"REAL" HEALTH CARE REFORM

As of this writing it appears that the perpetual Party of Appeasement i.e. the Democratic Party has been sufficiently influenced by the tyranny of the mob and is willing to compromise with the Party of No Ideas on health care reform or anything else for that matter. In fact any historian would be hard pressed to find any serious proposals in the Republican Party platform that reflects any consideration for the common good during the last 70 years.

Indeed out current health care system is a mess no matter how often the Right repeats the lie that we have the best system in the world – it still doesn’t make it true. Better to have no health care reform than something watered down to appease the fear mongers because health care will continue to be a growing problem which will never be resolved as long as those who propose reform don’t have the resolve to enact the strongest possible legislation with or without the consent of the fear mongering rabid right.

“Real” health care reform requires accepting at least the following suggestions:

1 – THE PUBLIC OPTION – Let’s face it the present health care system seems to do nothing more and nothing less than profit the health industry corporations and their investors with plenty left over to line the pockets of fear mongering politicians to make sure it stays that way. More Americans are losing their jobs and their health care along with it. The cost of health insurance is increasing the cost of employers that can keep health insurance for their employees who will have their contributions raised as will their employees resulting in less take home pay to participate in a consumerist society. Most small businesses cannot even offer health insurance to their employees. Medicaid is available to those who qualify and with more people being added to the Medicaid rolls from the unemployment line the taxes of their communities are increased to pay for the Medicaid. If you don’t have any health insurance a catastrophic illness leaves you but the one recourse of filing for bankruptcy and the cost of that is passed on to other consumers whose income to purchase goods that Madison Ave convinces them they need is further reduced. The current state of health care for those who can afford it has to change before it implodes and a Public Option seems like a rational approach while the opposition offers nothing but the noise of the mob parroting the empty rhetoric of those politicians who create a climate fear further dividing the country between those who prefer the bliss of ignorance and those who can handle the truth.

2 – PUBLIC FUNDING FOR ABORTIONS – Those influenced by their imaginary friend no doubt will have serious moral issues real or imagined with having their tax dollars pay for murdering those yet to be brought into this world. Personally I think it has more to do with treating women as second class citizens who don’t have the same right to choose as does a man. Of course those same people have had absolutely no problem with their tax dollars being spent on waging war in Iraq not once but twice, financing another group of religious crazies led by Osama Bin Laden to wage war against Russia in Afghanistan, provide financial support for countries to wage war against drugs with death squads to maintain the existing political power etc. Enough said. To ease their minds they shouldn’t have to pay the amount of taxes it would take for safe abortions but their taxes will have to be increased to pay for all the services necessary to care for the results of unwanted pregnancies starting with the delivery room and ending with the funeral. It’s only fair. Besides they should have no objection to paying for “life” after it’s born. When all those unwanted pregnancies come to life it’s just another drag on the economy not to mention an increase in a population that places an additional demand on the already dwindling resources of the environment as well as exacerbating existing tensions in our social, political and economic systems.

3 – END OF LIFE CONSULTATIONS – This includes euthanasia. Nothing to be afraid of here after all – all things conditioned are impermanent – ashes to ashes and dust to dust kind of stuff. I suspect there are many people who would prefer death to the pain and suffering of a terminal illness or the miserable existence in a nursing home knowing that all one has worked for is taken away by the state in order to pay for a temporary room that will be the last residence before the grave. Make it optional because right now the government is already deciding the most important issue of an individual’s choice to determine whose life is it any way and that moronic mob the Republicans pander to is obviously too stupid to figure that out. I mean it was a Republican government that became exercised over trying to tell Mr. Schiavo he didn’t have the right to pull the plug on his wife who was comatose for over a decade. Under the current health care system government already decides and so does the health care industry for those who have insurance. They make more money the longer one lives – quality of life isn’t even considered in the equation. Time for that to change for those who want it and like public funding of abortions those who prefer the option of euthanasia will have their taxes assessed accordingly as will those who want to hang on to their suffering. I mean really we have all that concern for the quality of life and compassion for a household pet to end its suffering but for our fellow humans – no such compassion. How absurd.

SOME QUESTIONS:

1 – Who would care for all the newly insured? Couldn’t the government pay for the education of doctors, nurses and care givers and in return those doctors, nurses and care givers would provide the health care to the newly insured for the same number of years that the government paid for their education?

2 – How would we pay for such reform? For starters we could end the war on drugs. That would save 30 to 40 billion dollars a year and if we have more qualified doctors, nurses and care givers as suggested above seems like that would increase the competition that would theoretically decrease the cost of health care. Finally public funding of abortions and end of life discussions would decrease the existing cost of health care.

Oh well - the Republicans haven't offered any solutions but it's in their nature to protect the status quo which favors them and the Democrats haven't had the courage of their convictions for the last 70 years to crush the opposition beneath the wheel of progress. When it comes to health reform in the 21st Century the devil is indeed in the details much like it has been for the past 70 years. Another opportunity lost to catch up with the rest of the civilized world that cares for the health of its citizens without reducing it to the profit motive.