The Velvet StraitJacket

Yesterday, on the MucheDumbre forum a great question was asked..

What Kind Of Healthcare Reform Do You Want? (If Any…)

Healthcare reform is gonna be the big subject this summer. Rather than just bash one party’s ideas over the other, I thought I’d just express what I would like to see. Personally. And invite others to do so as well.

My health insurance is employer-based. I am unhappy with it. The insurance I had with my previous job was less expensive and I had developed a relationship with my doctor, who is not on my current plan. Now, I could opt out and get insurance on my own, but it would be considerably more expensive for the same level of coverage.

Right now I am pretty much locked into my employer’s choice. I want a system that provides real choice. I choose my insurer. I choose my doctor.

I don’t think a government-run system is the answer for everybody, but I do think there should be a safety net for the uninsured and under-insured.

For me, I just want something affordable and portable.

Let’s face it, health care is broken. Blaming who broke it or who wants to fix it  isn’t doing a bit of good for anyone. It’s time to finish the dialog on whether people want reform.  Those options have been weighed, they have been measured and they have been found wanted!

The question asked on the Muche forum is a good one and my list is probably on par with most people’s list, to put it simply…

I want a plan that allows me to have a yearly well-being check for me and my family, office visits with a reasonable co-pay until a certain deduction( based on income), is met for the adults. Children under 19, if still in school full-time, have a much smaller deduction if any at all, prescriptions with a co-pay(even the ones that are ‘free’ now unless you just cannot afford them), hospitalizations decided by doctors(after they have been reformed) and major medical disasters covered… I want all of this for a reasonable monthly price based on your income. The biggest thing is  an end to the “pre-existing  condition”, if you’ve had cancer, you can still get coverage  but you might have to pay 5-10% more a month than the person who’s never had cancer.

So how do we decide who pays what? The complaint is “He doesn’t pay as much as me waaa-waaa-waaa, so why should he get what I get” !  How can this be done in a fair way? Ask the student loan program! It’s not perfect, but if you can pay back your loans at X amt, you pay them back at that amount. If you can’t make those payments, do an ‘income contingency’ payment that’s based on your income.  Can’t do that payment.. you get deferred for 6 months to year at a time and the minute you start making more you get on one or the two above payment plans.

As I said,it’s not perfect and I am sure there are people screaming how wrong this is,  but the Federal Student Loan program  is able to set up re-payment plans  for millions and millions of people and still have the money to ‘loan’ out for more loans.

What else do I want in my health care reform? I want my medical records put in a huge super-computer system so that any doctor, anywhere can see what I’ve been treated for, what medications I’m taking and what I’m allergic too… if I can walk into any Wal-greens in the world and get my prescription history, I should be able to walk into any clinic/ER in the world and they know my medical history. Seriously, if Wal-green has mastered this Einstein-like algorithm.. so should the federal government.

Health care and Education are not ‘rights’ guaranteed  to every citizen of this county by decree of some document,  but they should be. Capitalist and Socialists alike, we are all only as strong as our weakest/dumbest link and right now we are in serious trouble and headed towards an all out ‘class warfare’ and  eventual destruction from within.

It’s not like I’m explaining some foreign concept to you, some… “Obama liberal socialist” movement that no one really cares about.. On the contrary, 72% of Americans polled say they want a Private plan and  PUBLIC plan, a plan similar to Medicare, offered. 72%! That’s not 72% of Obama Democrats, no their numbers are at 87%, those numbers are Americans.. ALL Americans, even 50% of only Republicans polled want a Private and PUBLIC plan offered, most amazingly is 50% want the government to run it. Even more astounding are the numbers who will for vote for a tax increase to pay for it. 57% of Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so that everyone can have health insurance. Has there ever been an issue that 72% of the combined political population agreed on something and 57% said “tax us” to get it?  If we can’t agree on this, there is one thing we can agree on..

(CBS)

Democrat senator Dianne Feinstein from California said that she doesn’t think the Democrat caucus will support President Obama’s agenda on installing a ‘public’ plan… Well guess what, when 87% of your constituency says they want it.. and the democratic senators won’t give it..I think we can all agree it’s time to get new Democrats.

53% of the American population has already done more than answer a CBS/NY Times phone call… They walked their happy ass into a booth and voted. I’m sorry conservatives, but you lost. These Democrat Senators are afraid that they won’t have their Republican constituencies  support when they go up for re-election next year, well guess what? You won’t have that support anyway, but with the support of 87% of your own people and 50% of the Republicans,  giving them what they want is not the road to retirement from your coveted seat.

But, ignoring them is.

I’ve seen many an argument on gay marriage come down to “Well, the Gays need to get it through their heads that this is a democracy and all you have to do is look at California, the most liberal state in the Union, and see that people just don’t want gay marriage. The Gays need to respect the voice of the people” To  you I say, sit down and shut the fuck up, or pick up your phone and tell your senator that even though you don’t agree with it, 72% of the American population does.

There isn’t an excuse anymore. The question is no longer.. “what kind of reform in health care would you like to see?” The question is when are you going to do what almost 3/4 of the American public and your president is demanding you do? The only place this is a ‘bi-partisan’ issue is on Capital hill, the American people have spoken…it’s as simple as that. If those on Capital Hill  aren’t listening to the majority of Americans demanding change, then who are they listening to?  The Insurance lobbyist? The Pharmaceutical lobbyist? When it’s time for their re-election, Congress had better have listened to the ones who actually put the votes in the ballot.. instead of listening to the ones who put the money in their pockets.

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Why do we need health care reform?

Robin Beaton found out last June she had an aggressive form of breast cancer and needed surgery — immediately.

Her insurance carrier precertified her for a double mastectomy and hospital stay. But three days before the operation, the insurance company called and told her they had red-flagged her chart and she would not be able to have her surgery.

The reason? In May 2008, Beaton had visited a dermatologist for acne. A word written on her chart was interpreted to mean precancerous, so the insurance company decided to launch an investigation into her medical history.

Even after the dermatologist talked with the insurance company, telling them ‘This is a misunderstanding. This is not precancerous. All she has is acne.”and begging them not to cancel her, they still rescinded  her coverage.

What kind of country allows this to go on day after day after day.  I won’t ask why Charles Manson has a dental plan while 45 millions American’s can’t even afford to go to the doctor,  that would be ignored like it always is. So I am phrasing it in a monetary way since money seems to be the only thing some people understand.

Why do criminals have better health coverage than the people who actually pay for coverage?

Why do the people who can make a difference think that this couldn’t be their daughter’s story? Is it because they’ve got more money than most small countries so it doesn’t matter if their insurance covers them or not?

It must be.

Until something like this happens to the wife, daughter, grandson or someone in the immediate family of those who can actually change this arcane system we call ‘health care’, these kinds of stories will grow.

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