My mother broke her arm today; fell in the shower. She was at the hospital at 9AM. By 4PM still waiting for surgery. No, we're not Canadian! "Greatest health care in the world" ... At least she's covered, a little.
I am wondering why everyone thinks we're destined for failure if it drags out? I understand that the forces that exist will try to mount opposition, but if you recall, the same was said of Obama's inevitable demise in the temporally expansive primary season.
I cannot believe this Congress will return with no plan. If they do, we'll have a colossal shit fest. I expect the opposite: I give more credit not only to some of our political leaders but also to the public. We've been primed for this to come for a while now. Those of us without health insurance don't like waiting, but we're used to it. I can wait another month if it means it actually goes through.
Anecdote 2
Writing your Congress people is interesting. I got a reply from one Republican senator that he would 'keep in mind my thoughts on access and coverage' while forwarding a bulletin of what he wouldn't support: a public plan.
Oddly, the Republicans want to maintain Democratic goals: that is, they say they want reform, expanded coverage, and lowered costs. But they cannot produce a plan. Perhaps rather than focusing on advancing the Democratic plan(s), why don't we shift the focus to the Republican lack-of-plan? This will take the heat off Democrats as they organize; and it will force Republicans into admitting that they will not support true health care reform. The public needs to see this and get it. Right now they sound like Democratic mediators, passively/wisely curving the edges of any proposal. This is a ridiculous meme, especially when they cannot compose their own position.
Anecdote 3
I work for my family's small business. We employ about a dozen people. I do the payroll and some product construction. For all the talk about expanded health care harming small businesses... Who is saying this? As far as I can tell, it is Corporate Blowhards. This will not hurt small businesses.
At our company, we do not have the money to afford health care for any workers: I do not have insurance, nor does any one of our workers. It's a disgrace, but we are a newly formed business in the middle of a recession. Last night a worker was in a car wreck. Today he is in intensive care. (It's been a crazy week.) He is uninsured and will be sacked with debt, if he recovers. He will not be able to save or spend in the way he wants, because the social safety net was never installed. His family has a dual grief tonight: every hour is more thousands of dollars and every hour is a blessing. Why is it like this in America?
We know that our workers suffer when they get sick because our business suffers too. Small businesses benefit from healthy workers who are not distracted by sickness or health-related debt. It's common sense. And the less we all spend on healthcare, the more small businesses will rebound.
Perhaps this should have been in an open diary but I don't care.
Anyway, enough doom and gloom. If it fails, it's only because we failed. I refuse to prescribe that future. I wish the media and some liberals would feel the same.
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