you lose other coverage or experience certain life events;
Prohibits discrimination against employees and their dependent family members based on any health factors they may have, including prior medical conditions, previous claims experience, and genetic information; and
Guarantees that certain individuals will have access to, and can renew, individual health insurance policies.

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_hipaa.html


U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) says 60 percent of our healthcare is already controlled by the government.

http://coburn.senate.gov/public/inde....PressReleases