Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Healthcare

For everyone bitching about the healthcare bill, think about this: Now, you can't be denied coverage because of a broken foot when you were a kid (true story). Now, your parents can't be denied coverage because of blood pressure medication (another true story). Now, your insurance company can't kick you off the policy because you got sick (way too many true stories). "But now people are forced to buy health insurance", you cry. People are forced to buy car insurance too. "But people can choose not to drive", you cry some more. Yes, but people can't choose not to live (well, I suppose they could just kill themselves at that...hopefully, one of those people will be Glen Beck). No, there won't be any effin' death panels or rationed care, nor will the country become a socialist state (as if the previous administration didn't do enough to make that happen). It amazes how some people will believe anything told to them by a "famous" person like "Sarah Palin" (the air quotes were meant to be facetious both times). People were up in arms over medicare, too, when it was enacted in the 60's, talking about the end of our society. Well, just try and get medicare repealed today. That's a political death sentence. You don't like the healthcare reforms? Great. Move to Canada. Oh wait, they have universal health care too. Um, England. Nope, they got it too. Sweden? Same story for most of Europe. In fact, for those of you that state "We have the greatest healthcare system in the world!"....well, we don't. We're generally ranked in the low 30's amongst developed nations in healthcare (We are beating the Russian Federation for all you neo-cons out there). We spend far too much money and get far too little in return. Is this bill going to fix everything? Prolly not. We'll likely have to revisit the issue again. But it gets the ball rolling in the right direction. Which is something those Republican nay-sayers NEVER did. Thanks for reading, you can now return to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

2 comments:

Zarko said...

As you know, we've had universal health care for a while, so all the fuss south of the 49th seems like much adieu about nothing. Our attitude up here is "What took you so long."

mar said...

And it still hasn't happened. I haven't seen a change in my healthcare or insurance (though this week I went to the doctor, the first time in about six years, and my insurance, which I've been paying into for years, didn't do a thing for it since I haven't met the deductible, which I kinda hope I don't do since it's fairly high). I can't even imagine a life (in the United States) with sensible healthcare. That other countries have it -- and that it works -- is mind-boggling to me.