Health care: schooled

[theatokos]

Thank you all to those who responded. Please feel free to add your opinions/knowledge.

All of you gave me really interesting, smart perspectives on this. Nobody is satisfied with this bill (as far as I can tell) but many are split on whether or not it's worth it to pass such a flawed bill.

The cons for me: it doesn't address all the issues that are important to me, health care is still in the hands of huge insurance companies leaving care basically a for profit industry, health care costs will rise for the middle class, people should not be penalized if they choose to go with out health insurance.

The pros: Pumping breast milk is legal no matter where you work, no one can be denied for pre-existing conditions, more lower income people will have access to insurance, but the most important pro for me is that it's a start. A humble and problematic one, but a start.

I think many of the details will continue to be contested, as they should be. I hope that in a generation or two there will be health care in the US that the majority of people will be proud of and happy to have. I really wish that the US wasn't so skeptical of all things socialist, because the NHS system in the UK is really blowing my mind. It's not perfect, and if you're wealthy you do have access to other private forms of care, but my basic health care needs are FREE and accessible.

Comments

[chiv.livejournal.com]

I think what bugs me the most about the US system is the 'insurance' aspect of it.
Palin bleated on about the death panels that would come in with the health care bill but the insurance companies were already doing that either by refusing insurance to people with a pre-existing condition (even in cases where the patient was renewing a subscription and had recently been diagnosed with said condition) or were charging inflated premiums for risk groups. What's really sickening is that those on a low budget (thus having a poorer lifestyle and diets and probably more susceptible to medical problems) find they have higher premiums and what was difficult for them to afford gets hiked out of affordability.

But then these people must be lazy, if they worked harder they'd earn more and be able to afford insurance and wouldn't have to rely on the hard working peoples' hard earned money being taxed more heavily to pay for these lazy peoples' health care.
(gotta love the right wing Christian attitude to charity)

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Basically, your last paragraph nails it.

Give me the NHS or give me death! Ok not really, but it's close.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

Not just lazy--lazy and *stupid*!

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

(that was sarcasm, of course.)

[amyura.livejournal.com]

Yup, agreed, the last paragraph nails it!

[hrafntinna.livejournal.com]

It's not perfect, but it's a start, as you say. My hope is that, having seen the start, people will demand more and better.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

I love the way you phrase it. Exactly.

Also, hi. I miss you, stranger.

[snowcalla.livejournal.com]

I think people are leery because many have been in the military and then some have to seek care through the VA when they get out. Those experiences will most likely cause someone to be not all that excited about Government and Health Care shaking hands.

[amyura.livejournal.com]

The US isn't skeptical of all things socialist, mainly because so few Americans even know what it means. A segment of the population has decided that "socialist" is now the worst thing you can call somebody or something, and go around willy-nilly labeling things "socialist" that aren't. People are calling the health bill "socialist," when clearly it's not. People call Obama a "socialist."

I completely agree with your pros and cons with one exception. The bill isn't what's causing premiums to rise. They've been rising astronomically for years. I think one of the things that I do like about the bill is that it forces insurance companies to disclose where the premium money is going. Eventually, if the companies go below X% of their premiums spent on direct medical care, they'll have to offer patients a rebate.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Well, I've heard first hand from a few people, including the man I used to work for, that premiums HAVE risen already. It's probably just a knee-jerk reaction, but still. It's problematic.

Also, the socialist thing kills me. I mean, we don't want national health care, but we like public services like defense and roads and dams and whatnot. Maybe *I* don't understand socialism.

[amyura.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too. It's like...."Hmmm, I can't make a rational argument, panic panic panic.....SOCILISM!" (Misspelling intentional. One video I saw had a guy wearing a teeshirt with it spelled like that, and then he couldn't even define it.)

[(Anonymous)]

well, this is what I think:
jthwingflaming.blogspot.com
(scroll back a couple posts as I got fiesty about being patriotic and went a bit off topic)

[(Anonymous)]

ooo! I understand socialism! Well, kinda. There are a lot of different kinds of socialism I should maybe write a post on that...

Not socialist: Obama, this health care bill, Democrats in congress

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

GAH! I haven't been to your blog in ages! *check bookmarks and it's not there* Grrrrrr.

[(Anonymous)]

well, now you have it again! :-)