Let Them Eat Cake...

Yeah, I know that Marie Antoinette never actually said that...but the misquote was used quite well to emphasize her disconnect from the people of her country and their needs. So, let's fast forward a couple hundred years and look at why there is never going to be real health care or health insurance reform in the United States...the people that we elect to Congress have no health care issues.

The base salary for members of Congress is $165,200 per year. The are paid a travel allowance of 36 to 96 cents per mile to go to work and back, with a minimum payment of $6,200 per year. They are given a $3,000 tax deduction per year to cover living expenses in Washington. That adds up to $174,400 per year in real income.

But, you say..."They must have extraordinary business expenses...I know I have to buy my tools and office supplies and pay my help out of my income."

Actually, our friends on Capital Hill aren't hurting too bad in that area, either. Representatives are given expense accounts ranging from $1,262,065 to $1,600,539 each per year to cover those expenses, while Senators enjoy expense accounts of $2,528,193 to $4,111,381. I can only guess, but I am pretty sure that if my little business had that kind of a taxpayer funded expense account, it would be doing quite well, too.

But, I digress...I was going to explain why true health care reform is not on the verge of coming to fruition. Members of Congress are able to obtain the best health insurance available in the United States...and yes, they do purchase it from the private health insurance companies that we all know and love. The difference between members of Congress and their constituents is really pretty simple. Although I only picked a few states at random to get my figures, I would guess (though I may be wrong) that the pattern probably holds true in all the states. To obtain the best health care available, members of Congress pay out of pocket an average of 2.5% to 3% of their base salaries, while your tax dollars and mine pick up from 60% to 75% of the total premiums charged by the health insurance companies. And yes, that 3% is of their base pay, not including travel and living expenses...just the $165,200 per year they start out with. So, why would they feel a driving need to fix something that, in their world, definitely isn't broken. It would be funny, were it not so maddening, to watch them demonize government subsidized health care while they enjoy it at its best every day. It would be funny, were it not so sad, to listen to the reasons that government can't afford to provide health care reform for the average American, while the average American provides them with the finest health care in the world. What would this kind of health care coverage look like for us who are paying for Congress' insurance? On a sliding scale, based on income, if you made $10 per hour, your monthly health insurance premium would be $52.50 per month. If you made $15 per hour, your monthly premium would be $78.00 per month, and at $20 per hour...which is a real nice wage for most Americans, health insurance would cost $105.00 per month. And this is for the most costly plans available, for family coverage. But I guess what is good enough for Congress is altogether too lavish for us who pay their way with our hard earned tax dollars.

According to some members of Congress, nothing should be done because free enterprise and free markets are always a better option than government intervention. The health care reform bill that the Senate is proposing includes a mandate that everyone has to buy health insurance or pay a fine...which is too small according to the conservative members. When the law mandates that an individual has to buy a product from a corporation, that takes it out of the free market arena. If the law says consumers have to purchase a product, it should also put a ceiling price on that product to protect those consumers from price gouging...but I'm sure not going to hold my breath on that. Members of Congress may not know much about survival as an average American, but they do know which side their bread is buttered on.

Just sayin'...