Ten years ago... before the house... before the babies...before the husband...I didn't think about it. I was uninterested. I was bored. It didn't matter and I didn't care.
I'd never have sick kids. My parents would never retire. My grandparents would never near the winter of their years. Taxes never crossed my mind. The price of oil didn't have a bearing upon my travels. Environmental consciousness was nothing more than putting trash in a can rather than on the ground. There was no 9-11 and the aftermath there of with its wars and level orange terror alerts. Unemployment? I live in AMERICA! Where dreams are born and you grow up, find a job, and get your white picket fence. There was no need to be concerned about that. I was, like most near 16 year olds, immune (more like ignorant) to the effects of politics. I didn't understand that the decisions our government make directly impact our quality of life. And in some cases, the length of it.
After seeing all of the contentious town hall meetings and near riots between concerned citizens and elected officials regarding healthcare reform, I decided to do a little research. A friend of mine on Facebook was quoting comments she had read about the bill on LC.org so I went to the site and read everything written on HR3200. And then I was afraid. My mind wandered to a gray, smokefilled-skied America where people wandered the streets half- dead looking for healthcare wearing tattered clothes reminicent of the depression era. I thought of my precious grandparents; tired and worn, sitting face to face with an "end of life counselor" to plan out their deaths. I saw myself frustrated and scared not being able to make a doctor's appointment for a sick child because of the massively long lines for care. I hypothesised a medical crisis. A crisis that's outcome would be determined by my government and how much healthcare would be rationed out to me or my family. I shivered.
And THEN, I went to whitehouse.gov and watched a couple of videos made to quelch the uproar and felt all better. For a moment. Opposition for the bill says one thing and proponants say exactly the other. "You will be forced into the "public option" or government healthcare" the opposition cries. "You will have the opportunity to maintain your private insurance." the white house says. "there will be rationing of services and the government will decide who gets care and how much." the opposition says. "the insurance companies already ration our healthcare and make that very same decision." the white house argues.
I'm confused. And I feel mislead by SOMEONE. But who? What do YOU think? Really, I value your opinion and if you can help me to make an informed decision on whether or not to be terrified, i'd appreciate it.
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8 comments:
I just read this article on the health care reform panic two seconds before I clicked your blog post. I don't know, I have to agree that the panic and fear rhetoric is getting old... http://www.alternet.org/politics/141925/the_threat_is_real%3A_why_right-wing_rage_at_townhall_meetings_could_quickly_turn_deadly_/?page=entire
There are always exaggerations on both sides. It can all be overwhelming. I have heard Joel and Joe talking about the social healthcare systems in Canada and France, and I'm not interested in anything close to that. I try not to think about it too much, but that's not really the right approach to take either. Sorry, that didn't really answer your question. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I can empathize, and if you figure it out let me know :)
Hmmmmm, honestly the plan is seriously expensive and we allready have a huge deficit. Another thing, is how it is being pushed through in such a hurry, when something like this really needs to be ironed out completly. They did the same thing with the stimulus package and that, to me, was a disaster. It will push out private insurers, and the whole let us know who is in opposition to us didn't thrill me. So basically I am pretty much against it. There are many, many other things I feel they need to focus on or come up with a better more reasonable solution. I realize it is time for "a change." But I'm not lookin to change that much!
Ugh, I had this same panic last night! I was online readin tons of stuff and the more I read the more I got confused. I will say that I read nore things that I didn't like than I did- like levelizing the cost for everyone. You know how you get a discount for being healthy? That would be eliminated, and you are going to pay the same amount for insurance that a chain smoker does. Not really fair, right?
You're right...it's hard to know where to get accurate, unbiased info. If you find a place, let me know :)
Here are my feelings: the current insurance system is terribly flawed. It needs to be changed. ALL people deserve access to health care, not just those with insurance or who can afford to pay for it out of pocket. I believe it is a basic human right. I saw this on a shirt the other day: "America: Where only the insured survive" That's what it feels like to me.
Although I don't support this bill at all, I believe it was well intentioned and a lot of smart people tried their best to make what they thought would be a great system to improve access to much needed health care for all Americans. I believe those people and even their opponents will continue to fight to make the system better. That's the good news. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the health care and insurance systems are so expansive and involve so many industries and people that it is impossible to successfully overhaul the system with a single bill, even if it is over a 1000 pages and filled with legalese. As a result, this bill and almost any other like it will do no more than solve some problems while creating a slew of others.
In its current form, the bill falls fatally short of creating a viable solution and instead creates a new series of burecratic hurdles and systemic problems for everyone to deal with. The best thing you can do at this point is continue to vote and voice your opinion until the best series of solutions can be reached. Also, even if this bill is passed, you should not be too worried as long as you have private insurance that complies with the minimum standards required by the bill and as long as you live in an area with sufficient quality health care facilities to service the population who will now all presumably have access. San Antonio should be fine for now. In the end, you have no need to be terrified at this point because you are privately insured and the country will not become socialist over night. If it will make you feel any better, I promise to leave you a comment on your blog when it's time to be scared and move out of the country. So keep checking over the next few days...j/k. There is no need to worry yet. Sleep tight.
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