Are ya kiddin' me? Only 2 fuckin' years? What the hell ever happened to the kinda A/C's that'd last 13-15 years even without a stitch o' maintenance? (and even more importantly, where the hell have *I* been all this time that they've been gone??)
Obama, in his Montana town hall, admitted the public option was a sticky wicket, primarily because everyone is convinced that if there is a public, non-profit, option, it will so badly undercut the insurance industry that it will effectively drive them out of business. I say, fine, let the bastards go. But, we all know that will never happen. At least not this time around. Still, we have to keep raising hell to get as much as we can get.
I'm going to play devil's advocate for a bit because I think it's important that we understand the issues in this argument. A little history: The US is the only country in the world where employers are responsible for public health coverage. This is how it happened. During WWII there was such a shortage of good labor that a single manufacturer began offering a health insurance supplement as an inducement to attract good people. It was an attractive benefit because 1) there was no public health care at the time, an 2) it was not taxed as income. It was highly successful and soon hundreds of companies followed suit. At the end of the war, the government was already so deeply in debt that neither the president nor the congress would take on something as expensive as public health care, especially with the hundreds of thousands of troops coming back from the war with who knew what injuries and illnesses. The result is the amalgamation of health care systems we have in place today. Not only would it be a gargantuan effort to dismantle it, but also one that would dig deep into the very core of the economy at a time when it certainly can't stand it. This should have been done in the 50s when the country was on the cusp of the victor's rewards and looking at nearly unlimited economic growth. Eleanore Roosevelt bugged her husband to do it for years but he had a war to finance. Public health should be borne by the public, not by employers. We all know the current system is broken but there are no easy answers to fixing it and whatever the fix, it is going to be a compromise. It's truly a Catch 22. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Of course, we don't hear anyone talking about tackling the sacrosanct defense budget to find some of those billions do we?
Thank you Mr. Charleston for explaining the history. I was not aware of that.
I am disappointed that Obama is having to cave on the public option to get something passed. It looks like we are going to have to do this health care reform thing in steps. It's a shame.
There is no reason the best country in the world can't be better. It's our responsibility to help make it so and part of that responsibility is to not let the knee-jerk regressives out shout us.
( I am not judging the US system, just saying what we have in Oz) We have a public system here in Oz, that works in tandem with private insurance. You can choose whether or not to have private insurance. The difference is if i break my leg, it gets fixed immediately whether i have insurance or not, but public means i don't get a private room, i am in a ward & the foods not all that flash. Or if i have an old football injury eg my knee needs reconstructing, public means i go on a waiting list, private means i get it done quicker (and i have my own room). A true example. Guy A has the best private cover you can buy (about $250 a month)and snaps his achilles, he goes to hospital, gets bandaged up, given some drugs and a week later when the swelling has gone down, he goes into surgery to get some repairs done. He has weekly physiotherapy sessions. Guy B has no insurance, snaps his achilles, he goes to hospital, gets bandaged up, given some drugs, a week later when the swelling goes down, he gets a splint, then 6 weeks later he has surgery to get some repairs done. He has monthly physiotherapy sessions. I by the way haven't spent any time in a hospital since 1982. Public health systems work, they work for the people who are going to use them more than me. The people who are too sick to work because they have any number of debilitating ailments, people who have cancer, people who have heart disease, people who have mental health problems. The amount this costs constitutes about 10% of my tax. it's that high because i am single, reasonably paid and have no insurance. There are tax breaks for families, lower incomes and insured people. The quality of care in the public system isn't great, but it is a very long way from 3rd world. We constantly complain about the long waiting lists, and a multitude of other things. BUT we would never get rid of it.
(BTW actually I think Oz and US tax rates are the same even with the health care in it)
The reason Obama is moving quickly or "putting too much on his plate" is because of two things. One, odds are high based on history that the Democrats will lose seats in the 2010 Congressional elections, if not Congress outright. That isn't a reflection of how Democrats are doing - it's a reflection of America's general distrust of having one party ruling the legislative and executive branches. Because of that fact, Obama knows if he wants this done, he has to do it now when he's in his max strength potential. Two, when a president's newly elected and popular, historically he can get away with a lot more. Members of Congress are less likely to challenge your agenda when you're both of those things. Case in point, FDR pushed his social reforms immediately upon taking office, flexing his political muscles while he still had them.
This is as good as it gets. There has never been a time where the majority of the American public wanted reform and the Democrats ran the show overwhelmingly in Congress and the White House. With the billions of dollars at stake from the AMA and insurance companies...it might still not be enough.
Personally I am for the more radical extreme of no compromise with the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Nationalize the entire infrastructure. Every doctor, nurse, technician hospital, clinic and research facility becomes a government controlled organization under one umbrella.
One of the reasons there was no national health care after WWII was we were spending that money establishing it in the nations that the allies freed or conquered.
Profit from human misery should be outlawed the entire world over and a similar standard level of care should be a function of government the same as roads and schools and military for defense, garbage collection.
I say if you can't stand the change that should be, then take yourself off to a place that has no government health care. Zambia for example.
