They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom for trying to change the system from within

[thorne_scratch]

Sneaking in a quick link post because the links are timely. You may have heard something about health care recently!

Comments

[iapetusneume]

The process that they're using to pass it is hella-confusing, though. On Sunday when the vote went through, I went yay, and then I read news articles about reconsiliation, and eventually just gave up because yeah. I was too confused.

Right now I'm just trying to shift through the legalese to find out what *I* should do, especially since I won't be on my mom's health insurance much longer.

There is a loophole that I fell through on the bill - you can be covered under your parents' plan until you're 26 unless your work offers health insurance. I am not planning on staying at McD's unless it's the best coverage I'm going to get - in which I'll then only work part time. I'm also dearly hoping I can stay on my mom's insurance until the end of the year (I turn 25 in May) like my sister did, because Mom's health insurance is the bomb and one of the best ones in the country. My family has been really, really lucky that we have such awesome coverage. (It is one of my arguments for health care reform that my family shouldn't have to be lucky. Especially with all of the work my dad's had in the past few years, we'd be swimming in debt if it wasn't for Mom's amazing insurance.)

Every time some weird Pope tidbit comes up, I think of you. Speaking of which, did you hear that the Pope's personal barber makes $250,000 a year? And apparently the Pope is his only customer. (Though Benedict has more hair than John Paul II did, I will admit.)

[thorne_scratch]

It is, but the more I read, the more I can follow it. I admit, it's a slow slog but the more articles you read, you'll find certain phrases and explanations repeated over and over again. Eventually, you start to be able to at least pick out the basic framework. (I liked your letter that you posted, by the way! I thought it was very straightforward and well spoken.)

I've always been extraordinarily lucky-- first covered by my mother's insurance, who like your mom, had really good insurance-- and then covered by my job, without having to worry about any insurance-less gaps in between. but I agree with your point: one shouldn't have to be lucky to have at least nominal coverage. It should be a basic right. And I hope that once people begin to experience the benefits, they'll realize how much better off. I understand how sometimes it's hard to sell something if people haven't ever-- well, experienced even a baseline appreciation of it. Folks don't have the scope to realize how much better something can be.

I am charmed and delighted that I am your primary association with weird pope trivia.

Speaking of which, did you hear that the Pope's personal barber makes $250,000 a year? And apparently the Pope is his only customer.

Dude, I am quitting my job and putting in an application, stat. Though I suppose there's the danger he can excommunicate you, or have a Swiss Guard gut you like a fish if he doesn't like your haircut. Hmm.

[iapetusneume]

I am trying to start reading more about it, and I will once more stuff gets concrete. (Reconciliation makes everything more confusing.) So, right now I'm still operating in the mindset that it won't happen (Republicans keep on talking about tearing it down), so I'll have my butt covered no matter what.

And thanks about the letter! I really worked on making it brief, because he's probably getting a lot of letters. In Michigan, every Republican voted Nay (my representative is a Republican), and every Democrat voted "Yea."

A point I forgot to include was about the pre-existing conditions. I am horrified at the amount of virtol aimed at people with them on message boards, by people saying that they shouldn't be trying to hurt the poor health insurance companies because of course they're a liability. This is a problem with people to start with, but my issue is that despite having all of my conditions discovered under my mother's health care, I would be refused coverage by someone new because it is "pre-existing." (This is under the old law, of course.) So it didn't matter that I had insurance when they first came up - apparently a lot of people feel that I should pay the difference anyways even when I had been doing the right thing (being insured the whole time). It's around that point I throw my hands in the air and am like: "REFORM NAO PLEASE." (Especially since I have to see a podiatrist and dermatologist at least once a year, and specialists are expensive.)

(I've also heard people argue that because health care was not mentioned in the constitution that it makes it unconstitutional to "force" it on people. And I'm like... "ok, the constitution is over 200 years old. We've had to add amendments a ton of times to modernize it and correct problems that were there before.)

I am clinging to the hope that people will start to understand what this will mean for them once it goes into action. New ideas are often met with resistance, but I mean, hey, if it weren't for new ideas we'd still be part of the British Empire! And that reminds me, have you seen the piece Jon Stewart recently did on Glen Beck? He talks a lot about Progressive in there.

I would totally try to be the Pope's barber, but the fact that I'm not Catholic would probably work against me.

