Rick Santorum: People should pay their own medical bills

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum meets with business leaders, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, in Tioga, N.D.

/ AP

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Wednesday that the U.S. health insurance system isn't working and endorsed replacing it with a pay-as-you-go model that would require people to pay their medical bills out-of-pocket, except in the case of catastrophic, "unanticipated" costs.

Campaigning in in Tioga, N.D., the former senator from Pennsylvania compared the current health insurance system to automobile insurance, suggesting that the latter works because consumers make claims only when they have car accidents, not when they incur routine expenses like an oil change. Health insurance, he said, "isn't to pay all of your bills."

"How many people turn in your oil changes to your insurance company? Nobody," Santorum said. "How many people, if you had a $500 deductible insurance policy got in a little accident and it cost $700 to repair your car, how many people would turn in the $700 claim? Nobody. Why? Because your insurance premium will go up, right?"

He continued: "Then why do you turn your doctor bill in? Why do your turn your blood work in? Why do you turn your X-rays in and then say, 'Why are my insurance premiums going up?' Because health insurance isn't insurance anymore. You're paying the insurance company to pay your bills, and then you're wondering why it cost so much. We need to get the insurance company out of paying bills and back into insuring against high cost health care. Things that are unanticipated expenses, that is what insurance is for -- unanticipated costly expenses. It isn't to pay all of your bills."

Santorum also criticized President Obama for failing to authorize the Keystone pipeline from Canada to the United States, pledging that as president he would sign an executive order to begin building it.

"I understand the frustration you have with a federal government that doesn't seem to be particularly tuned into your concerns here," Santorum said, suggesting that the pipeline would create economic wealth in northwest North Dakota. "I think one of the people that sees it that way is the president. There isn't really any other reason I can possibly fathom why (he) wouldn't authorize a pipeline (to carry) this incredibly valuable sweet crude to the refineries that are in desperate need of it."

[jimmyjim523]

Your right Ron Paul is a libertarian but if he said he was who would vote for him. Plus with his stupidity what good is he to the republicans and the head of the libertarian party was and is still in jail. But Ron Paul knows he don't have a chance in hell of winning but he is taking votes away from the others to get Mitt in.

At the convention Ron Paul or his son will be on the ticket if Romney gets it. And bet you Donald Trump will be working in the white house. Remember were him and his father got the money. On the backs of tax payers.

He brought houses rented apartments with a contract with HUD. HUD covers the apartment price but they get a 99 year lease . Then HUD pays for low income to move in and HUD pays outrage rent. Here 2 bedrooms go for 450 a month HUD pays 1750 a month out of that tenant pays 197 a month.

But we do have pubic housing in the state. Government runs and pays everything its cheaper on tax payers. But the law on that is being broken also . If you live there you have to be an American by birth. Thanks Obama they are putting illegal aliens in them with welfare benefits. Obama's illegal aunt and uncle are both in pubic housing.

Seens those people love pubic housing the White House is also pubic housing. Well that gangster who got Obama a loan to get a mansion better get a pardon soon in case Obama loses his bid to take over the country if he loses. Then him and his wife can spend everyday in that bar with the pimps and hookers

[amerilatino]

Once upon a time their was a great big elephant in a Washington zoo that wore an Uncle Sam hat, green pants embossed with portraits of dead presidents and that was plagued by digestive problems. First it passed a looong-winded flatulence, and it seemed to affect the animal's vision so much that it believed that it had seen Russia from a small city in Alaska. Then the elephant passed a short, noisy wind, and it seemed to addle the beast's brain so badly that it confused John Wayne the actor with John Wayne Gacy, Elvis Presley's birthday with his death and began to stare ahead with a looney, crazed smile. Thirdly, the elephant passed a sharp, offensive odor, laced with cigarrette smoke, that reeked of rancid fast-food pizza and sweaty bedroom funk. Finally, with what it had left, the elephant gave a mighty heave, and covered all the land it was standing on with a great, hot, festering scat, just as it had done twelve years ago.

[AttyFAM]

It seems the Republicans only care about life if it is not yet born. Once born, they oppose any health and education spending to bring up the child. They oppose health care spending on the adult trying to raise the child. And, if the child dies in the parent's care, they have no problem executing the parent.

Isn't it wonderful how Republicans respect life? Just don't go and get yourself born.

[raymailhot]

His statements are logical, but the ideologues will be out in might!

[IndependentinNH]

Santorum should watch PBS Healthcare, The Good News.

[birthrightcitizen]

He should also, as the God candidate, stop lying. This oil, that he refers to as "sweet crude" is close to tar in its viscosity. The pressures to pump it in a pipeline greatly increases the chance of a rupture which would be catastrophic.

[venusvegasvada]

I saw a bit of that just last night. Good show. Still a creepy reminder of just how totally screwed up our "for profit" system is.

When people of good will and heart have to come up with new and constantly creative ways to counter all the others "gaming" the system it's frankly pretty scary.

Everything is upside down but hey, did you hear that of all the CEO's on the planet, the top three are health care insurance company CEO's? They make so much money, they make regular CEO's look like WallMart cashiers. Like 140 million a year compared to 7 million a year.

