Imagine all public services in the hands of medical insurance companies....
America! Land of the free. Home of the brave. Life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness...
Thank you, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington,
Benjamin Franklin, et al. We live each and every day in this
great nation grateful for your courage and wisdom.
At this moment, our legislators are debating changes in this
nation's healthcare system. There is much disagreement. Some
want things to remain exactly as they are. And there are those
fortunate enough to receive Medicare, TriCare or VA benefits--all
forms of government healthcare. And there are approximately 46
million others who have nothing at all.
Every day, Americans lose their jobs and face the same fate as
those 46 million--life without medical insurance. Every day
Americans face critical illnesses and find themselves facing
bankruptcy due to denied claims and/or increasing premiums and
co-pays. Or they're completely canceled by their insurer because
they become "too expensive."
Apparently medical insurance does not fit the old "you get what
you pay for" scenario....
The primary argument the opponents to healthcare change make is
one against "socialized" medicine. They don't want the government
involved in this part of their lives.
Well, the government is already involved in crucial parts of our
everyday lives, and we should be thankful for that.
Just imagine an ordinary day if a major medical insurance company
owned your municipal water, fire, and police departments....
You wake up to use the toilet and an EOB prints out from the top
of your tank, demanding you meet your deductible before you can
flush. Muttering to yourself, you trudge downstairs to make a pot
of coffee, but there's a notice on the kitchen faucet reminding
you about a premium increase and co-pay before you can access that
tap. Oh, and forget the shower, the laundry, the dishes, and the
garden as well.
Thirsty, yet...? How about the kids and Fido?
Your lawn is drying out, of course, so the spark from your
neighbor's mower--he has water insurance--ignites your dry grass.
You hit 9-1-1, but the dispatcher informs you that you need a
pre-authorization before they can send the fire truck. You rush
outside to turn on the hose to keep the fire away from your house,
but--you guessed it--no water.
While you and the family try to move personal items from the house
to avoid destruction, a burglar sneaks in through the back door to
steal electronics. Your wife dials 9-1-1 again, but you were laid off and can't afford the COBRA premium.
And heaven forbid anyone should get injured in the fire and
require medical care....
You and your now homeless family attend a town hall meeting with a
legislator in favor of putting these services in the hands of the
public instead of those interested in only greed and profit.
However, the insurance companies have brought in organized
protesters who shout him down, and don't allow his supporters to
be heard. They make death threats and compare those in favor of
making these services available to all Americans "Nazis." Some of
them even make up lies about "death panels" and other nonsense
simply to frighten people.
Sound familiar? It should. Our Founding Fathers would be
ashamed. What happened to civil discourse? No one said we all
have to agree, but we can discuss our differences as reasonable
human beings.
After all, look at what our Continental Congress accomplished 233
years ago.