Ok, lets be honest. There is very little debating of facts going on out there. We have lots of people trying to make it as emotional as possible and a symbol of their anger at a world that is not what they want it to be.
Well news flash: "Leave it to Beaver" went off the air almost 50 years ago and the image of the America it conveyed was mostly myth then. And by the way the majority of Americans, even at that time, thought we needed to improve health care.
If the administration was suprised to see such viscious outbursts, it is more a function of underestimating corporate propagada machines rather than understandinding what the average American wants. I mean we find out about these people coming from other countries to take advantage of the great medical facilities here. All this says is rich foriegners can get the same care rich Americans can. It does not speak for the millions of Americans who can not afford basic care let alone the more advanced treatment being described in those examples.
We, as Americans, tend to expect we are the best at everything. It is a noble goal for which to strive but in many areas we are lacking. Unfortunately we fall way down the line in almost every catagory except cost per capita when it comes to health care. So who could possibly be opposed to reforming this nightmare. Well the key word here is costs. The profits of this industry are with the insurance companies and the large medical companies. (I'll address drug companies in another rant.)
It is not very hard to reach out and plant seeds of fear by presenting patent lies in the media and fanning the flames among those who are already unhappy. Is there a deep vein of rascism in these demonstrations? Of course there is. The tone and type of arguments are the voice of the rascism and isolationism. I love the commentators who say "This is not the America I grew up in." Well, DUH. That America was not the same as the one their parents grew up in. You could say change is as American as apple pie made with Chilean apples and Costa Rican sugar.
Face it America today is a lot browner than it was a generation ago and it will continue to move in that direction unless some "Un-American" actions are taken to prevent it. The President is black. Get over it. We are going to have Hispanics on the Supremem Court and in our government. Get over it. Our wives will never stay home and vacuum the house in pearls. Get over it.
Ironicly, Obama is called a socialist for his health care proposals. Frankly I think he is being a conservative. I have no problem with essentally nationalizing the insurance companies. Ultimately a "for profit" entity always owes its first allegience to its stock holders and it is only the government that owes its first allegience to its citizens. Now I am pragmatic enough to realize this is probably not practical but by providing a single payer option and reigning in the insurance companies we can make a big difference. I would even be receptive to a little tort reform but not so much limits as better definitions of what constitutes malpractice. Again we have created a haven for insurance companies to rake in obscene profits. The rates they charge can not be based on the type of medicine the doctor practices but rather on the doctors "mistakes." Lets be frank, if a doctor is getting sued a lot more than his peers, someone needs to ask why.
Well if the cost of health care and insurance are brought under control, I have no problem with paying a little more in taxes to make sure we are a healther nation. Maybe we could put additional taxes on fast food, beer, soft drinks, high fat content foods and other consumables that add to the health problems which might further reduce health care costs.
But perhaps most importantly lets not let a small group of radicals dictate the laws to us. The American public spoke up clearly last November when they said they wanted change. If some of the people can not accept that they will need to convince us with ideas and solutions not walls.
PS thanks to all those pesky editors in my family and friends who are trying to keep my typos to a minimum.
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I’ve worked as a legislative geek for Congress; as a government bureaucrat geek in federal health care agencies AND as a data geek for private (non-profit) health insurance company. Based on those experiences:
ReplyDelete1) Enforcement regulations - which are the actual "meat" of any bill - will be ghost-written by industry groups and PACs - about a year from now, when everyone is busy watching American Idol and has forgotten about reform.
2) Take it from a former bureaucrat - government bureaucrats are NOT encouraged to advocate for you. They are encouraged to follow the govt. agency's processes, which may or may not be in your best interest.
3) Non-profit doesn't mean the organization works for you instead of the corporate stockholders - it means they work for the corporate foundations who provide much of their budget. Either way, the only one you can really trust to advocate for you is - well - you.
3) I like that you're willing to pay higher taxes. Everyone else seems to want US-style, Cadillac-level, lots-of-choices care, but at the same price as European nationalized plans (which do not offer the same standard or level of care). We have nationalized health care already - it's called the VA Health System. Also Medicare. We're not very good at it. I want something different for our citizens (not sure what).
4) Actual cost-reduction reform usually means lots of centrally-controlled health protocols, comprehensive preventive care, reduction of salary expectations for doctors, and effectively managing expensive and chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart failure. Few people have the stomach for all of that at once, unfortunately.
5) Keep fighting the good fight! New, loud voices are needed out there, while there's still a (slim) chance to get something done.