Sick of Fearmongers

From the pen of Caroline Gaddy: (I couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't!)

"Unless you are a Congressman, Senator, the President of the United States, or someone else employed by the federal government, you do not, I repeat DO NOT have some kind of fantastic magical health care coverage that will never let you down, has not ever let you down, and will always protect you. And no matter what kind of coverage you have, you are already paying for everybody else who doesn't. Every time you walk into a doctor's office, a hospital, a clinic, pay your copay and your premium, you are paying for everyone else. That is one of the reasons those things can be so expensive because people who can't afford healthcare, end up in the hospital with something far more advanced than if they had been able to go to the doctor in the first place, and they can't afford to pay the huge bill. And that gets passed on to you and me, my friend. And every time that litigious douchebag down the street decides to go after your friendly neighborhood doctor for malpractice, that big fat lawyer bill gets passed on to you and me and if we have it, our insurance premium.

And just because you have insurance does not mean you are always covered. And just because someone does not have insurance does not mean they are lazy, seeking to live off the government, refusing to work, and living the high life eating doritos and watching TV. Do those people exist? Sure they do. And I think they suck just as much as you do. But there are also plenty of people like me and Frank who work hard, work our asses off, but work for someone who does not provide healthcare coverage. If I told you how much we had to pay to ensure adequate coverage for us and our baby, you would fall down on the ground. No really, you would fall flat on your face and bleed all over because you broke your nose. I do. And it depresses the hell out of me. But what are we to do? This is the system we have. And this system is broken.

The proposition on the table is not for government run healthcare. It is not based on the Canadian or British model (not that I have a problem with that). It just makes sure that affordable coverage is available to everyone. And, come on, communism? Really? We're still afraid of communism? The Cold War ended. Capitalism reigns. Get over it.

And there aren't any death panels. There just aren't. But even if there were, it would not be much different than now. There are (sorry, Ralph, it's a rant - I wouldn't do it if it were a paper for you) people deciding what medical treatment is reasonable or ethical already. Ethics boards, doctors, and insurance companies already do these things. I personally feel that we are far too afraid of death, and that sometimes we go to measures that are far too extreme just to prevent this frightening thing, when really the measures to which we go to keep someone alive can really be what is the most frightening...and the most heartbreaking. But I also totally understand if someone feels they have to take every measure to keep their 96 year old mother alive. I'd fight like hell for my mom too. But, really, the "choice" about how much you get to fight for her would be just as much "yours" as it is already. Doctors, hospitals, administrators, insurance companies, ethics boards, everybody who is looking out for the bottom line and the ethics of a medical treatment - they make choices too."

Obama is not evil. He is the president.
Fixing healthcare is not about taking all of your money, it's about taking the power out of the hands of insurance companies and putting it back into the hands of doctors and patients.
Every other civilized country has found a way to make this work.
Do you really want to stand against reforming this broken system?
I guess every great advancement in society has to have their detractors.