My friend Mitch Henck was all wound up on his WIBA-AM radio show yesterday morning. Anyone – and I speak from three decades of experience – who does a talk show quickly learns how shallow and downright ignorant (not stupid; ignorant) some people are. Mitch must have hit his breaking point yesterday. For a few minutes, he sounded like Sly does, when Sly works up a lather about Wal-Mart or union-busting. I could visualize Mitch’s face turning red and the veins popping out in his neck.
Mitch had just had it with people calling and saying they voted for Obama, but this health care thing, well, that’s just not what they expected. And, as Mitch kept saying to them, “what the hell DID you expect? What DID you vote for?” Until the very last few weeks of the campaign, health insurance reform was a huge part of every speech Obama gave. Then the economy went bankrupt and the focus shifted.
Of course, the politicians called it “health care reform”, as if there was something wrong with the way our health care professionals deliver their services, but that’s the result of the sloganeers who have so much power in political campaigns. Anyone who listened to candidate Obama, even if only for the tiny, 20-second video clips they run on network TV news, knew that his signature issue would be reforming the way health care is PAID FOR in America.
Health INSURANCE was the crux of every talking-point from both political parties. Candidate Obama supported a so-called “single-payer” system of paying for the cost of health care. That’s what I wanted, too. I wanted it because I have had seven very significant operations in the past decade, most of them requiring several days of hospitalization and in two cases, several weeks of re-hab, and the worst part of each of them was the hours and hours I spent arguing with my insurance carrier about paying for what THEY agreed to pay for in our contract.
So, I am among the many who are disappointed with what passed for “health care reform” in Washington. I got some of what I wanted, but far from all that was “promised” in the campaign. And I am one of those fence-sitters who’s really not sure forcing everyone to BUY health insurance is going to pass muster with the legal eagles. We’ll see.
Our Attorney General, Republican J B VanHollen, made his predictable attempt to get permission to sue the feds over the new law, and was, predictably, told “no”.
I think the point Mitch was trying to make is that far too few people vote in the first place, and far too many of those who do vote don’t spend enough time finding out very much about the candidate.
Implicit in all this, is my belief that far too many candidates tell us what they think we want to hear, and have no compunction about doing things that will maximize their re-election chances by making their contributors happy. Don’t get me started on my favorite topic, term limits. That’s a rant for another day.
-- Candidate Obama supported a so-called “single-payer” system of paying for the cost of health care. That’s what I wanted, too. I wanted it because I have had seven very significant operations in the past decade, most of them requiring several days of hospitalization and in two cases, several weeks of re-hab, and the worst part of each of them was the hours and hours I spent arguing with my insurance carrier about paying for what THEY agreed to pay for in our contract. --
ReplyDeleteTwo things: first of all, you had an insurance contract. You successfully argued that your contract called for payment of the claims you made for your extensive and expensive medical care. Now no one will have to argue...at least not with an insurance company.
Second, implicit in the "single-payer" idea -- including the incredible elimination of disqualifications for pre-existing conditions -- is the notion that we have a right to have someone else pay for our medical care.
In a sop to the insurance companies, the government is guaranteeing them millions of new policy holders. Requiring everyone to buy an insurance policy will supposedly mitigate the effects on the insurance pool of millions of people who are currently uninsurable because of pre-existing conditions now falling under the single-payer umbrella. Ah! Now we're all snug and safe under that umbrella!
No one will be allowed to sneak in under that umbrella until only after he contracts a horrible disease...because he'll have to have purchased and maintained a policy by federal law. It would be cheating the system.
There are actually a couple other points relating to the whole economics of a system that sets price ceilings and that creates shortages. But this issue of paying for health care is presumed to be different because health care is a right. Since it's a right we should spare no expense and we should certainly not be concerned about that expense.
It is completely apparent to me what will happen because of this. You've seen all the arguments, Colonel; I don't need to repeat them.
I will say, however, that the big-heartedness and generosity of spirit in this country has led us to instituting Social Security, Medicare, and now health insurance reform. There is a yearning to believe that caring for and supporting and raising up each and every human being in this country is worth anything and everything we have to give. There is also a yearning to believe that money shouldn't matter when we talk about these things...but it does, and we'll discover that in the end and weep and gnash our teeth that filthy lucre will cause the destruction of things that were so noble.
The Town Crank
As always, Mr. Town Crank, you present a reasoned argument. We just come from very different places on this. I do believe health care is a right, and I do believe the so-called "profit motive" has no business in health care, national security (with no offense intended to those who work for outfits like Blackwater - I just don't think such work should be contracted), police and fire protection, and that education is a similar right, to anyone born in this country or who has become a citizen.
ReplyDeleteFor all but a few months of my life, bread has been put on my table through work with for-profit companies. I'm still very much a capitalist. Build a better cell phone network, and I'll subscribe, etc.
And I realize that in the future, I may have to wait a while to have health care services, but I'm good with having the decision on "when" made by someone with medical training, not someone who's responsible for generating a reasonable (or unreasonable) profit for shareholders.
/tjm