Peach---that's the problem. We've been talking about this since after WWI. We are the only developed nation in the world with this bullshit attitude about government, and in awe of corporations. Sorry. I am so frustrated with this, I can't see straight.
C---we'll see what we see. Dumb response, but I can't think right now.
Judy---I don't think Medicare is in danger at the moment...key phrase..."at the moment".
Hey, glad you had a good day at the beach. I'll go over and take a look at the movie :)
O---Don't worry about being judgmental...we need to be judged. We are becoming a nation of morons.
Thanks for your input. We, who care, are trying to get the damned health care system in this country fixed. Mainly, we want AFFORDABLE health care for all, no pre-condition BS, and no cap to the amount of health care one can get. Many of us think the only way to get this is, public health care. Insurance companies are definitely not going to do it. The whole problem is the insurance industry, and America's fixation with the boogie man, socialism. This fixation started in the 30's when the American Medical Association poured massive amounts of money into defeating FDR's proposed Public Health Care bill. Their bully boy? SOCIALISM...aka, in their world, COMMUNISM...public health care = socialism = 666 Devil who will eat your babies. It stuck, and it has gotten worse, because we have an element here who can only think in 5 second spots. They believe headlines, and platitudes. So, the Sarah Palins, yell "Government Death Squads" the morons hear it and believe it. And of course our politicans will do anything to stay in Washington, which means they operate out of fear...fear that they are not going to get re-elected. It all makes me want to puke.
The key phrase in your comment is, you would NEVER give it up. At least you have something you'd not give up. We have a large turd, and it looks like we're going to get little pellets of shit.
Yes, I am angry and more than disillusioned.
Pantsless Ponderer---Unfortunately, you are correct. BTW-thanks for commenting, I always appreciate new visitors and their input.
compelling visual... and given the tragic management ( ?) of health in US history ( and, I guess, many cultural histories in general) the anticipatory set is completely understandable.
15 comments:
RYC:
"Life span, two years tops...all brands."
Are ya kiddin' me? Only 2 fuckin' years? What the hell ever happened to the kinda A/C's that'd last 13-15 years even without a stitch o' maintenance? (and even more importantly, where the hell have *I* been all this time that they've been gone??)
Obama, in his Montana town hall, admitted the public option was a sticky wicket, primarily because everyone is convinced that if there is a public, non-profit, option, it will so badly undercut the insurance industry that it will effectively drive them out of business.
I say, fine, let the bastards go.
But, we all know that will never happen. At least not this time around.
Still, we have to keep raising hell to get as much as we can get.
I'm going to play devil's advocate for a bit because I think it's important that we understand the issues in this argument.
A little history:
The US is the only country in the world where employers are responsible for public health coverage. This is how it happened. During WWII there was such a shortage of good labor that a single manufacturer began offering a health insurance supplement as an inducement to attract good people. It was an attractive benefit because 1) there was no public health care at the time, an 2) it was not taxed as income. It was highly successful and soon hundreds of companies followed suit.
At the end of the war, the government was already so deeply in debt that neither the president nor the congress would take on something as expensive as public health care, especially with the hundreds of thousands of troops coming back from the war with who knew what injuries and illnesses.
The result is the amalgamation of health care systems we have in place today. Not only would it be a gargantuan effort to dismantle it, but also one that would dig deep into the very core of the economy at a time when it certainly can't stand it.
This should have been done in the 50s when the country was on the cusp of the victor's rewards and looking at nearly unlimited economic growth. Eleanore Roosevelt bugged her husband to do it for years but he had a war to finance.
Public health should be borne by the public, not by employers. We all know the current system is broken but there are no easy answers to fixing it and whatever the fix, it is going to be a compromise. It's truly a Catch 22. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Of course, we don't hear anyone talking about tackling the sacrosanct defense budget to find some of those billions do we?
MDJ---yep, those were the good 'ol days...before we outsourced our entire manufacturing capabilities to China.
For those of you who are wondering what the above is about, MeanJean is referring to a comment I made over on her blog.
Mr. C---I agree with this assessment:
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas
"We'll have the same number of people uninsured," she said. "If the insurance companies wanted to insure these people now, they'd be insured."
One thing I am in definite agreement with you is your last statement about the defense budget.
What the hell kind of country are we that we spend far more on killing than living? A pretty piss poor one.
I have not much faith in the government. Don't get me wrong. I still believe the USA is the best country in the world.
Thank you Mr. Charleston for explaining the history. I was not aware of that.
I am disappointed that Obama is having to cave on the public option to get something passed. It looks like we are going to have to do this health care reform thing in steps. It's a shame.
There is no reason the best country in the world can't be better. It's our responsibility to help make it so and part of that responsibility is to not let the knee-jerk regressives out shout us.
Needed is a healthcare reform, but not with my medicare being cut or my prescriptions to be un-available.
I think Obama had too much on his plate...should have taken a little at a time.
I think it's important to be able to stand up and speak out as in the townhall meetings, but the yelling and violence has got to stop.
