If you’re keeping half an ear open to the health care debate, here’s another article: Health Care Reform Protesters Have Their Head in the Sand.
Protesters to the health care reform bill have been quite vocal and nasty in their attacks, I think. Why don’t they realize, that the new bill is not going to take what they already have. If they are happy with the crappy system already in place, they can keep it. No one said that everyone has to go on the public health plan. At least as I understand it, right? Let me know if I’m wrong about this.
I think the Obama administration has tried to please both sides with their plan; as the side that are already happy with the way things are can keep what they have, why are they so against allowing the ones who are drowning in the present system the option to go on the public plan?
I saw one comment that said that they didn’t “know why we even need health care reform. 85% of Americans are insured. Since when does the need of the few outweigh the needs of the many?” I don’t know if the percentage quoted is right or wrong or where they got the numbers from, but I really think that there are far more than 15% of the population who are in need of health care reform whether they have insurance or not.
I have insurance so I guess I am in the majority of Americans. But the thing is, my insurance sucks! It costs too much and we are not getting the care we pay for or deserve for living in a first world country. While we put the kid’s health first, my husband and I have skipped on our own health care because we know we can’t afford to pay for the additional fees not covered by our insurance. I know we’re gambling with our health. We’re taking the risk that we’ll stay healthy because we can’t afford to go to the doctor every time we have a new ache or pain. We chuck it to getting older.
I don’t think we are unique. There are a lot of people out there. Working, productive people who skimp on their health care because it just costs too much, even with insurance. I’ve heard of people skipping their medication or cutting their pills in half because it costs too much! Why can’t the people who ‘have’ see that? I think there are a lot of people who need to open their eyes and look beyond their cushy and comfortable lives. There really are people out here who have to make risky choices regarding their lives and would appreciate some support wherever they can get it. If the Obama administration is giving that hope, then we’re hopping on the wagon.
And for those who insist on this being a party issue, they really need to get beyond that. As much as I didn’t like George Bush, if he had come up with a plan to ease this burden from our family and most working class families, I would have been on his wagon too.
Tags: health care, Health Care Reform
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If there was no plan to eventually phase-out the private health insurance system (for those of us who are happy with our situations), then I could see it, but I’ve been reading that the plan is to eventually move everyone over to the public health care plans.
Furthermore, the conditions by which the public health insurance would be managed–more government control there! It won’t be your doctor(s) deciding how to proceed with your situation, it will be an in-place computer system. If you meet the bureaucracy’s requirements for X procedure then they’ll approve it. Otherwise… so sorry, deal with it.
I understand that there are lots of people out there with unsatisfactory insurance, but increasing the government’s control over your doc visits is not the answer. And I don’t know what the answer is.
There is a reason moneyed people living in Canada (and other countries with socialized health care) come to the US when they have cancer. Waiting in line in their own countries doesn’t work. They would die if they waited. Why do we think our system would end up any better?
hi Amanda, thanks for taking the time to comment. I can certainly see your point.
But I think your last paragraph about ‘moneyed people’ going elsewhere to get treatment is exactly what I have been talking about. Those that ‘HAVE’ will always be able to get what they need no matter where it is.
It is those who don’t have access to health care and those who have subpar coverage who will benefit from the health care reform.
BTW, people die in our system all the time… it’s not even that they were waiting to get treated (if only that were the case!), they just can’t get treated because they don’t have the means.
Reading all the pros and cons for this reform has got me thinking though, and I will look at the details of the reform more closely. I will, for instance, look into the ‘phase out’ of private health insurance as you suggested.
Okay, so here’s my thing. My daughter has a preexisting condition. If my husband loses his job and we lose our health insurance, NO ONE will take her. So these people who are sooooo against a government plan, please explain that to a 5 year old. Insurance can’t be tied to employment.
Medicare seems to work just fine and they certainly dont’ tell our seniors what they can and cannot have (I use to work for a medical office and we dealt with a lot of medicare patients). They do NOT want to phase out health insurance. I’ve seen the refuted a zillion times now.