Debating Health Care in 2008

I hope the Republicans come prepared to debate health care this year, and they leave the platitudes and slogans at home.

Enough of us have been seriously sick, or know someone who has, or have family members who have been or are now. The way the Republicans describe health care, it's as if they've never been through it or don't know anyone who has.

I got some pushback, not much, from a casual mention of universal health care a few days ago. Some think the problem can be solved through the "private sector" but that's nonsense. There is no such thing in health care. It's not a free market, as anyone who's been through it can tell you. There's nothing free about it. (Free as in freedom, not as in free beer.)

When you check into a hospital you turn over your whole being to the health care system. I can't imagine anything changing that, nor do I think it should. When you're dangerously ill, decisions must be made about you. To people who have never relinquished control, it's a big trip, because that's what you have to do. You spend huge amounts of time waiting. You can't sleep because hospitals are 24-by-7. You're much more likely to get an infection in a hospital, and infection on top of other disease can kill. Even so, people are treated and some even are cured by the system. Lives are definitely prolonged, pain is eased.

Whether we have universal health care or not, it won't change the basics of how health care works, and how unfair it is to be sick and fighting for your life. But there are some things we can change, and if you have a heart, and think about it, I don't see how anyone could be against universal health care and still sleep at night.

One commenter said that no one is ever turned away from an emergency room, as if that's all there was to health care. First, emergency rooms do turn people away, and some of them die. But most disease is not treated in emergency rooms. If you need drugs to treat cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, AIDS, heart disease, depression, arthritis, emphysema, to name a few common chronic diseases -- you're out of luck if you don't have insurance. You could die years before you would with treatment, or might suffer, where if you had good insurance, you wouldn't.

I'm lucky I have good health insurance. It's lucky that I lived in Massachusetts when my COBRA policy expired, it's the one state in the US that has liberalized health insurance. I'm lucky that I can afford the monthly payments. I'm lucky. But why should getting the care and treatment you need depend on luck? We can do so much better. And I think our country would do better with a healthy population that knows if they, or someone they love, got sick they'll the help they need.

It'll be interesting to see if we can get McCain to talk about this, if he turns out to be the Republcan nominee. The Republicans have never been responslble about this issue. It's of huge importance to Americans, and McCain presents himself as an honest person. He must understand how the health care system actually works. He's been through it himself, probably many times.

BTW, Hillary's passion for computerizing medical records is a good thing. She's right, a lot of money could be saved, the system could be made much more efficient, people would get better treatment, and lives would be saved. The sooner we get busy doing this, the better it will be for all of us.

Comments

[jdm58]

So glad to read a post that recognizes that we have a major crisis looming, and that NONE of the candidates are offering a true fix. We were in the same situation with COBRA as you, and were unable to switch insurance carriers due to pre-existing conditions. My friends daughter is turning 21 and graduating college, and because she is obese and diabetic (an epidemic in this country), she is uninsurable on her own, and will soon not be allowed to continue on her parents policy. She also runs the risk that she will be un-employable, since many employers will pass on potential employees that may increase their insurance premiums.
We MUST mandate coverage, and then start to fix the rest of the problems inherent to the current system. This won't happen overnight, and it will involve a sacrifice by all. But turning a blind eye on people who are losing everything they have worked their entire lives for because of unforseen medical circumstances is not only un-American, it is inhuman. Are we really that callous a society?

[jcorrington]

Dave, as far as I can tell, not a single repub has even mentioned healthcare. We all know that is not even on their agenda!

Very good comment Cranbot.



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[jdm58]

Actually, they did in a recent debate. They continue however, as do many, to confuse healthcare (which they claim is fantastic in this country, otherwise why are so many coming here for treatment) with healthcoverage (the ability for everyone to receive this wonderful healthcare).

[Cranbot]

We need to ask again and again - why are we the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't provide health care (not insurance) for all its citizens.

Doing that would have a huge impact on the health and happiness of this country. Just getting rid of the stress of worrying about getting sick would cut down on a lot of illness. Being able to switch jobs, start a business, be self employed without having to worry about health care would change a lot of people's lives.

The car companies and all other businesses that are put at a competitive disadvantage because of having to provide health insurance would see benefits.

Why aren't we doing this????

Oh, I know - the insurance and medical lobbies. Tough! Let them find another way to milk us.

[jdm58]

Agree whole-heartedly! People with health issues who lose their job, and with it their healthcare, can't imagine starting their own business (re-invigorating the economy) because of the risk and expense of not having health coverage. Time for Mandatory coverage, and continued dialogue toward overhauling the system. It isn't an overnight fix, even HR 676 was to take 10 years in transition.

[MyThought]

Interesting that people are afraid of mandated health care - education is manadated.

[LeftRight]

Except that education is not only mandated, it is also socialized. You have your choice whether to take gov't run education, pay for privately run education (at several times the cost, for not much benefit at most schools), or homeschooling, which requires a person at home (thus losing a wage-earner), and lots of training (both of the parent, and of the child), as well as costs the child in the long run, since they don't learn how to deal with other people.

Either way, the mandate is not the key part of education, and it shouldn't be the key part of health insurance.

[not one of the sheep]

Maybe working together and not trying to jam government health care down everyones throat would be an option. Instead of both parties back stabbing each other a bipartisan plan will have to be worked out or nothing will ever get done to help those who need it. Quit trying to take the credit and tossing blame and think of the people who elected you.

[realitytrumpsbull]

I can solve the healthcare crisis, even without having to do time as a Master Debater, or MBA, or Master Bullshit Artist, however you feel like expressing that particular thought-form.

Here's the deal: Pull an audit on the doctors.
Then, pull an audit on the institutions they work for, and all the ancillary institutions that support the hospital. Facts on the table.
Find out What's Up, there, in moneyland, and where the money goes for those 'publicly traded' HMO's and all that other stuff.
When there's 'nowhere to run, nowhere to hide' for the people trying to siphon their millions and billions, then they'll have to point their ambitions in another direction besides trying to skiff you for 20 bucks for an aspirin or whatever. Facts on the table, and take your business elsewhere if the 'healthcare' institution you've been patronizing doesn't have full public fiscal disclosure as part of their policies.

[LeftRight]

Great idea. One question, though: Where am I going to find one with full public disclosure, since I have to go somewhere when I'm either ill, or worse, in an emergency.

[LeftRight]

The only problem with the system in MA (and what Hillary would like to do nationwide, since they are basically the same) is that it still depends on your being able to afford it. Even if the government forces insurance companies to cover everyone who asks, and even if they mandate that there be at least one policy be affordable, there's almost a certainty that the "affordable" policy will be a catastrophic policy only, thus covering only if you have a major illness (such as my daughter who just had an appendectomy) but not covering the equally important preventative, and follow-up care (such as when my same daughter developed bronchitis right after her appendectomy)