Health Care almost there

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I mean, i hope people ease into the idea after a while and obama can slowly corrupt niggas into signing off on an even better healthcare bill.

Well here's what it comes down to, has the insurance industry grown to such importance that it can no longer be allowed to self-sustain, or can we reliably change the industry by creating new ones. Take for example our economy. As great as it is to allow free enterprise to do whatever the fuck it wants, clearly some limitations have to be imposed. Everything from monopoly power to regulating what banks actually do with your money. The system is simply too important to let some crackpot CEO risk fucking it up. Sorry, but your company has just been added to "the collective" for the greater good of this country.

So, does health insurance fall into this category? For whatever reasons, republicans are completely obsessed with the idea that your life should be nothing more than a commodity on the free market, something up to the whims of the private industry and whether or not they want to help you. Whilst others such as myself feel that my wellbeing should not be a profit driven motive, and that if I come down with cancer for no reason, or suffer a freak accident, one in which I could be fully resuscitated from, that it is simply criminal to tell me to go fuck myself and am only worth helping if I fork over ridiculous sums of money. At this point, I think it is necessary for human progress if the health of its population is maintained and we give every effort to keep people healthy. I feel it is good for the nation.

BUT.... if we are indeed going to consider our health to be worth nothing more than cutting a check to some privatized company and leave it up to them to pay for my bills, then we shouldnt be touching their business at all. Hence why I am for a public option and really nothing else. Let the insurance companies deny you coverage for pre-existing reasons, or any reason whatsoever. Let them drop you from their plans per whatever contract you signed. Let them charge any amount of money for their premiums and let the system sort itself out. See, the reason we have these problems is because there is no competition. The insurance industry as it stands now has secretly shaken hands under the table and fixed costs so as not to intrude on each others business too heavily. Does Blue Cross like it if a customer cancels and switches to United? No, but it's a necessary evil if people are to continue to believe these companies are actually competing with each other. It's give and take.

Introduce a REAL competitor, one with the financial backing to actually be able to absorb millions of new members and pay their bills, such as the gov't, and watch what happens. And to those who say that this would destroy private healthcare.. .um, GOOD.. fuck em.. it's a competitor.. if everyone cancels their private insurance plans for a public one, then obviously nobody wanted what that private insurer had to offer. The system works.

However I am NOT fond of the idea of the government intervening and telling a company what it can and cant do, that is until it is deemed that company is too vital to national interests. I do not believe healthcare is to that point, otherwise we would have seen a catastrophe of sorts related to it, much like the meltdown of our economic sector recently. The healthcare biz continues to work and the American public continues to function, so why interfere with their business model? It would be nice if some new upstart insurer could crop up and take care of all of this the good ole fashioned way, but unfortunately the healthcare system is far too connected to ever allow a new competitor actually disrupt their operations.

Good points saibot, and I agree with the public option mainly to introduce a competitor that isn't part of the preset health industry game. It sucks that this bill isn't bringing that about, but this is definitely better than nothing and a move in the right direction.

My view is if the health industry is going to fight so hard against us having that public option then fuck them, I am fine with messing with their business.

Theres one other angle, the blindside. A significant portion of this country has proven themselves to be far too stupid to understand whats in their own best interest. They drool over their chins watching Beck at night and listening to Limbaugh in the day. Because such a large portion of our population falls into this category, they cannot simply be written off the way more insignificant idiots can be. They actually have enough voting power to represent a real threat. But just because you work at a school for the mentally retarded does not mean that letting a majority vote of retards is a good idea. If said retards are going to remain such an obstacle that we cannot play fair and introduce a system that they agree upon, then we have to resort to other means. I for one am not going to let myself or my country be run by a bunch of hillbillies in middle america who are completely disconnected from real world events, simply living their lives plowing fields, milking cows, and paying tax dollars. The important areas of our country are not inside the bible belt, as far as I'm concerned they contribute so little they shouldnt even have a say. They just live here.

Sooooo, if getting some kind of change implemented opens the door for all sorts of amendments and addendum's to the point that in a few years maybe a real solution will have evolved, then I'm game for that. We tried presenting our ideas and they flew over *their* heads, so like a baby, here comes the airplane spoon full of mashed carrots, VROOOOM!!! Now eat it! Ahhhh, isnt that better?

lol saibot, ur last paragraph made me chuckle =)

And I know not literally everyone between the coastal regions is a farmer or monster truck driver. But I work for an engineering firm, everyone here is a degree holder except me and the receptionist, and I still remember the shudder that went down my spine the day one of our senior employee's was chattin and said some dumb shit like "omagosh, did you hear Obama? He said he wanted to spread the wealth around!" What a facepalm moment I had. Like those people on tv who when asked about obama and his policies or some other direct question, pause for 3 seconds with this blank deer in headlights stare, and then just blurt out "um ehrm, SOCIALISM!". Seriously, people literally do that. I lump them into the same farmer joe category of the populace who simply live amongst themselves in their own little isolated spheres of knowledge where news is fed to them by the tv, the local pastor, and lunch room gossip.