As you may recall, I posted a blog a while ago talking about how I was very sceptical as to whether or not Barack Obama would be able to accomplish any of the things he had promised to the American people. After watching his address to Congress last night, I'll admit that my feelings have changed a bit. Now I'm concerned that he actually WILL do what he's promised. =^/
I'm especially scared of what he's going to do to our healthcare system. I agree that it would be good to fix some of the excesses and corrupt practices that make it impossible for a lot of people to afford health insurance. However, I am PRAYING that the American people will not allow him to take us all the way into universal, homogenized, government-controlled healthcare. A year ago I may not have thought that was such a big deal. But now that I'm married to a military officer and have to rely on government health care, I've realized the value of competition in that field. Sure, it's awesome that we don't have to pay for anything and know we'll never get turned down for care that we need. However, we have no control over which doctors we want to see or when. The referral office makes all apointments, and if they set a day and time for you that doesn't work with your schedule...that's your problem, not theirs. Also, since all of the health care professionals get paid exactly the same no matter how many people they help during the day, they are natoriously lazy and do the bare minimum just to get by. No one has a sense of urgency, which is terrible when you have a big need to see someone fast. If communism didn't do anything to help promote productivity in other countries, imagine what it would do to a life-or-death industry like health care...
I don't see how people can complain about how the government handles everything from foreign policy to taxes to social rights and then be willing to trust it with the care of their bodies. I think what was said in the Republican Resonse last night was very true. The President seems to think that he will be able to fix all of our problems, but those who lived through hurricane Katrina (or any recent crisis) are not so sure...
1 comment:
I can definitely understand that. The competition keeps doctors alert and allows us to ensure quality care. However, there are far too many problems to leave it as it is. About six years ago my father had a minor heart attack and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital. He was fine, but we ended up being billed five times for that single ride!
Also, my family is on the other side. We are currently on health insurance through my father's retirement from education. With the economy as it is, we are on the verge of losing that plan. Besides, I will soon have to be finding my own plan - not cheap!
I agree that we should not take health care from one extreme to another, but we must meet somewhere in the middle. If we talk about moderate reform, nothing happens. Perhaps if we talk about major reform, something will happen.
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