A Privilege?

Last night at Toastmasters we had an impassioned speaker who strongly believes in health care reform, but she didn't try to persuade us to agree with her. She argued and tried to persuade us to add our voice to the debate. Our voice, not deafening shouts of nonsense, our voice. She painted a picture of a recent town hall meeting that she attended of our local congressman. The hall would fit 300 and 2,000 plus showed up when the police wouldn't let anyone else in. There was shouting; there were signs; there were supporters of health care reform and there were opponents of the proposed health care reform. Our speaker got to the meat of the issue by relaying what she overheard from the opposition. "Where do people come off thinking that health care is a right? It is a privilege, not a right." Our speaker was floored by such a comment. You are only entitled to the health care that you can personally afford to pay for.

That argument makes sense in a capitalist society. Slavery makes sense too, in a capitalist society. When your health care coverage is tied to your employer and you need health care coverage to stay alive, then you are basically a slave to your employer is an argument I heard recently.

My only problem with the proposed health care reform is that everyone would be required to purchase health care insurance. [That will only work with a public plan that is priced to the recipient's ability to pay.] While this makes perfect sense that this will spread the cost out among the whole of society instead of making some pay for the health care of all, I know plenty of people who cannot afford health care insurance (I'm rapidly becoming one of them). My take is that it is one thing to require automobile insurance as a cost of owning a car. If you can't afford the insurance, then you shouldn't have a car and you should resign yourself to public transportation. [Why aren't the people opposed to the proposed health care reform upset about public transportation--isn't that a socialist program?] But if you require everyone to purchase health insurance, what is the penalty--no health care? You have to expire on the emergency room floor, because no one will treat you? Health care is not the same thing as driving a car.

We have money in this country to invade other countries on trumped up, false charges, but we can't provide health care for all children? Children are our future--it is only trite, because it is so fundamentally true. We have money in this country to fund the space shuttle. I really hope that they are making profound scientific discoveries, but I haven't heard of any. Do you worry about the source of your electricity when you can't afford your medication? We throw money at so many things, but are our priorities straight? Me, when I have no money, I do without. But when I have a health problem, those costs go to the front of the line. Living trumps just about every other concern needing my resources.

Jon Stewart made short shift of the so called "death panels" argument, but I think we should all do our civic duty and embrace advanced health care directives--if I stop breathing, I'm done--no extraordinary measures necessary. My aunt lived about 11 hours after she was resuscitated against her directive not to be resuscitated. They had to take her off of pain medication to test her brain activity. Of course they didn't tell me that it would hurt her, they just said the test was necessary. When I realized that she was in distress (AGAINST HER DIRECT WISHES IN HER ADVANCED HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE), I forced them to stop. I had to get pretty forceful about it. They had three more doctors lined up to perform "necessary" treatment when the truth was that she was already gone. Even her personal doctor, who was her friend for many years and knew her wishes, seemed to hesitate to follow the DNR. Doctors are trained to save lives. They are tenacious, like prosecutors, they won't give up regardless of contrary evidence. Foxes are tenacious too, but you wouldn't allow them to guard the hen house. The minimal requirement that doctors are paid for having the conversation with patients is much less than I would want to require.

The health care system we have is so very broken. We must take action. This is not like borrowing from our children to wage a war that in the balance of things makes us ultimately less safe. This is immediate needs now. What if we have a pandemic? Do you really trust insurance companies and private "for profit" vendors to handle a real crisis? I don't. I can totally see myself in that stadium in New Orleans waiting for help, waiting for food and water thats not coming. All my tax dollars, all my community service, all my efforts to contribute to society mean nothing when it is services for me or services for the highest bidder. I (middle class) won't be the highest bidder.

I am an advocate for the single payer plan. It is the most efficient and the fairest distribution of assets available. I don't know why my young country is so in love with the rich and with war, but my vote is for the common person and for peace. If the proposed health care plan is the best that this administration can do, it is a start.

Rest in peace Senator Kennedy. We are going to miss your voice very much.