Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Tirade on Healthcare

At least I'm honest.

A few notes on healthcare that were too long for twitter. Twitter, by the way is like putting a message in a bottle and tossing it into the ocean. It's addictive, fun, and good for venting into cyberspace.
Anyway, I have a message for politicians of both persuasions. Don't stuff this up. Seriously. Healthcare in this country is a fracking joke to the point that I think I'd rather die than have my relatives suddenly land in a crazy amt of debt for me being in the ICU. My savings would probably pay for about a day of it. I'm insured, but I'm sure the bastards have some way to get out of paying if the price goes beyond a certain amt*.
As to the bumpkins who think they'd rather die than have socialized medicine, you're going to be the ones that are going to be living on the public dole because I'll bet most of you are uninsured. So just suck it up, ok, and make life easier for everyone else.
Firstly, Republicans: We don't agree on much of anything and this is not an exception. I and most voters, when it comes down to the wire, don't give a flying f*ck about being presented with a smorgasboard of slightly differing expensive insurance policies. This is not a valid argument against Public Insurance. Sure, the rhetoric about wanting the government out of your health sounds nice, and it's fun to repeat at the top of your lungs...but think about it. Could the government really do that much more of a craptacular job of providing good care at low costs than private business has? Last time I went to the emergency room, I waited 4 hours, got led to the x-ray room, and then got forgotten while all the doctors and nurses went out to lunch. I spent 30 seconds with a doctor after waiting for another hour and impatiently pulling aside an orderly and reminding him that I was *there*. I got a $2000 bill in the mail of which I paid $200. I'm glad I had insurance to pay for it, but come. on. $2000 to get service that I wouldn't tip for in a restaurant and 30 seconds with a doctor?
Can you imagine what kind of situation my sprained wrist from riding my bike to work would have put me in if I *hadn't* had a job or insurance? If I get to wait 4 hours in the emergency room in Canada but the state covers me, the Canadians are STILL getting a better deal.
So take your "government never does anything right" scare tactics, and shove them, ok? It's not like people won't have the choice to spend a load of money on private insurance if they feel they want it, the rest of us will just have a safety net.

Democrats: You guys aren't off the hook. I have a few words for you to ponder while you're teeing up on your "all expenses paid by your lobbyist buddies" golf-cations.
There are some things big business does well. For example, you know how today Obama and Clinton and Berry mustered up the cojones between them to extend a few Federal benefits to gay couples working for the state? Yeah. Employees of many of the nation's giant evil multinationals have had those benefits as WELL AS full health benefits for a while now. Companies are pretty progressive when it comes to maintaining a happy , profitable workforce. Where they come up a little short is when profit is inversely proportional to peoples' wellbeing. ie. if an insurance can save a boatload of money be refusing insurance coverage to a person with a history of illness, forcing them to pay out of pocket and forcing them into debt, it will.
I always vote for you guys in the odd hope that you might actually do something to change this country for the better, and I'm always disappointed because YOU ALWAYS FLAKE OUT and play politics instead of working towards doing what you know deep down is the right thing to do...the thing most in line with those ideals that you profess to have.
I'm not going to appeal to you to remember the people who voted for you, because honestly, the people working for the pharmecutical companies and insurance companies and medical associations who are now doing their very best to butter you up probably voted for you, too.
I appeal to you to remember that your actions have the power to directly help a lot of people. I appeal to you to remember why you got into politics--probably because you thought you could actually make a difference for the American People. I offer the thought that while a compromise with industry on universal healthcare might benefit those workers at the various lobbying companies and associations in the short term, it's going to have a toll on ALL OF US in the long term.
Lastly, I'd like to suggest that for this country, doing nothing is going to be better than doing something halfassed and ending up with an even more convoluted version of the spaghetti we have now, which is what's going to happen if you guys BUDGE AT ALL ON THIS ONE.

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