[thorne_scratch]

No worries-- at least you're trying, which is more than a lot of people are doing. I was also interested in your comparison of the Australian health care system with the United States, given your time over there.

I've also heard people argue that because health care was not mentioned in the constitution that it makes it unconstitutional to "force" it on people.

My eyes roll so hard whenever I hear that, they damn near fall out of my head. Like I said, I am perfectly happy for anyone, particularly the Republicans, to go a year without health care for themselves and their families, and then report back on how that worked out for them, and if they have a new appreciation for it now.

I'm kind of a bad Catholic. (Or a lazy one, at least. My conservative cousins like to refer to my family as "cafeteria Catholics." Which is true! And not something I feel ashamed of!) I wonder if he has holy scissors or something. Maybe he has to shave the pope as well.

[iapetusneume]

I actually never used the Australian Health System when I was there, because thank god I never got more than a bad cold that could be killed with soup and orange juice. See, while Australia is totally awesomesauce to it's citizens on terms of health care, foreigners have to pay full price unless they've gone through all the red tape to get government health care (which is not easy). And that is totally fair because Australians pay for their health care through their taxes.

I do also admit that a lot of my understanding of the Australian Health System comes from Patrick and his parents. I really hope that more foreigners can write about how their government health care really isn't that scary, like Patrick did. I'd love to write out a better post on it, but I should do a bit more research first.

One of my friends who's Canadian said that her dad had a surgery and was in a hospital for three weeks. Everything was paid for by health care except for the TV, which her family paid for because he'd be bored out of his mind otherwise. (I think she said they only paid $150 for it or something.) My jaw totally hit the floor when she said that.

Well, from all that I've seen on your LJ (and a few times when Patrick mentions it when I walk to him), you actually know what's what in your religion, which is more than a lot of people could say. So even if you are "lazy," you know the dogma and the secret handshakes and all that jazz. And even if you do it mostly for your amusement, you pay attention to the head of your religion and what's going on. I think it's all good. :)

He must shave with a straight edge, with that sort of barber.

Also, I feel that I must share this with you. Health care talk is important, but it's time for something else light-hearted:

[thorne_scratch]

No worries. Just the fact you got to see how another country operates through your friends there is at least another perspective on the issue. I like pumping Flidget about the health care system in the UK. (Hers sounds pretty cool, though we both agreed that the upside of the US health care system is that we have the cough syrup that can get you higher than a kite, plus sundry other drugs with fun side-effects. Still, Canada seems to be at the top of the list in terms of Places You Should Be If You Intend To Get Hit By A Car Or Something.)

Twelve straight years of private Catholic education has left at least the basic dogma entrenched in my brain, though I admit, my lingering loyalty to Catholicism is mostly because we're a religion that's into a lot of shiny bling and rituals. I am fond of the pope in the abstract-not so much the actual dude, who has done or condoned some things I consider to be pretty bad. And he condemns things I do not, so… it is pretty much a relationship where I inflict my own fanon. Does the pope count as a fandom?

MARU! :D "I Am Maru" is pretty much my favorite blog ever. I can waste hours watching that cat do nothing more than parade around with a bag on his head. He is one of my life's joys. There was even fic about him in this year's Yuletide.

[iapetusneume]

Well, that and I had a lot of political conversations with total strangers. I was an American and this was a novelty, so they wanted the "inside scoop" on what people thought. Most common question I got asked (after "where are you from?") was "What do Americans think of Obama?"

But I digress.

Yeah, the papacy's history is a bit of a mixed bag (to which I hear Dante beyond the grave go, "no duh). And I think you can totally make the Pope a fandom. There's shiny bling, rituals, the popemobile, crazy hats...

My brother found that video a few days ago, and he was like: "...omg, Becky, you must see this." And wow, he even has a fic? This is one cool cat!

[thorne_scratch]

Really? Cool. What did you tell them? (When I was in Italy, I got asked, "What do you think of Bush? Did you vote for him?" like, ten times. Though the most common thing the Czechs asked while they were here tended to be "can I take a picture of that, or will the security guards get angry?" or "what does [American slang, often vulgar] mean?" Good times for all.)

The hats are a major draw. I often think about establishing a hat-based religion.

Seriously, it is the best blog ever. After you browse around it a little, you'll have the full benefit of the story.