Friday, October 30, 2015
The Government fails us yet again
The government has a duty to provide for the people and ease their troubles. It was made to make life more civil and less chaotic. Unfortunately, it doesn't protect us from the smallest attackers: Disease. See, the United States protects people from fires and the "horrors" of marijuana, yet refuses to provide healthcare for everyone. A lawyer is provided for criminal cases to make sure you don't go to jail due to the sixth amendment, but you have to go to the ER if you have a cut that is infected with Gangrene. Where does the sense lie in that? Jail is at least slightly better than dying of Gangrene, so why not provide a doctor when needed as well? When I worked at Flextronics, Chris, a coworker of mine was telling my why he chose to get the insurance the factory was offering, despite it being crappy coverage that was fairly pricey. He had a really bad infected tooth awhile back and was unable to afford a dentist. So, he drank a bunch of whiskey and ripped out the tooth with a pair of pliers. Is this the type of care we want? To force people to cut off their limbs if they get Gangrene? I also was admitted to a hospital due to a severe illness that nearly killed me. We had my dad's very good IBM insurance, so that definitely helped. For two weeks, it cost 6,000$ for the care I received. Insurance took care of 4,000$ of it, but that still left us with 2,000$ to pay, when I was quitting my job because it was very toxic to my health and my family was not exactly rolling in money. With socialized medicine, we can provide some for all. It won't be high quality care for everyone, but at least it gives people something. It will save money as well, since people go in for medical care in crisis situations, which is the most expensive part, and are obviously unable to pay, leaving the taxpayer to pick up the tab. Socialized medicine at least makes sure that people don't have to try to deal with fatal or debilitating illness rather than going to the hospital, for fear of medical bills in the age where we are able to send rockets into space and can make roll up TVs. Plus, socialization has helped much of society. There are socialized schools that have brought intelligence way up. Back in the Dark Ages, people rarely had the luxury of being able to read. Nowadays, people have baseline levels of education that allows them to function in the world. Other nations have socialized health care, and let people find private options for specialized illnesses or cases if they need better care. In conclusion, the National Government MUST socialize medicine! It is their duty to provide for the American People!
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Brandon Foley, writing over at Brandon’s Government 2305 Blog, has recently published a blunt, no-nonsense appeal for socialized health care, arguing that the net benefit is undoubtedly greater than the cost. I could not more strongly agree, but as a dyed in the wool liberal, that’s probably not surprising. Oftentimes leftist policies are shot down by conservatives’ attempts to narrow the public’s focus on the immediate costs (figuratively and literally) of implementation. “Your taxes will go up,” or, “You might have to stand in a longer line.” I am hyperbolically understating their argument to be sure, but that’s essentially what much of it boils down to. Foley, however, uses anecdotal evidence to prove that the status quo (with many Americans still uninsured) can just be as immediately awful. Describing a friend’s ordeal, having to crudely remove a tooth with pliers due to the inability to afford a dentist, he asks “Is this the type of care we want?” He follows, “With socialized medicine, we can provide some for all. It won't be high quality care for everyone, but at least it gives people something.”
ReplyDeleteNow, just to be an obnoxious know-it-all contrarian, I will say there is a definite danger from socialized medicine as Americans have attempted to practice it. Because we are so married to capitalism, government sponsored healthcare is often heavily reliant on the private sector. Personally, it seems the regulations in place are eventually going to force insurance companies to do away with independent agents, or at least consolidate the currently existing infrastructure to further departmentalize sales. Before the ACA shakeup, independent agents were an invaluable asset to the general public when guidance was needed in choosing a plan. This service was doubly beneficial because agents were paid commission by the carriers, making their service at no cost to their clients. Now, agents are getting paid less and many carriers are trying to kill them off, moving sales back to an in-house service. Although technology may help future consumers easily analyze and choose the best plan they can find, there is little doubt that having an experienced expert at your disposal, free of charge, would be a greater benefit.
I think the government needs to do more, particularly in how it helps Americans in their (often tedious and headache inducing) shopping to find an affordable, benefit-rich health plan for them and their family. If agents aren’t to be compensated or utilized, something will need to exist to take their place, easily accessible for anyone who needs orientation on the insurance market’s many twists and turns. Of course, “the government needs to do more” is the exact OPPOSITE of what anti-Obamacare advocates want. Still, maybe if we empowered those who could educate the public on health insurance, more people would understand the net gain of socialized medicine.
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ReplyDeleteIn Brandon Foley's blog post, "The Government Fails Us Yet Again", he argues that the United States does not protect its citizens from disease and that the government should socialize medicine. There are so many other topics/problems that they seem to have more debates on, that aren’t in some cases, close to important as health care. I agree with him because I also believe that we should develop a type of Universal Health Care policy that will facilitate getting treated and could lead to having a healthier nation.
ReplyDeleteHe mentions that the government puts more attention on topics like legalizing marijuana, rather than focusing on socializing medicine, and uses his credibility to support his claim. To support his thought, he tells us about an experience of an ex-coworker, who, due to not having insurance or having to pay high medical bills, has to pull out his own tooth, "drugged" up on whiskey. This really succeeds in showing, how we really do need to socialize medicine because it has gone to an extent to where people will chose to try and do the job themselves, rather than paying the high prices at doctors/dentists/hospitals, who in many cases is much more harmful. Foley also supports his point by giving a personal experience of when he became very ill and then had to pay a rather large amount of money due to medical bills, even after having insurance.
The United States, is one of the only developed countries of the 34 members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development who does not provide its citizens with this type of health care, which is ironic since we are also the country that spends the most on health insurance, yet our health care is the least efficient. There are many diseases and viruses that could be prevented from spreading or causing too much harm if only health care was provided to everyone. People would be able to seek help whenever they needed to, not fearing having to pay ridiculous amounts of money on medical bills or being turned down. Many deaths would also be prevented, since tens of thousands of people die due to not being able to afford medical help.
Foley does mention that even if it might not be the best type of healthcare that can be provided, at least it will be something and then brings in how countries who have this policy, also have the option to find "better" doctors/hospitals. I agree with his point, where he says that Socialization has helped much of society, using schools because, as a result, more people are able get educated. Therefore, like my fellow classmate, I agree that the National Government should socialize medicine so that there are easier, less expensive ways of getting treated and because, "...it is their duty to provide for the American people."