That the ineffective healthcare system needs a substantial an immediate renovation is indisputable. Americans of every political ideology agree that too many people and their families are uninsured or underinsured and that health care costs are higher than necessary but, generally speaking, Republican and Democratic lawmakers clash on the solution. Unlike other industrialized countries, economic status plays a major role in determining health status for Americans, an appalling situation in the minds of Europeans who benefit from cradle-to-grave medical care. They regard it as a birthright. Taking care of the nations sick without consideration to their social location is a responsibility enlightened society’s embrace.
Congressional Republicans are attempting to block health care reform for two reasons. One, the ‘party of no’ is against health care reform. They also opposed Social Security and Medicare for the same ideological, albeit illogical motive. Two, Republicans know that if Americans are guaranteed affordable, transportable health care and can never be ruined financially due to illness or accident they will like it and the party that brought it to them. Americans also will remember which party said no. In other words, Republicans are denying reform for political reasons.
The majority of Americans recognize the health care crisis as one of the most important concerns the nation faces as evidenced by the amount of speech-making allocated to this problem on both sides of the political fence. Even people who have insurance are restricted to the amount and type of care they receive, many times reliant on bureaucrats instead of doctors to determine remedies. Liberal Democrats favor what is termed as a ‘single payer’ system, a.k.a. universal health care, a more efficient system that covers everyone.
This system basically emulates the same approach used by Canada, Britain, Cuba, Russia, Brazil, Japan, all western European countries and several other countries. The ‘public option’ now being hotly debated in D.C. is a compromise, a ‘watered-down’ version of the single payer system in that private health insurance companies continue to exist.
Those opposed to health care reform such as the pharmaceutical and insurance industries have portrayed this system as ‘socialized medicine.’ This phrase elicits thoughts of communist ideals, the ‘red menace’ slithering into American society. Health care reform, however, cannot be correctly described as socialized medicine. If the proposed public option can be categorized as socialism, then other worthwhile endeavors such as the military can be as well.
Few, if any, are opposed to socialized police, fire and ambulance services or would privatize the nation’s public school system. Americans of all political persuasions are willing to fund these important services yet some, those influenced by the fear-mongering of insurance and pharmaceutical lobbying efforts, would deny health care delivered by the same method. The public option has been vilified by to the point where the term has become somewhat toxic. Perhaps the term Medicare Part E should be used instead. (Medicare for ‘E’veryone).
Medical bills were less of a concern for families of the 1950’s but medical technology then seems ancient by today’s standards. 50 years ago, the average lifespan was about 68. Today, it’s 10 tears longer. The costs and benefits of healthcare are linked yet many people do not appreciate why they pay more today equivalent to the 1950’s or even a decade ago. People commonly have come to consider healthcare a commodity in the much the same way they think of gasoline or electricity where price has only a modest impact on the value of the product.
Legislating health care reform will appreciably reduce the drain of escalating healthcare costs to families and eradicate the quality of care divide. A health care system similar to what is offered the majority of the ‘civilized’ world should be a reality and not a matter of debate. It’s what the public desires and furthermore, what they deserve as citizens of the U.S. Presently, the U.S. is the only developed, ‘civilized’ nation that allows its citizens to be declined medical treatment because of an inability to pay.
This embarrassing situation would be quickly fixed by passing health care reform. In addition, the national deficit would be reduced instead of ballooning further out of control if reform is not passed. Other than insurance and pharmaceutical companies in addition to the politicians they have bought, all would benefit.
People would profit both financially and physically. The government on the federal and state level could use the money spent now on the broken health care system to fund social programs that would society on a brad basis. Patients would not have to choose from short a list of physicians unlike the current system and would not have to rely on an insurance company bean-counter to decide to what degree or if their condition will be covered at all by insurance.
People are unnecessarily suffering and dying while enormous amounts of capital is being wasted, all for no other reason than the stubbornness of the country’s leaders to tackle the problem. Health care reform does makes sense politically, economically and in human terms. Pharmaceutical and insurance companies are large donors to politicians. Additionally, these large, powerful companies have the finances to barrage the media with self-serving misinformation (lies) designed to scare the public into keeping the existing failed health care system. Americans should be ashamed and appalled by the system, their general lack of knowledge of this and other important issues and for being manipulated.