[aldrich617]

Insurers really do provide a layer of protection against predatory
providers. Many times my EOP has shown something like "Submitted
Charge -- $513, Plan Allowance -- $61.35, What we paid -- $61.35,
What you owe -- $0. I like my no-hassle insurance policy.

[erpicferl]

a few years ago i had a firecracker blow up near my eye and it scratched my retina. no big deal. i didn't have insurance and it costed me almost a thousand dollars to just be looked at and be told that i would be ok. that's insane. nobody can afford that.

[RobAla]

He seems to be suggesting that people take out cheaper insurance policies against only catastrophic illnesses, and pay out of pocket for regular doctor office visits. It may make sense for those who are self insured. The main thing that we have to do regarding medical care is to find ways to bring cost down, like tort reform.

I agree with Santorum on the Canadian pipeline. It is absolutely irresponsible for President Obama to turn down an opportunity for the US to be less dependent on middle-eastern oil. President Obama's energy polices are horrible, and they damage the country. Remember this when gas reaches $4.00 per gallon this summer.

[robbyr2]

No, he isn't. He is saying everyone should have a million dollars to take care of their heart attack or cancer. Otherwise, they should just die. And tort costs amount to less than 1% of medical costs, as you would know if you researched a bit.
As for Canadian oil, we get twice as much oil from them as any other country. Oil production is higher than it was any time under your beloved Bush II. We imported less than half of our oil last year for the first time since 1973. We export millions of barrels of gasoline and other fuels each day. If gas goes to $4 this summer that will be because your party insists on the rights of speculators to buy oil they can't use or store, and of course the attack on Iran desperately desired by all good Republicans especially since it will hurt Americans economically at least.

[stevehamilton858]

Let me tell you why you are absolutely wrong about tort reform. In early 2007, I had hip replacement surgery, and unfortunately was implanted with a defective device developed by the DePuy subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J). the device failed catastrophically in less than 3 years, causing so much pain that I had to shut down my consulting business, sleep with ice packs for the 6 months it took me to schedule surgery, lose my drivers license and spend $50,000 out-of-pocket on medical expenses. I tried working with the claims adjustor J&J had chosen, but their payment delays were so great, that I hired a law firm to seek some form of recompense. That was in the spring of 2010, and the trial will not be held until this coming summer, more than 2 years after the prosthesis collapsed. It has ruined me financially. I am insolvent, I have lost 300 points in my FICO score. I am 78 and since I subsist on a small Social Security pension that I paid into for 50 years, I have no way to repay any of the lenders from whom I borrowed money to pay my medical expenses. And my car was repossessed because I fell 2 months behind in my payments, and now Toyota Finance wants about $7,000 from me in connection with the repossession. Some famous Justice said years ago, "justice delayed is justice denied". J&J has cost me to lose over two years' income in addition to the $50,000 I had to spend. And you think tort reform is the answer to our country's increasing cost of medical care? I think you are both uneducated and unintelligent. whatever J&J eventually pays m, e will never compensate me for the financial hell I have been through since early 2010.

Also, regardsing the Canadian pipeline, I guess you don't think that the President should obey laws passed by Congress and signed into law by a predecessor; in this case, a law that requires a certain amount of environmental damage evaluation. The House stepped on its own foot when It tried to hardball the president into approving the pipeline by a short term date certain. The House passed date does not allow the time for the review mandated by existing law. so, tell me again, who is irresponsible?

[RickATDC]

It is what Ron Paul has been advocating all along. Medical care should be between the doctor and patient. Let the market dynamics set the prices. It starts to get complicated and expensive when health insurance is thrown in as a middleman.

[mryoubrian]

I wonder how many people "market dynamics" put in an early grave each year?

[stevehamilton858]

Ron Paul is an unintelligent libertarian demagogue. What he says is pablum. As a 78 year old disabled veteran who has had 4 major surgeries, I can tell you from personal experience that the devil is in the details, and that the broad brush statements made by Ron Paul have no meaning in the real world. If it weren't for health insurance, I would have been dead 5 years ago. Please explain to me your statement, "it starts to get complicated and expensive when health insurance gets thrown in". Please tell me specifically how the availability of health insurance makes things more expensive. Complicated, yes - but that's because there are no simple solutions to complex problems in the real world. Any scientist or experienced, successful businessman will testify to the truth of that statement.

do you understand the fundamental concept of insurance, whether home insurance, auto insurance, or health insurance? Apparently not. And what does your statement, "let the market dynamics set the prices" mean? Do you even know what the "market dynamics" are in the health care industry? You come across to me as someone who is parroting statements heard from rightwingnuts, but who doesn't really know what he's talking about (much like Ron Paul), the man who doesn't think we have to worry about Iran's nuclear capability.

[CNH]

Translation: if you cannot afford to pay for your own preventative and chronic illness treatment health care, or you cannot afford or were denied health insurance coverage ... then you are simply taking up oxygen and deserve to die.

[SJames6621]

thats his idea of protecting life as a catholic is supposed to do.

[robbyr2]

The secret is that as with all good anti-abortion types, don't kill the fetus but let the baby die.