UMarc Weisbrot
Intoni
ngaba imida yokubawa kwenkampani ngonyaka wama-2000? Sisenokuba siza kufumanisa.
Iinkampani ezixuba amayeza, omlinganiselo wenzuzo ungaphezu kwamaxesha amathathu
umndilili wamanye amaqumrhu, bebesebenzisa amandla abo amakhulu ukubhloka
Ukhuseleko lwamachiza amiselweyo kubaxhamli beMedicare.
ngoku
siza kubona ukuba kukho ixabiso lezopolitiko eliza kuhlawulwa ngokubetha
abantu abadala kunye nabakhubazekileyo kunyaka wonyulo.
Ku
abantu abaninzi kusenokungabonakali ngokucacileyo ukuba kutheni ezi zigebenga zenkampani ziya kubakhathalela
nokuba i-Medicare, inkqubo ye-inshurensi yezempilo karhulumente yabantu abadala
kunye nabakhubazekileyo, baya kubonelela ngokhuseleko lwamachiza amiselweyo. Kodwa kukho
umgaqo obalulekileyo osesichengeni: iinkampani zamachiza azimfuni urhulumente
ukuthenga la mayeza ngobuninzi, kwaye ngokwenza uthethathethwano ngexabiso eliphantsi.
okwangoku,
abantu abadala abangenalo ukhuseleko lwamayeza kagqirha- malunga nesithathu sabantu abadala
inani labantu- bayaxhilwa ngenxa yamayeza abo. Uphononongo lwakutsha nje lweCongressional
bafumanise ukuba bahlawula imali ephindwe kabini kummiselo oqhelekileyo
amachiza njengoko besenza abathengi abathandwa kakhulu ziinkampani zamachiza, njengee-HMO.
ukusukela
abantu abadala, ngokomyinge, abakho kakuhle, akumangalisi ukufumana uphando
ebonisa ukuba abantu abadala abafikelela kwizigidi ezihlanu bakhetha phakathi kwamayeza kagqirha
amayeza kunye nokutya.
Kude
kwiiveki ezimbalwa ezidlulileyo ishishini leziyobisi linyanzelise ukuba liyakuvumela kuphela
I-Medicare ukuhlawulela amayeza kagqirha ukuba ezi zibonelelwe ngee-HMOs okanye
ezinye izicwangciso zabucala. Malunga neepesenti ezili-16 zabaxhamli beMedicare ngoku
ababhalisiweyo kwezo zicwangciso.
In
impendulo kwisindululo sikaMongameli uClinton ngoJuni ophelileyo kwiMedicare encinci
Ukuthengiswa kweziyobisi, ishishini lichithe izigidi kwiintengiso zikamabonwakude ezikhohlisayo nezilahlekisayo.
"Flo," umxhamli weMedicare we-arthritic uboniswe kwezi
Iintengiso, uxelela ababukeli ukuba akafuni "ezinkulu
urhulumente kwikhabhathi yam yamayeza."
Clinton
wabuyela umva nge-jabs yakhe embalwa, kwaye ngoku ishishini lithe, ok, unako
bonelela nge-inshorensi yenkqubo yonke ye-Medicare, ukuba nje ukuthengwa kunjalo
kwenziwa ngamaqumrhu abucala.
le
kuthatha imithambo-luvo. Ngubani owanyula aba bantu? Kuyaphazamisa kancinci, ukuba
nditsho kancinane, ukubabona bexelela uMongameli oko anako nangakwaziyo ukukucebisa
ukunciphisa umthwalo wenkcitho yokhathalelo lwempilo kubantu abadala.
The
impendulo esemgangathweni ye-PhRMA (i-Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America: ibhajethi
I-52 yezigidi zeedola) kukuba bafuna inzuzo yabo ye-monopoly ukuze bahlawule zonke
uphando kunye nophuhliso olusizisela amayeza amatsha. Kodwa oku kuphakamisa ngakumbi
imibuzo ebalulekileyo malunga nayo yonke inkqubo yokuxhasa uphando lwezonyango.
ukusuka
imbono yezoqoqosho ngokungqongqo, ukunikezelwa kwemonopoli kubanini patent
ayisiyiyo eyona ndlela isebenzayo yokuxhasa uphando nophuhliso.
Iimonopoli ezingalawulwayo zingasebenzi kakuhle ngokubanzi, okukhokelela kumaxabiso aphezulu kunye
ukufumaneka okuncinci kunokulunga eluntwini.
Yiloo
esinye sezizathu zokuba urhulumente wethu abele amashumi eebhiliyoni zeerandi inye
unyaka kuphando lwezonyango. Enyanisweni, malunga nesithathu kwikota yamachiza omhlaza ayenjalo
ifunyenwe ngoncedo lwezibonelelo zikarhulumente. Oku kuyinyaniso nakwi-AIDS enkulu
amachiza afana ne-ddI, d4t, Ziagen, Norvir, kunye namanye. Kodwa iinkampani zamachiza zisenjalo
kubonakala kuphelela kumalungelo awodwa omenzi wechiza- kunye nokukwazi ukubiza amaxabiso aphezulu
($8900 ngonyaka for Norvir).
So
Abathengi baseMelika banelungelo eliphindwe kabini: okokuqala sifumana inkxaso-mali, kunye neyethu
iidola zerhafu, uphando oluyila amachiza. Emva koko sifumana ukuhlawula okuphezulu
amaxabiso ehlabathini- ngokuphindwe kabini njengoko baseKhanada okanye baseYurophu bawahlawulela. Ukanti
asivumelekanga ukuba singenise la machiza kumazwe athengiswa kakhulu kuwo
zitshiphu. (Kubonakala ngathi umgaqo wokurhweba ngokukhululekileyo awungcwele emva
zonke).
kodwa
kubi nangakumbi kunoko: iinzuzo zemonopoly zeenkampani zamachiza ziyajikeleza
ukubuyisela ukuxhasa yonke into egcina inkqubo isendaweni: ukuphembelela okukhulu ($148
izigidi kule minyaka mibini idlulileyo), igalelo lephulo lonyulo, kunye nePhRMA.
Singasathethi ke nge-$8,000- $13,000 kagqirha ngamnye echithwa lishishini nyaka ngamnye
ethengisa izinto zayo, ukubathengela izipho, ukuhamba, nezinye izinto ezilungileyo ukuze
nefuthe kukhetho lwabo.
The
Ukulwa malunga nokufumaneka kweyeza likagqirha kwi-Medicare yinto enye ngaphambili
umzamo wokuguqula inkqubo yethu yokhathalelo lwempilo, eneendleko eziphantse zibe kabini
amanye amazwe ahambele phambili kwezoqoqosho asashiya abantu baseMerika abazizigidi ezingama-44 bengakhuselwanga. I
omnye umqobo omkhulu kuhlaziyo lulonke kuphela kweshishini elichitha ngaphezulu
ukuphembelela kuneshishini leziyobisi: i-inshurensi. Side siqhawule i-stranglehold leyo
la maqumrhu ngoku abambelele kumgaqo-nkqubo woluntu, uhlaziyo lwezempilo esinalo
imfuno iya kuhlala ingafikeleleki.
uphawu
U-Weisbrot ngumlawuli-mnye weZiko lezoQoqosho kunye noPhando loMgaqo-nkqubo kwi
Washington, DC.