I'm tired of the health care reform debate. To be honest I regrettably feel at the mercy of others to tell me what to think on much of this stuff and I hate that position. I am not an expert on any of these issues. I cannot speak with authority on many of these subjects. I wish I could. I hear one group and I think they make sense....I listen to another and they almost convince me. It seems like both sides involve fear and extreme cases to bully their point. I never, ever, ever feel like I can get a non-partisan, truthful, perspective. I dont have the time to do a masters level research project on the subjects either. I feel the same way I did in the season of choosing a President....grid locked. My political posture has always been to be as educated, bi-partisam and open-minded as possible. I want to hear debate not spin. I want facts not dreams. I want to see a country that is faithful to the past, the constitution and the spirit of the American experiment...but I also want leaders that can navigate the realities of this century too.
As for healthcare....we have had our kids in State programs for health care since they were kids. Our ability to provide healthcare for ourselves has not been a reality until the last couple years. I went through almost 3 decades without healthcare...the cost was outside my ability as a pastor and churches rarely feel that pastors should be concerned about stuff like healthcare, retirement, dental, etc...your often left on your own to figure out how to take care of yourselves, family and the future...."Hey God will provide" is the mantra. So I have a bit of an acquaintance with the poverty side of this discussion. I've been to the "free clinics" and sat next to the toothless, meth addict waiting for their care. I know about generics, samples and medical coupons.
Even now I'm on the pay off your medical bills path....even with the coverage we have, the deductible level, really means, we pay most of everything and they get to collect monthly premiums. It seems like a extortion program based on fear of the unknown. What a deal for them: "You pay us every month and you pay for your medical bills every month and "IF" you get into some catastrophic medical situation...we might cover that."
It seems like a sweet deal...for someone.
On the other hand, my kids wouldn't have the health they have, had it not been for the generosity of our local hospitals and the state coverage. I am indebted to them for their care. Many times, I wonder why this "system" can't expand somehow to help in some way to include older people in the mix of coverage. Options, sliding scale, cooperatives, match funding, some sort of savings plan...I dont know, we can send men and women into space but we cannot figure out viable options for health care...? It seems crazy to me.
I have a hard time believing that the Canadian-European "Take most of your money" option is the only one available to us?
In the end, my Christian posture towards the poor always roots me in the camp that has the underprivileged, unborn, fatherless, neglected, disabled, elderly and the working poor in their hearts and minds. Scriptures like these ones below have always kept me tethered to a perspective of social responsibility that seems to resonate with liberals more than conservatives.
"Do unto others as you would have them do to you." -Matthew 7:12
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." -Matthew 10:42
"When the son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 'for I was hungry and you gve Me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"
-Matthew 25:31-40
Unfortunately, we have gotten to where we are as a country, as a result of both political parties...so my trust in all of them at this point is really low.
I am not sure where that leaves me now...other than in debt, paying medical bills and making choices about what to pay for and not pay for as a result. When you have to be talking about how much money you have to pay for your kids lunches and if you have enough...something has to change.
But, even changing leaders, appears to not make a difference....go figure.
11 comments:
Thanks for sharing Eric!
I am honestly up in the air too. We are in a similiar situation...I am a full time student...Travis is self-employed...we do not make enough to pay for health insurance. Like you, I agree that both sides make very strong points...which one to choose? IDK...and it is frustrating!
That's very much where I am in this whole debate (debacle?). I don't think it would be a good idea to take on the models of other countries, but our system does need a change.
Eric I have learned one thing and this is not to be rude. But you already think I am swayed or have an agenda so I also know it will not do me allot of good sharing my beliefs on this. So will not.
I have some strong feelings against the state funded medical but I also have strong feelings FOR it. I have recently echoed other's views and not viocing my own. So I will say this in a short summary. I am all for healthcare reform and believe we need it. But I also see that like in many times of our history, the opinions being voiced are of the extremes. My question to the leaders of our great country is, "why can't we sit down and discuss the issue to determine the actual problem before we jump to a solution?" Where are the rational thinkers in our leadership?
Mary....does one have to be "rude" in the dialogue? For or against? Im all for hearing other people's reasoning in this conversation, including yours.
I thought your 'presidential' season of comments were valuable to hear...they helped me gain some clarity on some of the issues, so feel free to post.
Now if your going to post some Hitler images of Obama or something like that...that might be distraction to the dialogue.
I understand your position. This, too has been a struggle for me. It is a very difficult debate (or debacle, as Michael aptly put it). Having recieved government funded medical care for most of my adult life, and little to no medical care during my childhood it seems there is no easy answer. I know the pitfalls of government funded healthcare, and while the military is notorious for "terrible" health care, all-in-all it is not bad. But it is not good either. My children are also on state-funded healthcare, and with the potential of a job that provides health insurance, I am scared out of my mind the bills I might have to pay if my oldest child has another seizure and has to be hospitalized. She was diagnosed with epilepsy early this spring, and if it had not been for the state funded health care we were receiving we would be bankrupt. My son broke his arm last summer and I saw the bill, it would've cost us almost $10,000!
I'm not sure there is any such thing as "bi-partisan". I have personally always voted Republican, but I never felt really right about it. I only did it because everyone else was. But I do not agree with the Democratic point of view either. I have spun myself dizzy over both sides of the debate and cannot imagine a clear-cut answer. Most people are not going to be happy either way. I could point and say "Well, this is the problem, so we should fix this" but I don't know exactly what the problem is, except that healthcare is expensive and most of us can't afford to pay it.
To me, health insurance is a cya thing that most people don't seem to need, and when they do it's not there for them. I have looked at health insurance and I find myself more confused than ever. And I would like to think that I am a fairly intelligent person. I cannot make heads nor tales and I hear horror stories of things not being covered because the health insurance was not asked beforehand.
I feel almost traitorous at times because I do accept state health insurance. Almost unpatriotic. I'm told that the "American Way" (whatever that is) is to provide for yourself and not depend on the government. Well, if I cannot depend on the government and I cannot provide for myself or my family, what am I to do?
Ok, these are the options in Thailand. 1. Buy reasonably priced insurance, 2. pay for it yourself(at a reasonably priced hospital), or 3. accept that you are poor and sign up for a government scheme where you only pay $1 for each visit. Why is it a third world country can provide decent health care options, but the leader of the world cannot??? Unbelievable, if you ask me.
Matt, why would anyone not choose option #3?
I'm not sure exactly, but I think you need to show some reasoning why you are poor. Like you apply for it. I just pay for the hospital when it comes time. Both my kids were born here, paid with cash. Not one complaint. Had a tooth pulled for ten bucks too.
Interesting. I guess it's relative to the cost of services. $10 there translates into what here... $400? But I see your point. $1.00 for a doctors visit could be a weeks wages. My guess is the economic status of a doctor in Thailand is nowhere near the economic status of a doctor in the U.S. i.e. what a doctor/hospital makes off a patient here is astronomical compared to what a doctor there makes relative to the amount of money paid. And to answer your question regarding why a leader of the world can't come up with similar solution, it's simple. Our politicians here are, for the most part, in the back pocket of big business/insurance companies/lobbyists.
$10 isn't that much money for a Thai. A construction worker makes that in a day. And you could go to a cheaper dentist and have it done for probably $5. So a $1 doctor visit is very reasonable. I'm not saying Thailand has the answer, it's a different place. But they generally have better options than the US. In fact many people travel here for health care. Regarding lobbyists, ect. Thailand has more corruption than you can shake a stick at... that's another story.
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