Oh and my movie of the beach is done and a link is in my entry. :) It was a beauteeeeful day today!
Have a nice evening with your family. :)
( I am not judging the US system, just saying what we have in Oz)
We have a public system here in Oz, that works in tandem with private insurance. You can choose whether or not to have private insurance. The difference is if i break my leg, it gets fixed immediately whether i have insurance or not, but public means i don't get a private room, i am in a ward & the foods not all that flash. Or if i have an old football injury eg my knee needs reconstructing, public means i go on a waiting list, private means i get it done quicker (and i have my own room). A true example. Guy A has the best private cover you can buy (about $250 a month)and snaps his achilles, he goes to hospital, gets bandaged up, given some drugs and a week later when the swelling has gone down, he goes into surgery to get some repairs done. He has weekly physiotherapy sessions. Guy B has no insurance, snaps his achilles, he goes to hospital, gets bandaged up, given some drugs, a week later when the swelling goes down, he gets a splint, then 6 weeks later he has surgery to get some repairs done. He has monthly physiotherapy sessions.
I by the way haven't spent any time in a hospital since 1982.
Public health systems work, they work for the people who are going to use them more than me. The people who are too sick to work because they have any number of debilitating ailments, people who have cancer, people who have heart disease, people who have mental health problems. The amount this costs constitutes about 10% of my tax. it's that high because i am single, reasonably paid and have no insurance. There are tax breaks for families, lower incomes and insured people.
The quality of care in the public system isn't great, but it is a very long way from 3rd world. We constantly complain about the long waiting lists, and a multitude of other things. BUT we would never get rid of it.
(BTW actually I think Oz and US tax rates are the same even with the health care in it)
uamada... right on the nail. Even Veteran's Hospital care is better than no care.
The reason Obama is moving quickly or "putting too much on his plate" is because of two things. One, odds are high based on history that the Democrats will lose seats in the 2010 Congressional elections, if not Congress outright. That isn't a reflection of how Democrats are doing - it's a reflection of America's general distrust of having one party ruling the legislative and executive branches. Because of that fact, Obama knows if he wants this done, he has to do it now when he's in his max strength potential. Two, when a president's newly elected and popular, historically he can get away with a lot more. Members of Congress are less likely to challenge your agenda when you're both of those things. Case in point, FDR pushed his social reforms immediately upon taking office, flexing his political muscles while he still had them.
This is as good as it gets. There has never been a time where the majority of the American public wanted reform and the Democrats ran the show overwhelmingly in Congress and the White House. With the billions of dollars at stake from the AMA and insurance companies...it might still not be enough.
Personally I am for the more radical extreme of no compromise with the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Nationalize the entire infrastructure. Every doctor, nurse, technician hospital, clinic and research facility becomes a government controlled organization under one umbrella.
One of the reasons there was no national health care after WWII was we were spending that money establishing it in the nations that the allies freed or conquered.
Profit from human misery should be outlawed the entire world over and a similar standard level of care should be a function of government the same as roads and schools and military for defense, garbage collection.
I say if you can't stand the change that should be, then take yourself off to a place that has no government health care. Zambia for example.
Mango---nor do I.
Peach---that's the problem. We've been talking about this since after WWI. We are the only developed nation in the world with this bullshit attitude about government, and in awe of corporations. Sorry. I am so frustrated with this, I can't see straight.
C---we'll see what we see. Dumb response, but I can't think right now.
Judy---I don't think Medicare is in danger at the moment...key phrase..."at the moment".
Hey, glad you had a good day at the beach. I'll go over and take a look at the movie :)
O---Don't worry about being judgmental...we need to be judged. We are becoming a nation of morons.
Thanks for your input. We, who care, are trying to get the damned health care system in this country fixed. Mainly, we want AFFORDABLE health care for all, no pre-condition BS, and no cap to the amount of health care one can get. Many of us think the only way to get this is, public health care. Insurance companies are definitely not going to do it. The whole problem is the insurance industry, and America's fixation with the boogie man, socialism. This fixation started in the 30's when the American Medical Association poured massive amounts of money into defeating FDR's proposed Public Health Care bill. Their bully boy? SOCIALISM...aka, in their world, COMMUNISM...public health care = socialism = 666 Devil who will eat your babies. It stuck, and it has gotten worse, because we have an element here who can only think in 5 second spots. They believe headlines, and platitudes. So, the Sarah Palins, yell "Government Death Squads" the morons hear it and believe it. And of course our politicans will do anything to stay in Washington, which means they operate out of fear...fear that they are not going to get re-elected. It all makes me want to puke.
The key phrase in your comment is, you would NEVER give it up. At least you have something you'd not give up. We have a large turd, and it looks like we're going to get little pellets of shit.
Yes, I am angry and more than disillusioned.
Pantsless Ponderer---Unfortunately, you are correct. BTW-thanks for commenting, I always appreciate new visitors and their input.
walking man---you said it for me. Fuck em.
compelling visual... and given the tragic management ( ?) of health in US history ( and, I guess, many cultural histories in general) the anticipatory set is completely understandable.
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