pinky-wink |
|
_______________
_______________ Recent Posts: The Joys of Illinois Put your money where your mouth is ...
|
Monday, December 12, 2005
Health Care Follies ...
 So let's pretend we have Citizen X, and his wife Citizen Y. This couple is pregnant, but all is not well in pregnant world. Though Citizen x+y (the baby) is fine, Citizen Y is miserable. Swollen ankles, pain in the arms, nausea, etc. - all with four months to go!Citizen X works for the local school district, who offers him standard health insurance that he declines on a yearly basis. The district's plan costs him twice as much as a private plan, and he rarely uses the doctor. Citizen Y works for a local hospital, and is a member of their health plan, the "good one" in this area. Due to Citizen Y's daily miserableness, Citizens X and Y would like Citizen Y to stay home for the rest of the pregnancy, instead of suffering through several more months of work, and a growing carpal tunnel problem. Citizen Y is pretty well educated about pregnancy and childbirth issues, and she is fairly certain that staying home would be better for the growing baby and for her overall health. Unfotunately, quitting her job would mean losing her health insurance after three months, one month before the baby is born. In the United States of America, circa 2005, it would cost Citizen X approximately $600 a month to cover his wife and, eventually (hopefully!) his new baby. Though this couple is hardly extravagant with their consumption, with Citizen Y no longer working, this would not be an option. For Citizen Y to "cobra" her insurance an extra couple of months would cost $800 per month. Again, with Citizen Y not working, this is not an option. Question: How can this couple afford to allow Citizen Y to stop working and focus on her pregnancy and her health? Answer: They can't. Which makes them eager for the day this finally gets rolling. Moral of the story: Democrats are big, fat, disgusting liar politicians from Hell who, occasionally, do something of value for the working person. Republicans are big, fat, disgusting liar politicians from Hell who don't. There, I said it.  
|
4 Comments:
Thanks for you comment.
I am not saying allkids will save anyone, though X is probably eager to take advantage of health insurance that will make it easier for Y to stay home from work and watch the kid.
The reality in this country is that tons of parents (usually moms) work at jobs to pay for insurance when they would rather be home with their kids. Day care is a particularly large and booming business in this country, and it is not because women are driven to succeed at their jobs. From my experience, it is more likely that they don't feel they have any other economic choice.
As a (I assume) conservative, I would think you would be in favor of women being able to choose to stay home with the kids. Health care premiums are out of control in the country and that reason alone has forced many women back into the workplace, who would rather be at home.
Allkids is a start down the road toward a society where we value family over employment. Think about it.
And, for the record, I plan on using you comments in an upcoming post as well.
Thanks!
It is fascinating to me that Americans are generally so concerned that everyone have equal access to education- hence, we have a 'socialized' education program nationwide- but health care is somehow secondary on our list. I've never really understood that.
I can't tell you what a relief it was to live in Canada as resident aliens for three years and not ever have to worry about health care. And we got very good health care. We also had friends there who had serious issues (cancer and premature babies) and they never had a complaint about the care they received. Truly- in fact they were quite grateful.
It blows the minds of Canadians that there are so many Americans who have to declare _bankruptcy_ because of health care costs. It blows my mind. Very shortly both my wife and I will be out of work while we move to Illinois to set up shop. It is scary to be in between jobs and insurance like that. I resent the fear, and I resent a system that won't cover people like my parents, who are both self-emplyed and cannot afford the insanely high premiums in their respective states for health care. And, yes, both work very hard.
X and Y...in Canada you would both be eligible for a year's maternity leave, wherein you receive half your regular salary. If you wanted a professional midwife that would be fully covered as well as all the hospital costs of course.
There is little doubt that such a program would result in higher taxes. Probably for the average middle income person a few hundred more a year. No, I've done no research to support that claim- I'm just roughly figuring from what I do know Canadians pay in income tax (by the way, I am not one of the Michael Mohr-sp.?- types who think that Canada is some perfect paradise- I lived there too long for such pollyana stuff). Anyway, the additional cost would be negligible compared to the huge relief it would be to employers and employees alike for the government to guarantee full health coverage- fiscally as well as psychologically.
The Iraq War- I have always been against it- but I see the other side.
Abortion- my views notwithstanding- I can see why there is a debate.
Drug war, gay marriage, Alaska drilling, and so on. Usually I can see why there is cause for debate whatever my views might be.
This one I just don't get. Unless you're an affluent investor in Blue Cross, why for the love of God (not mere rhetoric in my case) wouldn't you want what Canada and most of Europe has had and has enjoyed for years!?
Ok I am done screeching. In a more level tone, champaignobserver asks rhetorically if the government "is supposed to protect our comfort?" (ok I'm not done screeching)
Comfort? A member of my family was in a coma for a couple months. He had full (good) health coverage. He ran up such hospital bills that he was in danger of surpassing his year's cap of (roughly) 1 million dollars. Had he done that his family would have gone into such serious long-term debt that they would have had no option but bankruptcy. And he HAD health insurance.
Comfort? The words I am working with are equity, justice, and a humanitarian ethic.
cordially, (really)
seth
What about Illinois Kid Care? X probably makes too much to be able to do it, but just in case, I thought I would mention it.
Yeah, health care costs are out of this world these days. This morning on NPR they indicated that they were 16% of GDP in 2004. I'm interested to see the 2005 figures.
One comment for Seth about Canadian health care coverage... as someone who is totally for national health care (and actually have had thoughts about maybe seeing how many people are like me and would be willing to pay to help foot the bill for everyone else who does not have health insurance in this county), Canadian healthcare if not all it is cracked up to be. Wealthy people in Canada come to the US to have procedures done because the facilities and doctors are better - that is - you get to choose who operates on your heart and in which hospital, etc. Choices like that are important to me and a lot of other people, so we would have to have something like national healthcare with a partially privitized system (and "for profit" hospitals would have to still be allowed to operate).
Great blog I hope we can work to build a better health care system as we are in a major crisis and health insurance is a major aspect to many.
Post a Comment
<< Home