As I've said, I'm not a political person. I don't like politics. It's not that I don't understand it because I do. It's that I don't like how it works, and how frustrating it is. I get so mad watching the news. So I stay out of politics unless it's big elections, like the presidential one. But there are some issues which I take very seriously, and it bothers me when I see people being ignorant.
Do you know who gets hurt if health care is repealed? We do. The sick do. I've noticed that of my friends, it's the healthy that are complaining, and that's all well and good for you, but what about those of us who need this in place so badly? Do you have to worry about keeping a full time schedule in school when you can't handle it because you'll lose your health care? Do you have to worry about being denied coverage because you're sick?
If you answered yes, I'll bet you aren't against this bill.
Did coverage costs go up? Yes, they did. Did the health care bill do that? I don't think so. You know who is at fault for that? The insurance companies. Because they are assholes. And I think it's pretty shitty of them. You know what we did about it? We changed who covered us. Found someone who covered mom the same as the other for a lower price and we found something. I know it's not that easy for others, but is that a reason to punish us?
Health care is a right, not a privilege.
Dont take this as a attack on you but somethings I do disagree with and somethings I do agree with. Yes the insurance companies are shitty with them not accepting preexisting conditions and things like that but the health bill is the reason for the cost increase. I got a letter from my insurance company and I qoute "On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(PPACA) that made certain changes to health plans. You current plan will not be grandfathered which means that some of your benefits and cost sharing will change." So I ask how did I become more expensive to insure because a bill passed? If I had some condition or illness then I would understand. I am in good health and did not need to see a doctor too often so the insurance company won their gamble on how much expense I would rack up and made a profit. This is what brings down the premium for other people. The health bill fixed some problems and created others. I didnt follow it too closely while it was in congress but I know there was issues about how it would be funded. Also the bill is about 2000 pages. To give an idea on how long it would take, I worked on proposal over break for a month that is about a 100 pages. Now that would mean it would take about 2 years give or take before it was introduced to congress. That time the Big O was almost 2 years in. So that would mean that some started this as the Big O was just starting or when Bush was finishing. So in that amount of time how could someone not foresee funding problems unless they are that short sighted/an idiot or they left them in there because of someone's agenda. Either way is hard to prove. I am not saying sick people shouldnt coverage but I dont want to pay for someone else's coverage regardless of health. Again Emi dont take this as an attack, I just wanted to have a discussion.
ReplyDeleteYes, I saw those letters. And again, it's the insurance companies that are doing it. They are using that in their letters because they are mad that they have to supply coverage for people like me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you feel as you do about it. And I can understand your anger, but the question I'm really asking is why do people like me have to be punished because the health care bill isn't perfect?
I think a lot of people are being punished, not just those with medical conditions. Perhaps a more non-privatized sort of health care would be better. Those that need the medical care need to get it. BUT there are a lot of people who can barely afford insurance as it is, and those people are getting screwed financially. From a personal perspective, I have been holding off on getting certain tests done because quite frankly, I can't afford it. The deductibles (such as they are) are way too high for me to afford. Both myself and my father, as well as Aaron, have experienced severe increases in health care, in some instances doubling. You are right, insurance companies do suck, big time. The current health care bill has some very good features, which I definitely don't want to see go away. But at the same time, there is a lot of room for improvement.
ReplyDeleteThis is coming from someone who, like her poor father, has to work regardless of health problems, because if we don't work, we can't pay for the medical expenses we have. We need to embrace Canada and some European countries' ideas and have universal health coverage.
I definitely don't want to see you having to worry about being in school to keep your insurance again. You have more than enough to worry about as it is. Personally, I think the government should revise the existing bill rather than repeal it. It's always the sick and the poor who get screwed, and I think it is safe to say that you, myself, and Aaron (and my daddy) all fall into one of those (or both) categories.
The problem with anything like this is that some people get punished when they shouldn't. I think the increase in payments suck. I'd love to see them revise some of it, fix the problems. The problem is that a lot of people in congress are making it hard. They don't want the poor or the sick to be covered.
ReplyDeleteBut we NEED the health care. Yes, let's go with France's because they have one of the best. But the other side will never allow it.
I agree with you 100%. Personally, I'd like to see the wealthy peeps get the punishment for once, ya know???
ReplyDeleteThere was one man (yes, a republican) that specifically said that only a rich deserved health care. I know a lot of other people feel the same way. Or they feel the chronically ill don't deserve it because we are too expensive. Yes, it's not perfect, but France does have the best one out there.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, I wish it could be tweaked, but we can't be without it anymore. I can't even tell you for sure what I would do if I lost it, because suicide would be one of the main things on my mind. Plenty of others would have the same reaction.
I wish I had more people in here who knew the bill and politics better than I do. I just know that we can't go back to no health care. *I* can't have that happen.
Oh lets just make the rich people happy and privatize everything. Then we can all pay to use the roads, schools, libraries, and everything else. Then with society like that it will make fucking sense to have shit health care.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about it and only way to make it work is through a tax increase or redoing the budget to minimize a tax increase and running it through the government. As much as I dont like the government have a big pile of money that is hard to keep track of, I know the current system or a pay more for you own cost system wont work forever. It is like the man whose house burned down while fire fighters watched because he didnt pay his fee because he though they would respond whether he paid or not. The tax solution though unpopular would cover cost because everyone pays and if not the IRS makes sure you do. It could be supplemented with co-pays similar to now which people are use to and it would minimize a tax increase. Also this limit financial hardship because if cost incurred because of current or future illness. Unless there is a better way, this might be the best way to tackle this beast. It might take a repeal and/or a rewrite for this to happen and also there have to be a whole lot of politicians who are willing to stick their necks out and put their careers on the line for this but it needs to be done to fix things. To give momentum for this, try getting involved with groups and writing people in congress. Helping push something that people want will get a senator or a representative votes which they want. Last time I checked this is America and you can get involved in causes that mean something to you.
ReplyDeleteI, too, can both agree and disagree. I'm currently without insurance, because my COBRA just lapsed and I don't have a new policy, yet. However, I also have a pre-existing condition (diabetes) and getting new coverage scares the bejeebers out of me.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree that the insurance companies are not being straightforward with their excuses for cost increases. Maybe if they didn't pay so many vice presidents (I think only the "investment" industry has more vice presidents per number of employees), and accepted a lower return on investment than they've historically had, health care could be more affordable.
On the other hand, I don't believe it's the government's responsibility to provide benefits to individuals. Every person should be responsible for his or her own insurance (yes, I'd eliminate it as an employee benefit, as well, once rates are reasonable). It then becomes another budget item. I think most people could probably afford it, if they stop thinking of things like cigarettes and cable TV as necessities. And remember the key phrase: ONCE RATES ARE REASONABLE.
I don't want the government involved, because there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the government has proved repeatedly that it is not capable of providing services properly.
Dave