For the first time in my life, I do not have health care coverage. Yes, I am one of 40million Americans living everyday with the hope that I don't slip and fall, causing me to take a very expensive ambulance ride only to be greeted by insurmountable hospital bills that will undoubtedly take me longer to pay off then my last semester of college. And just like most Americans, it's not for lack of effort or long hours at work that leave me footing my own routine exams, instead it's lack of affordable health care.
So why give me a stimulus bill that entices me to spend money I don't have; to buy a new home or car, or make home improvements with my loads of cash sitting under my mattress (neither of which I have - home or mattress money)? Or better yet, give me some measly tax returns that I already spent to pay off my credit cards of which I needed to get me through the months taxes were deducted?! So I ask again, why not take $784 billion and create a health care system that covers all Americans?
I've heard many reasons as to why not have universal health care, most noted is quality of care will decline if health care is state (nation - for all you non-poly sci majors) operated. My question is why? Do people fear that we will have an infiltration of inept doctors? Or is it that our confidence in our country's leadership to run an effective insurance system isn't so high (certainly something to consider!)? Or could it be that people fear socialistic-like programs (universal health care is not socialized health care)? It seems to me that there are plenty of high functioning, well implemented models of universal health care the U.S. could use as framework (Canada, UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, and many other developed democracies). Framework - not exact replicas - I understand these systems have flaws too.
My question to readers is what freedoms or liberties would you have if health care was a non-issue? Would you stay at your current job? Would you start up a business or explore other entrepreneur avenues? Would you stay home to raise your kids? Would you vacation more? Would you go back to school?
In this blogger's opinion, universal health care would advance and improve quality of life for Americans on so many levels from financial to general happiness. Health care should not be the driving force to why we work. Nor should it determine how much, how long, and what we do just for the "in case something happens" I'm covered.
references:
Universal health care is not socialized health care - know the difference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care
http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/index_en.htm
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/february/10_myths_about_canad.php
http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_3_canadian_healthcare.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/138614.php
http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/homepage.aspx
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Love it B! I am right there with you in all aspects! Even though we are covered by the military, I have lots of friends that are waiting for the "what if" to happen... in my opinion, it is because people are greedy and don't want to lose out on the money they are making off of the people who don't have insurance... poor saps (not the un-insured, but the greedy!)
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