12.13.2005
"Creativity, genius and sacrifice."
There's a great discussion going on over at the blurbodoocery about health care reform. As of a few months back, The Family Armstrong is officially and completely self-employed. They knew it would be a challenge to find health coverage without going through an employer, but it's proving almost impossible ". . . the premiums are about three car payments a month. Two if it's a really nice car."
Because this shitty thing is happening to the Armstrongs and they're being open about it, health care reform is getting a new talented, intelligent, employed, cute young family face. Something bigger could come out of this, though - there's a lot of energy and brainpower on the blog circuit. Maybe this will be a watershed moment. As dj blurb wrote:
Because this shitty thing is happening to the Armstrongs and they're being open about it, health care reform is getting a new talented, intelligent, employed, cute young family face. Something bigger could come out of this, though - there's a lot of energy and brainpower on the blog circuit. Maybe this will be a watershed moment. As dj blurb wrote:
The biggest issues facing universal health care in the United States seem to be the powerful insurance lobby (remember the scary ads from the insurance companies in the 90s when Clinton wanted to give a health card to everybody?), the failed notion that free markets and competition will keep prices low and the paranoia that universal health care will somehow be a huge step towards socialism/communism. Add to this the decreasing employer contributions to health care for employees and in the next 5 to 10 yearsof continued inflation of health care costs this country will be in serious shit. I believe that it's time to put some brain power into solving this issue. There has to be a better way. Creativity, genius and sacrifice.
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Um yeah...remember when some person, I think she was a first lady, tried to put some creativity and talent into thinking about it?
I hate to grumble about it, but I really, really hate the fact that it's going to take cute talented intelligent young WHITE families to bring attention to the fact that our healthcare system absolutely SUCKS. Hello, the rest of us are paying through the nose too. (grumblerumble)
I hate to grumble about it, but I really, really hate the fact that it's going to take cute talented intelligent young WHITE families to bring attention to the fact that our healthcare system absolutely SUCKS. Hello, the rest of us are paying through the nose too. (grumblerumble)
Yeah I remember. And yeah, it sucks that the problem was abandoned unsolved 12 years back. My point is, I would be glad if the issue was under discussion in the mainstream again.
Any proposal to move to single-payer universal health care will have to overcome entrenched and well-supplied opposition from the insurance companies (who will see it as an end to their way of life). Only a fraction of the public and medical-community support is in place to make it possible. I can imagine a lot of compromises that would be worse than doing nothing (think of the medicare drug cards).
The Armstrongs make an interesting new "poster-family" not because they're white but because they are not impoverished or disadvantaged in any major way. They have had opportunities, made standard choices, and had a fair amount of success--but now they are self-employed and cannot get medical insurance without spending half the household budget.
Any proposal to move to single-payer universal health care will have to overcome entrenched and well-supplied opposition from the insurance companies (who will see it as an end to their way of life). Only a fraction of the public and medical-community support is in place to make it possible. I can imagine a lot of compromises that would be worse than doing nothing (think of the medicare drug cards).
The Armstrongs make an interesting new "poster-family" not because they're white but because they are not impoverished or disadvantaged in any major way. They have had opportunities, made standard choices, and had a fair amount of success--but now they are self-employed and cannot get medical insurance without spending half the household budget.
Yeah, you're right. However, it still makes me grind my teeth to read comments from people who are like 'oh, i've been on my husband's healthcare gravy train and totally didn't know that there all these people out there who are less fortunate than me!' I mean, this stuff has been in the headlines for at least the last two years.
The thing is, many of the people who don't get it will never get it until they are shown some people getting screwed who are otherwise just like them. There are a lot of people out there whose empathy has atrophied from lack of use, we have to make it easy for them.
Compassion training wheels.
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Compassion training wheels.
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