Sarah Palin foolishly stated the House Health Care plan would result in “Death Panels.”  The former Alaska Governor attempted scare tactics.  These tactics indicate grandma will be turned over to a Government run group of people who will decide whether or not she will receive the medical care necessary to live or die.  The absurdity of a statement like this makes me think people will say anything in order to appease the insurance lobby.  The very lobby, for an industry, which raises deductibles, won’t pay for pre-existing conditions, caps coverage and raises premiums each year.  Some people have believed the “Death Panel” drama, but check out any neutral website and you will find this is totally and completely false.  I mean really, we as a society are not going to line up grandma and give her thumbs up or thumbs down like the Romans treated the Christians.  It is just not going to happen.  Don’t take my word for it.  Look on factcheck.org or the AARP website.  Granny is probably a member of AARP.

Nobody really knows how the final version of Health Care Reform will look.  It will take months for the politicians to negotiate the precise details.  I do know, however, there are somewhere between 45 million and 61 million people in our country uninsured or underinsured.  I also know much of the health insurance people currently have will not adequately cover their needs.  And finally, I know we spend twice as much on healthcare as France, Canada, and England, but we also have a higher infant mortality rate and a shorter life expectancy compared to these same countries.  Do the math.  We need a system overhaul.

The American people spend an inordinate amount of money for the quality of healthcare we receive as a society.  You might think the American People receive quite a bang for our buck.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), our bang sounds something like the noise made by a piece of gum being smacked.  In other words, our healthcare system carries quite a small pop.  The WHO performed a study comparing the health delivery systems of over a hundred countries.  I’m proud to say we rank higher than the country of Cuba… by two spaces!  The United States is ranked #37, and Cuba is ranked #39.  Shockingly, France has the best health care in the world according to the World Health Organization.  Stranger still, England was #18, Columbia #22 and Andorra #4.  I don’t even know where Andorra is located!  Compared to other countries our health care system is a bloated mass of red tape and bureaucratic insensitivity.  We do not get what we pay for.

Something must be done. The status quo cannot remain the same. I desperately want to see my neighbor have health insurance they can rely on.  If you lose your job, you lose your insurance.  Unless you already have the “scary” Government run Socialistic Medicare or Medicaid, your health care is probably through your employer.  Many newly laid off workers are going without health insurance entirely.  Half of all bankruptcies in the Country are due to people like you and me becoming ill, seeking unaffordable treatment, and watching the bills build into a tidy little pile.  A tidy little pile, which cannot be paid off.

I don’t mean to say we have bad doctors.  On the contrary, we have some of the best physicians in the world.  The problem occurs when the physicians become tangled in a web of insurance profit motive and diminishing benefits.  The greed of these companies keep good physicians from performing their God given profession to the best of their ability.  Under the current proposal, you can keep your health insurance.  No one is saying take that away.  If you can afford it, if you like it and you want it, by all means, keep it!  Just give the uninsured the same opportunity to visit a doctor as you.

I urge everyone to keep an open mind.  Believe me, I’m not happy with everything I have heard so far.  As an example, I believe we need Home and Community Based Services for everyone eligible for nursing home care.  Currently, this is not being considered in the overhaul.  The old saying “watching legislation being passed is like watching sausage being made” has never been truer.  This is an opportunity for historic change to better our citizens and society as a whole.  There must be a public option, or a responsible plan, to cover those individuals with an inadequate plan or no insurance at all.

                                                Richard Blakley

Toll Free: 866 797-6080  Voice: 573-244-5402    TTY: 573-244-3315    Fax: 573-244-5609
Email: DCAI   P.O. Box 675 Viburnum MO 65566

© 2009 Disabled Citizens Alliance for Independence. All rights reserved.