Monday, June 8, 2009

Health care

So, i've been looking into the news lately and I just came across this entire Health Care reform debate. I don't think anything has made me more sad than this entire debate and the current american system of health insurance.

There was a town hall meeting with POTUS and he was asked about the plan he was proposing and why the single payer plan (universal healthcare) was taken out of the argument entirely.
Not to demonize Obama, but he said america had a "tradition" of private insurance coverage and a "history" with that kind of plan. It is not, according to him, viable because we are not a country that is building itself from the ground up....
i say that, neither of those should be excuses that anyone should have to stand up for.
But then i heard his plan and thought about it for a second. President Obama is proposing a requirement for health insurance, whether by current enrollment or by a government plan (that is if you can't get health insurance otherwise). The government plan, i am understanding to be kind of like single payer, where you enroll in this program, probably make some kind of payment but you are covered by the government. Now, depending on how this is planned out (and if any one knows me i am critical of the POTUS about his lack of planning) it could be part of a slow evolution into a full on universal healthcare plan.

Think about it this way, if health insurance is becoming too expensive and even companies are having a hard time paying for their employees, perhaps the costs will become too great and then after a long long time everyone will be on the government plan....

that's where i hit some potholes....i feel that the transition from that point will be the same as if we transitioned to a universal healthcare plan now.

Single payer would entail something subversive like a raise in taxes or prices of groceries. we may pay $4 or $5 for a loaf of bread but we wouldn't have to worry ever about being in need of medical aid.

That's the only thing about this entire situation that gets me down. that our system is run based off profit. i don't want to say doctors are bad people but is there no mercy in any provider's soul? If a person needs help aren't we in any way moved to try to help preserve a life?

If the majority of society finds abortion so abhorrent then why is it that we don't even take care of the living? If a life is a life, the why is it that we could give two shits about someone who NEEDS a procedure when they can't pay?
I guess it's the same reason we take a life to attempt to preserve our "morals".(if anyone is behind on the news, i'm talking about the murder of Tiller, and abortion doctor)

I'm just so disgusted that something so dire wouldn't call into action more drastic measures. Ugh.