All news points to a resolution of some kind, an “up or down vote,” on the President’s health care reform efforts within the next week or so. Fortunately, I’ve been able to get by medically and “healthwise,” without a lot of health issues in recent years — beyond simply trying to find the best weight loss supplements or vitamin/mineral supplements.
But if I had any sudden, catastrophic medical problems I would have to rely on the good will and generosity of our local hospitals and emergency room personnel.
One of the most interesting facts about the whole furor for and against a better or radically different health care system is that old cray, “Why must we make major changes instead of simply fixing the parts that need fixing one-by-one and keeping the current system’s structures in place?”
I’ll tell you exactly why serious, major work is needed right now: For about 100 years (since at least the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt) everyone from local to state to federal officials and health care people from top to bottom have been trying to get the job done. If it hasn’t worked to make important changes providing coverage to all for 100 YEARS, it isn’t going to get done little-by-little in the next 100 years.
Simple facts, folks. America is supposedly the world’s “leader” in all the glories we sing about, i.e., economic power, political freedom, military might, world leadership, etc. Yet we are the only major industrialized nation in the world without some form of universal health care.
I fear that the current HUGE health care reform plan being understood and misunderstood actually doesn’t make enough changes.
But it may well be better than the lame, insurance owned system we call “health care” now!