Why You Should Vote for Obama Part 1
I've been intending to wrap all of my thoughts about the coming election into one tidy post, but let's get real. Life's messy. If I keep waiting for the time to be available to do this wonderous post, it'll never happen. To make this tackleable, let's take on one issue at a time.
HEALTHCARE
John McCain wants to keep private health insurance companies as we have them now, but rather than rely on employers to set up patient accounts, individuals and familieswould be responsible for their subscriptions.
People are of course free to buy their own insurance policies today. They're outrageously expensive. I haven't tried to get one myself, but I understand they can run $500 to $1000 per month. That's more than many Americans pay in rent. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, it can be difficult to be accepted at all. John McCain himself, with his history of skin cancer, would probably not be accepted by a private insurance company today, were he unemployed.
McCain cites a Guaranteed Access Plan that some states have implemented to be sure "uninsurable" people with pre-existing conditions can still get care. As these plans exist today, there is still a lot of red tape involved and it can take a year to get coverage. Meanwhile, the condition you need treatment for is getting worse. When, at the end of the red tape, you are finally able to get care, the care will be more expensive and difficult. It's best to treat illnesses early!
Obama proposes requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, and advocates taking steps to bring in more government help to people who need it. And people clearly need it. Tens of thousands of people die in this country every year because they do not have insurance to pay for treatments. Think about that. That's like people dying from malaria in third world countries because there doesn't happen to be medication handy. That's crazy, but this is the United States. One of the wealthiest nations in the country. People shouldn't be dying from treatable illnesses and diseases.
I don't pretend that Obama can fix this problem quickly, but it sure seems his plan is a better step in the right direction than McCain's. Obama actually gives a damn about poor people too, which is something I can't say for McCain and the Republican party.
I would like to edit and expand upon some of these thoughts, but I have to be at work early in the morning. Must get to bed.
HEALTHCARE
John McCain wants to keep private health insurance companies as we have them now, but rather than rely on employers to set up patient accounts, individuals and familieswould be responsible for their subscriptions.
People are of course free to buy their own insurance policies today. They're outrageously expensive. I haven't tried to get one myself, but I understand they can run $500 to $1000 per month. That's more than many Americans pay in rent. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, it can be difficult to be accepted at all. John McCain himself, with his history of skin cancer, would probably not be accepted by a private insurance company today, were he unemployed.
McCain cites a Guaranteed Access Plan that some states have implemented to be sure "uninsurable" people with pre-existing conditions can still get care. As these plans exist today, there is still a lot of red tape involved and it can take a year to get coverage. Meanwhile, the condition you need treatment for is getting worse. When, at the end of the red tape, you are finally able to get care, the care will be more expensive and difficult. It's best to treat illnesses early!
Obama proposes requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, and advocates taking steps to bring in more government help to people who need it. And people clearly need it. Tens of thousands of people die in this country every year because they do not have insurance to pay for treatments. Think about that. That's like people dying from malaria in third world countries because there doesn't happen to be medication handy. That's crazy, but this is the United States. One of the wealthiest nations in the country. People shouldn't be dying from treatable illnesses and diseases.
I don't pretend that Obama can fix this problem quickly, but it sure seems his plan is a better step in the right direction than McCain's. Obama actually gives a damn about poor people too, which is something I can't say for McCain and the Republican party.
I would like to edit and expand upon some of these thoughts, but I have to be at work early in the morning. Must get to bed.