The health care system in our country is broken. I don't think anyone can dispute that. If you don't think there's a problem, just go read Kyla's eloquent post about her family's struggle to keep health insurance. I dare you.There are 46 million uninsured people in the United States, the richest country on earth, including almost 9 million children. Often, those who are uninsured must choose between financial ruin or getting the health care they and their children need. That's unconscionable. How do we fix it?
I don't pretend to be an expert here. There are arguments for and against everything and studies supporting and opposing everything. I'm trying to look at the health care issue with common sense. The obvious answer to me, and many Democrats, is universal health care. We need some system, or combination of systems that will permit those who are uninsured to get the coverage they need.
There are plenty of nay sayers and we'll be hearing from lots of them during the upcoming election. There are those who insist they will never vote for a President who advocates universal health coverage. Let's look at their basic arguments:
If you want to read the rest of my rant, you're going to have to head over to MOMocrats!Labels: Health Care, MOMocrats, Politics
10 Comments:
I haven't sorted through all that I might want out of our health care system or how our newly elected should go about securing things. But I've heard, at least daily this week, testimony from friends and professionals living or working in Canada who LOVE their system. HOME VISITS FOR SICK KIDS. Yes. *Sigh*
Kyla's post left me sick, sick, sick. I don't know what the feasible answer is, although I know what I want it to be. Everyone gets insured. Period. And I mean, really insured, not half-assedly either.
From reading several bloggers who are Canadian who definitely are faced with health issues, mainly infertility and high-risk pregnancies, it is NOT all that. It's OK for your "routine" health care, but not so much beyond that. For ex. one friend was told that her unborn baby's heart was incomplete. She had to wait almost a month to see a specialist, thinking the whole time that by then she would have then terminate her pregnancy at 6 months. Instead, after waiting all that time, the heart was fine. Imagine waiting weeks thinking your baby was going to die.
On the other hand, the US definitely has a problem with priorities. Who give a crap if some million dollar a year athlete is taking drugs. Is it really a federal issue? Let them all take HGH and breed themselves out. Billions of dollars are spent getting our men and women killed overseas, but we can't spend the money here to keep the sick healthier.
As you can see, while it all pisses me off, I have no idea what the solution will be. No one does.
Privatized health care doesn't guarantee quick, immediate or high-quality care.
I've had to wait months to see a specialist, suffering the entire time.
I don't see a big distinction in that versus universal care in a place like Canada.
In fact, I think privatized and for profit might be the main problems wrt insurance.
LM, great post. You know how I feel!
Universal healthcare? Can I get an AMEN??
Great post. Thanks for sharing Kyla's story.
My post was, again, too long to just put here. Read it here, if you're interested.
I am an ardent, undying supporter of our universal health system here in Canada.
Sure there are problems, and people do fall through the cracks, but on the whole, it is a far better system than what Kyla speaks of.
And having a highly disabled, extremely medically needy child, I have spent more than my fair share of time experiencing our medical system first hand.
And I will champion it always.
I hope you Yanks can come up with a better system to suit everyone's needs.
I was one of the lucky ones when I lived in the states; I always had stellar health care. I was privilege. Because it was and remains a privilege to have good, dependable health care in the states. And it shouldn't be; it should be a right.
And I am absolutely infuriated over Kyla's family healthcare situation. It is so incredibly unfair. And wrong, so very wrong.
I commented over at MOMocrats, but I wanted to do so here, too. You KNOW how I feel about it all, I just wanted to say thanks again, for the support.
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