I've seen three misconceptions pop up over and over during health care reform discussions here on Kos. And they are starting to get me irritated.
We don't need misguided talking points circulating here!
I'm the last one to advise a Republican talking point program; we can agree to disagree.
But I think these three objections to a Single Payer plan are off-base, and want to declare that for the record. Plus, this morning I heard some so-called journalist spouting them, too.
People will believe these lies unless we combat them.
All corrections graciously accepted.
More...
There's three objections to Single Payer Healthcare I read over and over in comments. Do they make any sense?
The "I'm Just Being 'Sensible'" Commenter: There just isn't enough money in the world!
They start in with "there's just not enough to go around" and "all this costs money" and "do you have any idea what we spend on health care now?"
Their point seems to be that to treat the people dying around us would cost more than we are paying now, so how can we possibly afford it?
They are really missing the point.
That's what reform is, Not-Sensible Commenter. Reform is getting the waste and over-high expenses out of the system. That's where a lot of the money can come from.
Right now, insurance company profits are in the billions of dollars. And every single bleeding cent of that is not getting anyone better health.
Not to mention reform will lower overhead, as many doctor/diarists have explained. They have a complex maze to negotiate with all the insurance companies, and every minute they hassle with that, they aren't getting anyone better, either.
For a quick synopsis of the worst money wastage, read this article, Profit For Some Or Care For All about where all that money goes.
The "OMG" Commenter: There will be rationing!
Usually when this comes up, someone else is quick to point out we have rationing now. Which we certainly do. If you don't have money, or some kind of job that helps you get decent health insurance, you don't get healthcare.
But that's not what this annoying commenter is interested in. Once again, they look at the current situation, imagine millions more sitting in their doctor's waiting room, and conclude there just isn't room for everyone.
Well, if doctors and nurses weren't on the phone with insurance adjusters, test labs, and pharmacies, trying to juggle all the competing and confusing and contradictory rules, just to get one patient treated, don't you think they'd have more time to, I dunno, treat patients?
Not to mention the fact that when an uninsured person is finally forced to the doctor, their condition is now likely an emergency. It's not a prescription or a test to catch something in time.
Now it needs a darn team.
And the outcome is such that we have the need for more care, and more continuing care, because the person wasn't able to "nip it in the bud."
Read Tales of a Family Doctor to get some idea of how much medical time is wasted under the current system.
The "Get Your Fat Ass Off the Couch" Commenter: Why should I pay for the people who don't take care of themselves?
This might be the kind of misguided comment that steams me the most. Because, Mr. or Ms. "I work out and eat only organic lettuce and I don't see why everyone else can't do that too," not everyone else can do that. And even if everyone did, it still doesn't help when you are hit by a truck, does it?
Of course we should have more public health care initiatives. That's part of making sure everyone has preventative care, and exams, too. Won't that save money? By making people healthier?
And, guess what? You are already taking care of a ton of people who might not have been jogging and eating yogurt all their lives. They're called Grandma and Grandpa.
Maybe these commenters would round up all the middle-aged people and put them in exercise camps with lots of whole grains. That's the ticket! Head off all those ailments the I'm-So-Healthy commenters don't want to take care of.
There are athletes with asthma and diabetes. Do you think they don't exercise enough?
There are vegetarians who have anemia from a lack of B-12. A little red meat would do them good.
And there's non-smokers who get lung cancer. What would you do with them?
Quit whining and realize that the bigger the pool, the smaller the risk. You are acting just like the insurance companies. They only want to insure healthy people.
And all the exercise and eating right in the world won't help you if these same insurance companies find out you've been sick before. No matter what it was. Even if you got better thanks to taking care of yourself.
You're just screwed.
Besides, think of it this way: We have millions of heart attacks every year, and a lot of them are people who were eating right, and taking their meds, and taking walks. They had heart attacks anyway. Ironically, they will be more expensive to take care of.
Because the two-pack a day guy, who starts drinking at lunch with his double cheeseburger... that guy is probably going to be gone before he hits the floor.
He's the cheap one. So now you don't have to worry!
Thanks for hanging in there while I ranted.
I feel better now.