America is reeling under the weight of health care as it exists today with millions of people rolling the dice and not carrying insurance due to its high cost and restrictions.
The mostly Republican supported corporate fat cats and the insurance companies are making money hand over fist while sentencing thousands to death because of their poor decisions. These decisions are designed to save them money and deprive Americans of decent health care. Even today, when faced with overwhelming evidence, the vast majority of Republican legislators are opposed to providing health care for all Americans, knowing that any government supported program would cost their wealthy constituents.
To read some of these horror stories check out this link:
Health Care Horror Stories
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"If private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality health care, if they tell us that they're offering a good deal," President Obama asked, "then why is it that the government, which they say can't run anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not logical."
ReplyDeleteOnly in America would health care be seen as a commodity for insurance companies to exploit for a profit.
And only in America would the illogic of the argument against the "public option" the President remarks upon above be allowed to pass, over and over again, unchallenged.
And if a government option provides better healthcare, isn’t that more also important than protecting the private sector’s profits?
We are such Orthodox Capitalists here in the United States that the proposition that profit is more important than healthcare is considered sensible. And though opponents of single payer constantly point out its faults in other countries no one in any of those other countries would ever trade their systems for ours. And this misrepresentation too is commonly allowed to pass.
Yet we often boast of being the "best" and "greatest" in the world, while falling far behind other countries in health statistics. The World Health Organization lists as only 37th in the world, following Morocco.
But then if we truly are the "best" and "greatest" can't we then improve upon other universal systems, eliminating lengthy waits, etc.? Keeping such problems in mind as we develop our own system?
Yes, I wish President Obama would fight harder. And would take these issues to the American people, courageously untangling the lies and distortions as he does above. And perhaps even call for voter retribution against Blue Dogs in his own party who stand in the way. But this does not appear like. I hope I’m wrong.
The Republican minority is still crooning Tax Cuts and Less Regulation, with thunderous arias on Immense Deficits which will Bury our Grandchildren under Debt. And though a large percentage of Americans want universal care, the news hasn't reached the Congress. And there are many Blue Dogs who support the Republicans.
This being the USA, I would be satisfied (almost) with just about any universal plan. There are, by the way, some excellent public/private national healthcare systems in other countries. And they all spend less per capita than us.
Instead of saying "no," let's say "yes." Let's do what Taiwan did. Let's examine all the other national healthcare systems in the world. Let's copy their best attributes and improve on their failings when needed. (After all, if we are the "best," that shouldn't be hard to do.) And if many other countries, far less wealthy than the United States, can afford a national program then can't we (as the "best" and "greatest") afford to have one too? Or will we always be second class?
But let's drop the worn out orthodoxy (government is bad, government can't solve anything, government is wasteful and expensive - well, it is, if you don't believe in it. If, like George Bush, you see it as merely a public pot you and your friends can exploit) and begin to provide decent healthcare for all.
After all, won't this make our country a better place to live in? Or do we wish to constantly lag behind the rest of the world?
Remember the "peace dividend?" Under Clinton that meant a drop of a billion "defense" dollars or so, down to approx. 397 billion. Bush more than doubled spending. Since military spending appears in so many places in the budget it is difficult to come up with a fixed figure. But it is at least more than 700 billion today.
ReplyDeleteSo, we're not an empire, are we? So what do we need this gross expenditure for? We could easily cut down to 200 billion and still provide for our nation's "defense." Or is this bloated budget, which few in Congress question, required for upcoming wars?
If we took 500 billion from "defense" would that cover a national healthcare program?
Here's how it's done in some other countries. The site discusses Taiwan's approach.....
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/
sickaroundtheworld/countries/
Sorry for the errors above.... no way of going back in to make corrections.
ReplyDeleteEver wish you could reach back in time and change the past?
ReplyDeleteBoy... alla I can say is we must have a very sick society iffen we doan want fix health care.
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnd all to protect the insurance industry, etc.