Friday, February 14, 2014

It's not a POLITICAL issue!

   There is not a more dangerous subject to bring up than "Obama Care". It's a conversation that rarely ends well, unless you know beforehand that you are in agreement . Let's face it, it has been overly politicized to the point of ridiculousness. You either believe in it, or you despise it, but nobody has a take it or leave it attitude about it. If you listen to "Fox" you think it will bring about the end of America as we know it. If, on the other hand, you listen to MSN, you think that it makes perfect sense, it will run smoothly and we should have done it sooner.
   I have news for you, it's neither. The fact that it is so strongly attacked, and so much anger is being generated by this subject, it is not allowed a chance to work smoothly. The fact that it is so necessary prevents it from going away. Yes, I said necessary. The argument that it is going to cost us more? Well that doesn't float in even calm seas. These people have been getting health care without insurance, now they will get it WITH insurance, and the discounts that come with it. 
   Do you really think that an overweight smoker who never exercises, has a heart attack and requires emergency care, was turned away? No, he was treated and the Hospital turned in an inflated tax write off! Let's examine that. Hospital visit, no insurance, no assets and no choice but to treat? That sounds like a problem to me...our problem. If you think that it's the Hospitals problem, you would be wrong. Hospitals are usually non profit. They are given great latitude in "write offs" compared to you and I. So they write these unpaid visits off at the FULL PRICE. A price that likely nobody ever really pays! Example, yes I do have one. I went to the ER with a severe pain in my side and did not have my insurance card with me. They treated me (kidney stone) and asked me bring my insurance card in later, which I did. I received a bill for over $5000, a couple of weeks late, and it reflected no insurance. With just a phone call and my insurance info, this bill magically became $2300! Nice huh!
   Not really. Why would a multi TRILLION dollar company need to receive a better health care rate than someone making a tiny fraction of their wealth? Why not have a price for the service, period. How about we just charge what it's worth, what it should cost, to everyone, and make the whole system less complicated? That will not happen. Like buying a car, it's designed to allow greater profit on the back of the less informed. We can't have a system that encourages a salesman approach in health care. The insurance companies have created this, cultivated it as a vehicle to protect themselves and the bottom line. To protect investors from a bad year, they will do whatever it takes. It's not "politics", it is quite clearly greed.
   As to the naysayers? They say things like "I don't want to pay for fat, unhealthy people to get medical care". That is no different than a childless couple who says "I don't want my taxes to pay for schools that I won't use". It's not about you! It's about Americans as a whole, the betterment of society. Don't buy into the propaganda about this subject. This may not be the final version, there is room for improvement after all, but it IS a good start.
   I know people who have been able to get health insurance for the first time, previously declined, not because they CHOOSE to have health issues, but because they were BORN with them. Hard working people that only want to have a chance at life. People who are born with seizure disorder, for example, need to have access to medical care and medication to treat their disease... or they could die! Can you honestly say that if it was your child, sister or friend, that you would discount this need? Of course not. Well that is exactly how millions of Americans feel about their loved ones and the medical needs they are presented with. It's not politics, it is lives. It's not about profit anymore, it's about fairness... it's about my Step Daughter (seizures), it's about my Employee (heart birth defect) and it's about anyone who deserves a better chance to live a full life.