Once More Into the Breach

Today, I'm trying to figure out a few key things about the health care reform bill in play at the moment.

1. It seems like everyone agrees that we need health care reform. It's also clear that on such a politically charged issue, there will not be 100% agreement on how it should be implemented. Why can't the folks who oppose the bill focus on the parts they do not like and try to get them resolved instead of requesting to start from scratch?

2. I have pretty good insurance through my company and a well-known insurance carrier. Even still, when trying to find out the billing code for a trivial health test (to see if it would be covered), I spent half an hour and contacted a number of billing departments to no avail. I went in to the doctor's office to see if I could get a nurse or someone in billing to help and watched them take another 20 minutes before finally getting an answer. Not life or death, but it shouldn't be that difficult. Here's a USAToday post about people with much more dire billing issues.

3. We have public and private schools. Yes, public schools cost money and may turn out lower-scoring students than other public systems around the world. However, imagine if there were no public schools at all. Many folks would save a lot on their annual tax bill, but would they automatically funnel that into the primary education fund for their kids? More importantly, what would happen to the folks living near the poverty level? They might get more food in a month with the extra tax money, but how would they educate their children? (This is, of course, an analogy to public vs. private health care.)

4. Is anyone else sick of hearing about how we're ruining things for our kids and grandkids? It's a cheap, emotional talking point that casts anyone voting for this reform bill as a child hater. It's obvious that nobody would vote for a bill that puts future citizens of any stripe in jeopardy for a quick hit today. I'm also tired of hearing about how "Americans do not want this legislation". I'm an American and I do want this legislation. A majority of Americans voted Obama into office, and this is his policy. So, the majority of people wanted Obama and nearly everyone agrees that we need health care reform. Repeating those negative mantras over and over again is a subliminal trick. I'm afraid it works, too.

The government exists to serve and protect its people. Corporations exist to make money. Currently, corporations determine our ability to get the help we need. Corporations do not care about our cancer. Their cancer is hemorrhaging revenues, and they'll do anything to bandage those wounds. It's the opposite of the good Sammaritan story here.

In my simplistic way of thinking, while both the government and corporations can be bought or corrupted, I would rather have the government setting limits and creating safety nets than just leaving the corporations in charge. I think this is the most important aspect of this legislation. I'll take all of the pork and even some bad ideas to get the initial stake planted. It can be legislated from there. Unless you think none of our children or grandchildren will be senators.