So, The Christian Science Monitor (wonder what THEIR health benefits are like, ha ha) has an article today about employers, employees, health care and personal habits.
The overall point: increasing numbers of employers are looking into the health habits of their workers. And giving incentives - positive and negative - to ween them off bad habits.
In 2006, Weyco employees who refuse to take mandated medical tests and physical examinations will see their monthly health insurance premiums jump by $65. By next year, their annual insurance bills will grow by more than $1,000 if they still fail to follow instructions.
"The cost of healthcare is frustrating everybody, and we believe at Weyco that we have to heal ourselves," says Howard Weyers, company president and founder. "We think it's vital."
But at what price? Should bosses like Mr. Weyers worry about whether workers are getting annual dental exams, eating healthy, or jogging regularly? Or should employees have a basic right to live their personal lives without interference?
So, lemme get this straight. Americans, because they fear socialized medicine and want freedom of medical choice, are willing to submit to the dictates of their corporate employers? Willing to accept intrusion into every aspect of their lives?
Or, more likely, a great many of these Americans don't have time to think about issues like health care and the right wing think tanks keep the nation paralyzed with debate-ending rhetoric ('socialized medicine" 'rationed care').
Why do Americans accept such suboptimal solutions to everything? Under the current system and current trends, they'll get less care, fewer choices, less freedom, more intrusion...
And this is identically analogous to the tax situation. Americans buy into the childish Republican rhetoric about taxes ('it's your money' 'tax and spend liberals') and wind up voting for tax cuts that benefit the wealthy, take away the services that help them, and in turn, spend MORE overall on other direct (and indirect) taxes.
What's the solution? I dunno. But I tend to think telling middle class people not to be suckers works. People can't follow the intricacies of policy debates (too little time, too confusing, too easily perverted by the right), but they CAN be told that it's their right to fight back.
It's incredible to me how brilliant the right is at politically disarming the middle class. Telling them that to demand their share is "class warfare" "entitlement culture" "welfare." Getting them to hate unions.
It's time to tell middle class republican votes that they're being taken for suckers and they CAN fight back. Tell 'em to grab what they can. They'll still have their churches, bibles and guns even with the Dems in power. But they also may be able to pay for their kids' college tuition and cut back on that $1200 per month health care premium.