Insurance Reform?

Obama says that he's going to raise taxes on those families making more than $250,000 a year to cover his universal health care coverage initiative.

My question is, how is that going to help my family?

We are ineligible for state funded Medicare because we are above the poverty line. How is taxing the "rich" going to help me? We have employer funded health coverage. None of those tax dollars will be going to my husband's employer to lower their costs. Why aren't we going to tax the drug companies who are the source of the problem? Why aren't we ensuring that the insurers are going to cover everyone at the same rates? Why aren't we talking about how they gouge small businesses on costs, while big businesses are still paying the same rates, they just cover more of their employees costs. Why is it that people like me are shouldering costs for everyone?

Can there ever be a system that is truly fair? When we have universal coverage, will it truly be affordable, or will it still be like paying a FULL second mortgage for my family? Are only the poor going to be covered?

Here's my idea:

Tax the rich to lower the costs on Medicare, OK no brain-er.

Keep the drug companies from advertising to the public. If we take away that cost, their profits will swell, and the fact that we've increased their taxes won't hurt so bad. I remember back when they weren't allowed to, and I seem to remember that health care costs were MUCH more manageable.

Tax the HELL out of the pharmaceutical companies to subsidize better prescription coverage for Medicare.

Tax the HELL out of the Insurance companies to keep them from raising premiums faster than the cost of inflation. (The more they raise premiums to cover costs, the higher the costs go, so the more they have to raise premiums.)

Force the insurance companies to re-examine their reimbursements for Doctors. (You know, the 80% of "reasonable & customary" charges that they pay for that are really only about 50% of what the Doctors charge.).
The more that Primary Care doctors are paid, the more likely that there will be more Primary Care doctors staying in, or choosing that field of medicine.

Stop the "wellness" programs. They are a waste of money. People know when they are sick, and right now, nobody can afford to "manage" their illnesses.

Stop funding research on "designer" medications like off label usage for botox, which was originally used to help people with Cerebral Palsy relax their muscles enough to be comfortable.

Stop penalizing doctors for spending time with their patients. Quality of care is important now that nobody has time to manage their illnesses anymore.

This problem with health care is just a symptom of what is wrong with people today. We expect something for nothing everywhere we turn. People want what they can't afford, and now that the majority of people are not going to be able to afford health care, something may actually be done about it. We need to change our ideas about life in general before any of these changes (Except the tax changes) will be effective. I hate to be a doomsayer, but we are SUPPOSED to die. We are SUPPOSED to age. Start protesting against "beauty" and youthfulness. The young are supposed to be young, the middle aged are not. I can't stress enough how much of an impact that this misconception has had on EVERY aspect of our lives.

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I'm crazy for having such "outrageous" ideas about compensation and affordablilty. Tell me that my ideas won't work. But, if you are going to do that, SHOW ME AN ALTERNITIVE!