Healthcare change. Scary?

I've been avoiding writing about this topic (other than the occasional post here or there). This is such a hot topic in both today's political arena and in town halls across the nation that it deserves closer examination. Violence has erupted because people are afraid of the government having too much control.

The stories that are being slung around are a little unsettling. In the future the government will decide when grandma and grandpa will die. Our rights will dissolve before our eyes. The initial steps our government takes now to help its citizens will ultimately lead to a supremacist, socialist government that will stop at nothing to rule its citizens with an iron fist.

People really don't understand America do they?

It sounds grim doesn't it? It sounds very extreme, and frankly I don't want that for my country. But the fact is that those are all gross misinterpretations and fear mongering by a very tiny minority. But it's working. The health care reform has a serious hurdle to overcome in the approval of the nation. I for one cannot think of a better time to push this bill through.

Never in our history has a president had so much support and backing from day one. President Obama is a charismatic leader, he inspires so many to do so much. I am not one of those people mind you. In virtually everything he does, I disagree nearly all of the time. But health care? He's got my attention. And I genuinely feel that if this President, this very influential figure, if he cannot push health care reform now while his numbers are high, then I feel it will never come.

What is the problem with our system? Why does it need change? I know many people who are perfectly happy with the system as is. Find yourself a good paying job, with a full benefit package, and you're golden. The system is set up to take care of you. You get sick, you go to the doctor of your choice and get medical help, most of the time. If you need corrective surgery, your insurance can help foot the bill. If you're in an accident and put on life support for several days or weeks, you are covered. It sounds great doesn't it? That's how it is supposed to function. You buy into it at a certain price, and they'll give you coverage, to a certain price.

What if your job doesn't provide health care? Then you go out and buy it yourself. No problem. What if you can't afford to buy it? What if you've never had insurance? You could argue that people are lazy, they sit on their ass and collect welfare. And now they'll be getting free health care. You may cry foul. You may say that health care is not a basic human right. I would disagree.

A country is only as strong as it's weakest citizen. If our weakest citizen is a homeless, crack-addicted, down-on-his-luck Joe without a thought of health care, than we have serious problems, most of which don't even begin at insurance. Drugs, homelessness, those are other posts waiting to be written. Today is health care.

I feel the problem to be that our health care is founded on a profit-based system. Yes we do live in a capitalist nation, but I don't hear the police knocking on my door asking for money before they'll protect me. Or fireman will stop putting out the fire in my house because I didn't pay my latest bill. There are certain things that should be set outside of the traditional capitalist mentality. There are things that must be provided for the benefit of people. Basic health care coverage should be one of them. We need to be a healthy nation if we are to survive long term.

There are stories, REAL stories of people dealing with the horrors of the health insurance companies. I find it very ironic that people talk of government "Death Panels," when insurance companies have been in the "Death Panel" business for years. You think that insurance companies have never turned down somebody who needed medicine to survive, simply because of a pre-existing condition, or they didn't meet the requirements for coverage. The truth is that insurance companies turn people down all the time, every day. They'll turn down care to people who REALLY need it. To save a buck? To protect the bottom line? Because they don't meet the requirements?

It is absolutely sickening that a business can rule over our very health the way insurance companies do. Opponents of the new health care bill would say that it scares them that the government could lord over our health too, but I think people are frightened too easily. An interesting statistic to think about: We are one of two developed nations in the world that DO NOT have government provided health care. The other is Mexico, whom I can think of better company to be in.

The point is that virtually every important nation on the EARTH does this, why is it so difficult for us to implement it too. Are we too ingrained into our insurance based system to not see it is a broken way of thinking? Are we so afraid of the idea that malevolent government could take advantage of it's citizens?

It all boils down to one simple idea. One that has halted many projects, bills, and ideas. Change. As you can clearly see in town halls nationwide, people are afraid of change. Most are afraid of what the government could do given too much power. But do you really think that a government wants to hurt its citizens? Do you really think it is in our country's best interests to harm people?

This is my final point:

I'm more afraid of a faceless business that is in it purely for monetary gain and not my personal health, than a government who has every intention of keeping its citizens healthy and happy. What the hell is there to lose?

We aren't talking about 1930s Germany here (although I do find the picture below, kind of funny). We aren't talking about the beginnings of socialism here (at least not in health care reform). We are America. The greatest thing about this country is the fact that people can voice their opinions and be heard. We are not in danger of loosing any rights, merely gaining a few. The right to live healthy with free healthcare is something I want from my country. So let's make it happen.

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