You realize that someday “Obamacare” won’t be spoken as a pejorative. It will used the same way we say “medicare”. It will be celebrated as that first step toward universal coverage in this country.
Despite all the other things going on in my life right now, this one thing has made me happy, and given me some hope that there is a way past the divisive politics to a place where we think about the good of the country and her citizens — all of them.
“Obamacare” is a pejorative? Where I am, it means pretty much the same thing as “Romneycare”, except that it’s national in scope.
I use Medicare as a pejorative, too.
Okay, Kevin. Your grandparents probably wouldn’t agree. It’s a program which has improved the lives of the elderly profoundly.
Hehe, yes, it will probably be mentioned in the same sentence as Medicare… an unsustainable entitlement designed to bribe (and frighten) the elderly.
Why, just listen to a notorious right winger tell it…
[quote]As a result of an aging population and this cost growth, [u]Medicare has become an enormous driver of our unsustainable federal debt and deficits[/u]. In 2010, 47.5 million Americans were covered by Medicare at a total cost of $523 billion. The total cost of Medicare is expected to reach $1 trillion in just over a decade. This situation is unsustainable. We are at a tipping point that requires immediate action by Congress and the President
As you might expect, Mara, I disagree with you completely, but that doesn’t mean we have to be disagreeable. I have a number of British friends, including an American writer who married a Brit. They all _love_ the NHS. This friend has a very elderly mother with many problems. They moved her to Britain, and she’s gotten impecable care. I have many Canadian friends, and Australian friends, and they all love their national health care systems. And the cost per capita in every country with national health care is half the cost of per capita health care in the U.S. If you have a higher income you can pay for a private room, ask for more tests, etc. What it means is that everyone has a basic minimum care, and I think that’s what a great country does. Do they make choices in these countries? Of course, the don’t give a 70 year old alcoholic a new liver. They give it to a young person, but these decisions happen all the time. We spend more money on the final 6 months of life then at any other time. That’s kind of crazy.
I am a person with a chronic illness. Insurance companies have jacked me around for years denying me care, and throwing me off care when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s. This law for me is a god send.
So, we will just have to agree to disagree, but thank you for you input.
I appreciate the response. I appreciate your delicate position, but I fear you have a real misapprehension about the lively course of events.
First, the NHS. Heh, ah, the “but they love the NHS!” I think Delingpole rather trenchantly [url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/2/socialized-medicine-from-a-survivor/]dealt with this notion recently[/url];
[quote]Everyone in Britain tells stories like this about nice experiences they
At the risk of me sounding churlish, Mara, your post is sounding a little bit hysterical. This whole government bureaucrats is a straw man. Right now we have business drones deciding who lives and dies based on this quarters stock performance and how to pay a dividend to shareholders. There are some things I don’t think should be for profit — heath care, prisons, and schools.
Yes, people go the emergency room when they are deathly ill which drives up health care costs. Better that they see a doctor once a year to catch problems before they become big problems. Yes, we have to make choices as a country. How many billion dollar fighter jets do we really need? Versus a better educated population, a healthier population and an infrastructure that isn’t collapsing around us.
But seriously, I think we are just never going to agree on this. I respect your position, don’t agree with it, and see no value in continuing this discussion.
Bugger… in the second sentence, it should be “likely course”, not “lively”… bah.
It’s “given me some hope that there is [u]a way past the divisive politics[/u] to a place where we think about the good of the country and her citizens”. Hmmm… I’m going to guess that when one side bases its position on numbers, and the other on moral imperatives, we probably won’t be seeing agreement any time soon!:D
“This whole government bureaucrats is a straw man”, actually it’s a board. The [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Payment_Advisory_Board]Independent Payment Advisory Board[/url], to be specific. As someone with a chronic condition, you’ll probably want to remember that name, for expletive purposes, if nothing else.;)
I was going to belabor the point that the [url=http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1258]Medicare budget is already a larger share of the Federal budget then defense[/url] (and growing explosively, while defense is shrinking), but on this fine holiday, you’re right, we can agree to disagree and let’s think about more interesting things.
Have a happy 4th of July!