Recently the battles in congress and the media disinformation over healthcare reform have got my friends and I debating the issue at a fevers pitch. I realized that such a complicated issue can go down so many rabbit trails when addressing concerns including taxes, premiums, quality, service level, etc..etc..
Based on my discussion with people I believe most people are driven by fear on this issue. They are fine with their insurance, they don't want it to go up or lose it, everyone else be damned since the government already takes care of most of them anyways.
What I find most interesting in the arugments is some people inadvertently make the case for Obama's plan! I want to give you a perfect example.
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During a lively debate on a blog a woman stated that Obama sucks! Empty promises! etc.. etc... She then told her story that when she was unemployed she could not get on medicaid but the Mexicans nextdoor to her were on it.
I was floored! This is exactly what Obama wants to fix! I would love to hear more about these types of experiences of others that have been debating. I noticed it even happened at the AARP Obama had at the townhall where someone was dead set against socialized medicine and was to be sure no one touched her Medicare.
Anyway, the real point of this diary is how to have the most abbreviated debate. I am intentionally keeping this diary short because I think I have a good formula for a simple debate on the need for major healthcare reform. Keep it simple! I am not trying to debate the current bill (which is getting worse and worse) just trying to get agreement that we need to do something big... that we need a public option.
The case ------------------------------------------------------------------
- The government currently insures all high cost groups like the poor, elderly, disabled and veterans. We pay tax for all these high cost groups.
- Private insurance currently insures all low cost groups. The young, middle age, those without pre-existing conditions, etc... and charges a very high premium considering the low cost of these groups.
- Healthcare costs are going out of control we can all agree. Medicare is going to go bankrupt.
- Obama OPTIMALLY would like to have the low cost groups combined with the high cost groups so to offset each other.
- The government has a couple of choices in the big picture.
a) It can reform healthcare and combine/pool these low cost groups with high cost groups as well as mandate coverage.
b) It can cut benefits from these government programs by reducing services or lessening the number of recipients.
c) It can raise your taxes to pay for the higher cost of healthcare at the same time you are still paying your insurance premium for private plans.
Of the choices the government has it now appears the healthcare bill may be watered down to not even be effective and I have never heard of a senior ready to vote for someone to cut medicare benefits thus doing nothing or not doing enough is going to result in PAYING HIGHER TAXES.
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That is the case. Any thoughts of what I missed, should expand on or remove?
Oh yeah, I try getting everyone to watch this video. It is a FrontLine documentary on how healthcare has be solved in other CAPITALIST countries. If they don't have time to watch the entire thing (approx 1 hour) I usually suggest Japan (great service level and technologies), Tiawan (same as Japan) and Switzerland (very capitalistic, home of major insurance companies and pharmacuticals).
FRONTLINE: Sick around the world