(no subject)
Cutting because, yeah... political. I don't do it often.
Ok, at the risk of offending people, I'm so fucking tired of hearing people whine about how horrible and evil and expensive and stupid government run health care would be. I know this is so totally out of the blue, but someone replied to a friend on Facebook detailing the idiocy of taking his precious tax dollars to fix something that *wasn't* broken, and BAM! There I was on the soapbox, about to take over her little update status. I kindly dragged it over here instead.
Dear people who think health care is great the way it is:
Here's a perfect example: my mother, employed for 24 years, laid off 1 month before she could have collected retirement from the company. Puts in for 4-6 jobs every week, attends workshops and conferences and job fairs religiously. Still unemployed after a year. Pays $600 a month for COBRA, which will soon not even be an option anymore. She calls me yesterday, fairly upset, because her face has swollen and she doesn't know why. She's afraid to go to the doctor because she can't afford it. But that's not a broken system, no! Another example: two years ago, I cracked a rib from coughing, and even WITH my health insurance I was afraid to go to the doctor because my deductible was $1000 and I couldn't afford the x-rays... because the HUGE company I worked for cut some shady deal with the insurance companies so that we got like 1/4 of our benefits for the same premium we were paying before.
THERE IS SOMETHING BLOODY FUCKING WRONG WITH THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AMERICA.
Quit being selfish, greedy assholes! For every person you tell me you "know" in Canada who says their health care system is a nightmare, I personally know three who think we're batshit crazy for being afraid of socialized medicine. You have some romanticized notion of standing in long depression-esque lines to get to see the doctor. Tell me, how long was the wait to get an appointment last time you called? Depends on the doctor, but for me it's somewhere between a few weeks and a few months. You honestly think it will get worse than that?
Here's the thing: I think EVERYONE deserves basic health care, and yes that includes the crazy guy downtown who lives under the highway and tries to sell me dead leaves because he thinks they're roses. Just because you are born into a better situation (and yes, that's LUCK, not any special thing you did that makes you more important or worthy than anyone else) does not mean you should be the only one entitled to see a doctor. Just because it's not a problem for you doesn't mean it's not a problem for millions of us.
And no, I don't think the government would get everything right off the bat (or hell, ever. not with something this big). Yes, I think people would take advantage. Yes, it's expensive and complex and will require a lot more patience than politics to implement. But HOW DARE YOU sit there all smug, dictating who can and can't go to the doctor when they're sick? Have we really fallen so low that we can't hold out a hand to those less fortunate? Ugh. We have other models to copy, and work the bugs out of. We have fallen far behind other nations in many areas, and this is one of them. I'm happy to hear debate about what will work and what won't work, but the whole idea that it's FINE and we are just whining about nothing frankly makes me want to slap the ever-loving shit out of you.
OK, I feel slightly better now. Slightly. Grr.
Off to work.
Ok, at the risk of offending people, I'm so fucking tired of hearing people whine about how horrible and evil and expensive and stupid government run health care would be. I know this is so totally out of the blue, but someone replied to a friend on Facebook detailing the idiocy of taking his precious tax dollars to fix something that *wasn't* broken, and BAM! There I was on the soapbox, about to take over her little update status. I kindly dragged it over here instead.
Dear people who think health care is great the way it is:
Here's a perfect example: my mother, employed for 24 years, laid off 1 month before she could have collected retirement from the company. Puts in for 4-6 jobs every week, attends workshops and conferences and job fairs religiously. Still unemployed after a year. Pays $600 a month for COBRA, which will soon not even be an option anymore. She calls me yesterday, fairly upset, because her face has swollen and she doesn't know why. She's afraid to go to the doctor because she can't afford it. But that's not a broken system, no! Another example: two years ago, I cracked a rib from coughing, and even WITH my health insurance I was afraid to go to the doctor because my deductible was $1000 and I couldn't afford the x-rays... because the HUGE company I worked for cut some shady deal with the insurance companies so that we got like 1/4 of our benefits for the same premium we were paying before.
THERE IS SOMETHING BLOODY FUCKING WRONG WITH THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN AMERICA.
Quit being selfish, greedy assholes! For every person you tell me you "know" in Canada who says their health care system is a nightmare, I personally know three who think we're batshit crazy for being afraid of socialized medicine. You have some romanticized notion of standing in long depression-esque lines to get to see the doctor. Tell me, how long was the wait to get an appointment last time you called? Depends on the doctor, but for me it's somewhere between a few weeks and a few months. You honestly think it will get worse than that?
Here's the thing: I think EVERYONE deserves basic health care, and yes that includes the crazy guy downtown who lives under the highway and tries to sell me dead leaves because he thinks they're roses. Just because you are born into a better situation (and yes, that's LUCK, not any special thing you did that makes you more important or worthy than anyone else) does not mean you should be the only one entitled to see a doctor. Just because it's not a problem for you doesn't mean it's not a problem for millions of us.
And no, I don't think the government would get everything right off the bat (or hell, ever. not with something this big). Yes, I think people would take advantage. Yes, it's expensive and complex and will require a lot more patience than politics to implement. But HOW DARE YOU sit there all smug, dictating who can and can't go to the doctor when they're sick? Have we really fallen so low that we can't hold out a hand to those less fortunate? Ugh. We have other models to copy, and work the bugs out of. We have fallen far behind other nations in many areas, and this is one of them. I'm happy to hear debate about what will work and what won't work, but the whole idea that it's FINE and we are just whining about nothing frankly makes me want to slap the ever-loving shit out of you.
OK, I feel slightly better now. Slightly. Grr.
Off to work.