"Universal Health-Scare"

A new week, a new day, a new school, a new blog being sent out into the internet void. I have been wondering what would be the best way to start a political blog. Then I realized there are about two people who will read this – so who gives a damn. So what better way to begin sharpening my political prowess by diving headfirst into the quagmire that is the healthcare system? Cable news is inundated with health care reporting – interviews and debates between congressmen and congresswomen, ardent anti-government protesting, those painful town hall meeting question/answer sessions, and the occasional corn-fed redneck calling President Obama an illegal alien communist dictator. It’s enough to make you want to punch your television, until you realize that Wolf Blitzer is on, and he’s awesome (really, I mean, his name is Wolf … that’s BA). So who should we troubled masses believe? The proponents, the opponents, the vacillating crowd who isn’t quite satisfied but appreciates the main objective?

For me, it’s a big question of “Ifs”. I would support the health care reform if it turns out how it has been advertized by the President and Left-leaning members of Congress. Government sponsored healthcare as an option seems perfectly acceptable. As long as private insurance coverage can still exist, the government should make an effort to fill in the gaps left by capitalistic insurance companies. Many people believe that a government agency in charge of healthcare will run all private companies out of business. This fear is understandable, since the government healthcare administrators will not have to worry about making a profit the way that private companies do. Theoretically, the government health care “company” would be able to spend massive amounts of taxpayer money without having to balance its checkbook. However, today I heard President Obama refer to the Post Office – which as most of you know, is knee deep in the red right now. UPS and FedEx do quite well in the face of the government agency that is the postal service – maybe private insurance companies will do the same. Introducing a new competitor for insurance customers to subscribe to, may force private companies to be more competitive in the marketplace, i.e. cheaper and more user-friendly. Seems legit to me.

On the other hand, if private health care is done away with, competition (which is ONLY the backbone of our economy) flies out the window. With it goes our right to choose our coverage and ultimately the quality of coverage. It’s really as simple as that.

It seems to me that people who believe that there should only be private coverage do not realize that there will inevitably be uninsured and underinsured people out there. I wonder what they expect people who cannot afford an insurance plan to do. If a single parent who can only afford one insurance plan pays for insurance coverage for his child instead of paying for his own, and is then diagnosed with cancer, what does he do? Roll up into a ball and die? If he cannot afford the treatment bills and has no insurance of his own, what else is he supposed to do? He has his child insured while sacrificing his own security, and then he could potentially die, leaving his medical debts to his family.

In short - like most things in life, moderation seems to apply well to healthcare.