I won't say anything about the outcome of Prop 8 that hasn't been better said by Priya (hope you don't mind the shout-out), but I will repeat one of the ideas she raises. A lot of people who oppose gay marriage site the idea that if we let humans of the same gender marry each other, then that will undoubtedly lead to people wanting to marry goats, trees, postage stamps, Playstations, Astroglide, hairless cats, large jugs of moonshine, dildos, etc. If you claim this idea as your own, then you also claim the idea that gay men and woman are less human than straight men and women. Does that sit well with you?
OK, that's all.
I just watched SiCKO (yeah, I spelled it like that) again for the first time since seeing it in theaters a while back. Lauren hadn't seen it before. I think it's really Moore's finest work. I didn't like Fahrenheit 9/11 for various reasons. Bowling for Columbine had some great moments (I'm a huge fan of strict gun regulation -- the 2nd Amendment is vastly misunderstood in this country). I think SiCKO is pretty great from start to finish. However, I ultimately think it works better as an indictment of the US health care system than a glorification of socialized medicine systems in Canada, the UK, France, and Cuba. I'm not foolish enough to believe that socialized medicine doesn't come at a price in terms of high taxes and some way-of-life changes, but I do maintain the belief that we should try socialized medicine in this country. Our system, as it stands, is corrupt, broken, and misanthropic. The medical profession was never meant to be the cash cow it's become in the US. I'm hopeful that Obama will lean us in that direction before his first four years are done.
I'd love to know what everyone thinks about this. Reasons against socialized medicine resonate with me a great deal -- it's not like I'm completely sold on my stance. But yeah, I've heard good reasons for and against and it seems like something this country should be open to.
"Red Star"
Third Eye Blind
Hashtag Blessed, Basically
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I blog less when I'm happy. A lot less. I think that's true of everyone,
really. You're too busy experiencing the moment and spend a lot less time
moaning ...
10 years ago
7 comments:
I have one reason against socialized health care and I believe it is the only reason I need: the NHS.
Anyone who sites the UK health care system as a positive reason for socialized health care obviously hasn't lived in the UK long enough to need medical treatment. It's an abomination.
It's not just high taxes and some way of life changes - unless of course by "way of life change" you mean not being able to make an appointment more than a day in advance, ridiculously high waiting times, not getting consistent treatment, only being allowed to see overpaid and under qualified doctors, and often being misdiagnosed.
I will admit that it's nice to be able to get prescription drugs for dirt cheap, but it's unfortunate that you can only get the prescription after a month of suffering from a potentially deadly disease that the NHS never bothered to diagnose.
Did I tell you I spent Sunday in the hospital? I went into the emergency room at 11:30 am. I was expecting a long wait, as it's an ER, so I wasn't necessarily annoyed that I didn't see a doctor until 3:00. At 3:30, I was about to be sent home when the doctor decided to give me a nebulizer to help open my airways. After the first round of the drug, I told the doctor that I felt rather shakey and like my heart was pounding. He assured me this was normal, decided the drug was helping and gave me another round of it. By the end of the second round I was shaking so violently they had to hold me down. My heart rate shot up to 150 and I had to be checked in to the hospital for observation. I didn't get to leave until 10 pm and upon check out the doctor said "Well, you already know all about the pneumonia and pleurisy... the shaking thing, well, that was our fault. Sorry".
To recap: I have pneumonia and pleurisy and it took the NHS one month and a a attempt at poisoning me to give me antibiotics.
Oh, also, my aunt lost her kidneys and had to go through years of dialysis before getting a transplant because of a strep throat that the NHS didn't diagnose.
Do you need anymore reasons why, at least, American health care should not and cannot be based on the UK socialized system? I'm happy to bitch about the NHS all day.
The reduction in quality that could arise from a system where doctors being paid less leads to a reduction in the talent and skill of would-be doctors, is one of my main concerns for transitioning to a more socialist healthcare system. As I said to Shell earlier, I would rather pay $30 a month for health insurance through my employer plus an additional $25 per office visit and $10 for the odd generic prescription, KNOWING that the care I was receiving was worth that money and knowing that I was going to actually be treated, not misdiagnosed or told I was "making it up". Do doctors make too much money? Possibly. But I don't think this is the main suck on funds. It's the drug companies and health insurance companies that are turning record profits at the expense of middle and lower income families. I think we should be able to work to regulate these companies without sacrificing the quality of doctor I can see in this country.
I'd also like to say that I think Obama is heading in the right direction without completely socializing healthcare. Let people buy into the national system if they have to. Otherwise, let the rest of us keep our doctors and plans.
I'm definitely for partially-socialized medicine.
I think it's deplorable how many people in this country are unable to see a doctor - that which should be a basic human right - because they could be financially ruined just by one misstep. Did you know a broken leg (basic though that sounds) could cost up to two million dollars to fix?
I'm aware that I'm in a privileged position here, since I come from a family of doctors and so have never had to wait in triage like most would in a socialized system (like any governmental system, it's sometimes just who you know that determines what kind of service you get). I'm also aware that some doctors would perform at much lower standards, knowing that they would be paid the same for their troubles either way.
I've also worked a terrible job for no other reason than because I wanted the health insurance. And so has my boyfriend, and lots of my friends. It could raise the quality of living for the grand majority of the country if health care became readily available to the lower/middle class, not only because they'd get help if they were sick, but also because they would be able to pursue jobs which made them happier. That would lead to a better division of labor and specialty, less switching from job to job in the workforce (and therefore less unemployment). And that would help the economy. Obviously we're talking about tiny percentages here, but every little bit counts, especially in economics, where multipliers play such a big role. You start out small, and the effects of one cause increase exponentially over time.
Of course, the main issue here is Options. Like J. said, let people buy into the "new" national plan if they want to, but let others keep their plans and doctors outside of the national system if they want to. If we had more options in health care (as in any arena), we'd be happier. Period.
PS. Of course I don't mind the shout-out. I'm flattered.
Options. Yes. That's what you want.
England has options, but the problem is that private health care is so ridiculously expensive that no one can afford it. You want all the options presented to actually be reasonable. It's going to be a tough thing to manage, but I think Obama has the right idea and might be able to pull it off.
We'll see.
p.s. I still hate the NHS and always will. =)
The NHS sounds like shit.
John: to be fair, sometimes I want to marry Astroglide, so I can see where people are coming from on that one. Playstation can go to hell though.
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