Today, the propaganda machine was in full force on the Facebook newsfeed. It went something like this:
“No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, post this as your status for the rest of the day.“
So, like, DUH. Who would NOT agree with such a broad-sweeping, moralistic statement? I mean, who would NOT agree with it, out of context, without the spectre of “Health Care Reform”, such as it is?
The question is, what are you gonna DO about it?
My taxes are ridiculously high as it is (whose aren’t?). Do I want them to go higher? No.
My current health plan, which I was forced to accept because it is all that was being offered by the husband’s law firm, SUCKS. With its ridiculous deductable and absurd lack of plan doctors, it makes Oxford look like manna from heaven. And yet I pay nearly 20 grand per year for it, including copays and deductables, and I think that is a conservative estimate. Do I want to pay more and still be told that this procedure, that test, this medication is not covered? Do I want to find that NONE of my doctors are on my plan a year from now because the plan sucks even worse for providers? No. No.
I don’t have the answers. But I know what I don’t want them to be. So, when I fail to update my status as you wish, just remember, it might not be because I disagree with the sentiment. Because, really, who would?? It just might be that I don’t agree with the propaganda machine and its insidious use of this sentimental crap to {shhh….silently} advertise a reform plan with which I don’t necessarily agree.
YC
Yoga Chickie 
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Amen sistah friend.
I hate all that “everyone should do this or they suck” stuff.
Lauren, I don’t know why everybody in the US seems to think that they need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to universal health care. Western Europe has done it, the UK has done it, Israel has done it, Canada has done it, and Australia (where I live) has done it. It is just not that difficult, truly.
ALL of these places offer high quality health care to all their citizens, at a lower price than the US, with less stress (because your treatment won’t be denied, and you won’t go broke staying alive) than the US. The bottom line is that all of these countries CAN honestly say that no one there will die because they cannot afford health care, and no one there will go broke because they get sick (because of the bills).
For context, in Australia I pay approx 3% of my income for health insurance/care. (So including a health care levy, minimal private insurance in case of hospitalisation, and outlay for medicine.) I’m a reasonably healthy 45 yo, but I have a serious chronic medical condition which requires me to undergo blood tests every three months, and I also need medication which would cost something like $1,300 a month if I was buying it on the market outside of the health system. All of these costs are covered by my 3%. The peace of mind that comes from knowing that IF I get sick I won’t have to worry about going to a hospital, where I’ll get first rate care without question and without facing bankruptcy, is an absolute good, and I believe that it contributes significantly to the quality of my life.
Is the Australian system perfect? No. But it’s pretty good for a number of reasons. The wheel has already been invented, the US just has to use it.
Regards
Hi Zaf. I actually asked a friend of mine to reply to you, because he is a health care analyst, and I thought he could give a far more educated reply than I could. But…ah well. Lazy boy, he is!!
Anyway, I really don’t think that socialized medicine would go over well in this country, notwithstanding its longterm benefits. The US still has some of the best healthcare in the entire world, costs notwithstanding, and it may be because of the free market (presumably) nature of the system. A public option might very well increase competitiveness, which might drive the costs down. I need someone to tell me WHY the OPTION is a bad thing. I KNOW this country is not amenable to 100 percent public medicine. But an OPTION? I don’t understand what all the brouhaha is about. If someone could tell me, I would be grateful. I think on THIS blog, that is unlikely though.
Hi Lauren – I agree that the US certainly has some of the best health care in the world – if you can get it. But so do the other countries that I named -and all their citizens can get it, for a lower proportion of their national GDP than the US pays (and with less collateral damage in the form of bankruptcy from medical costs – btw, over at wonkette they have a clip of Barney Frank pointing out that most bankruptcies in the US are due to medical bills, 80% of these are of people WHO HAD INSURANCE! If it’s true, I’m gobsmacked.)
I know the argument that it’s the profit motive in the US that has resulted in most medical breakthroughs, but nobody who’s made this claim has ever given me the numbers (this many breakthroughs over this decade, X% in the US, Y% in the UK, etc.) which makes me doubt the argument’s veracity. (Sounds truthy.)
In closing, the only thing bad about a public option is that it will make things more competitive, so it’s bad for some but not for others. No prizes for guessing who is who.
Heatedly,
Zaf
right on, Zaf. I spent eight years in countries with good socialized medicine. the American reactiveness on this is uninformed and unthinking. our whole system is backwards. the taxes I paid in those countries were really no worse than what I pay now, and I can’t say I feel like I get a whole lot for my money. there’s a better way!
Why do Americans think that just because something might benefit more than one person, it’s socialism ?
Is it actually a good thing that a minority can access the best, most state of the art medical care on offer, whilst the majority cannot even afford basic level of healthcare ?
I am with Zaf. In Australia we are all viewing this with bewilderment. Our system may not be perfect but it’s sure as hell better than what you guys have !