Lemme tell you about government health care...
Yesterday I took my son, little brother and his friend to the Knox County Health Department on Dameron Ave. to get flu shots. Well, in fact, since everyone else was 18 or younger, they got the flu mist (now in short supply) and I got a shot. Ow.
So we rolled in with no appointment and were done within 2 hours. Yeah, that's a long wait, but honestly not too much worse than some of the waits I've had at my regular doctor. And yes, I have private insurance through my employer that is totally awesome.
Instead of going to my regular doctor I went to the county. Why? It was easier. Read on.
Try getting college kids excited about a flu vaccination. Or my littlest son, who has already had a taste of the Dark Side of medical treatment. He's a trooper with shots, however, getting 4 immunizations over a month ago with nary a tear. He and I and my brother all got in a room and were done within minutes. This was after a long wait, but again, we all rolled in off the street with no appointment, and close to closing time at that.
In the waiting room I saw people from all walks of life. Young, old, with lots of kids with no kids, seemingly well off and those clearly not so monied. And there we sat, waiting for the government to distribute a vaccination. To some, this scene must send chills up their spine. I mean, here's the very worst of their fears come to life, yes? Affordable, available health care to anyone wiling to show up.
Yes, only in America would we protest our ability to share. Only here, in the most bountiful and powerful nation-state seen in the past 1,000 years, would we have people so obsessed and fearful of losing even one dollar to the unwashed peasants. Heck, we've gone so far in some cases as to rationalize greed with Christianity.
But really, what would Jesus do? Would he say that if you are poor you really just don't deserve medical coverage? Would he say that it is stealing to share the medical risk in a larger pool? Would he say that insurance and medicine works just fine as it is right now, no worries, the free market will figure it out, and move on? I doubt it. My understanding of Jesus' message was love and inclusion, not one of hoarding, exclusion and greed.
Anyway, my point: government can do good things. There's no rule that says government screws everything up. Guess what? Most of our country still functions THANKS to our Federal government. Is it perfect? Show me anything made by people that is perfect. None of us walked out as Nazis or socialists, thank you. I still believe in a free market!
Here's the thing: no plan I've seen thus far addresses the issue of scarcity. The fear is we'll all be subject to long waits. Well, we need more doctors. We can't get more until we improve education AND cap malpractice lawsuits. I'm a big consumer advocate but lawsuits are driving up the cost of insurance, which drives up the cost of being a doctor, which drives up scarcity and cost. In my opinion the lynchpin to solving this mess is fixing scarcity and the insurance cost. At that point the government can take a big step back... But it can always remain an option of last resort for those who can't help themselves. Would Jesus turn those people away?
So we rolled in with no appointment and were done within 2 hours. Yeah, that's a long wait, but honestly not too much worse than some of the waits I've had at my regular doctor. And yes, I have private insurance through my employer that is totally awesome.
Instead of going to my regular doctor I went to the county. Why? It was easier. Read on.
Try getting college kids excited about a flu vaccination. Or my littlest son, who has already had a taste of the Dark Side of medical treatment. He's a trooper with shots, however, getting 4 immunizations over a month ago with nary a tear. He and I and my brother all got in a room and were done within minutes. This was after a long wait, but again, we all rolled in off the street with no appointment, and close to closing time at that.
In the waiting room I saw people from all walks of life. Young, old, with lots of kids with no kids, seemingly well off and those clearly not so monied. And there we sat, waiting for the government to distribute a vaccination. To some, this scene must send chills up their spine. I mean, here's the very worst of their fears come to life, yes? Affordable, available health care to anyone wiling to show up.
Yes, only in America would we protest our ability to share. Only here, in the most bountiful and powerful nation-state seen in the past 1,000 years, would we have people so obsessed and fearful of losing even one dollar to the unwashed peasants. Heck, we've gone so far in some cases as to rationalize greed with Christianity.
But really, what would Jesus do? Would he say that if you are poor you really just don't deserve medical coverage? Would he say that it is stealing to share the medical risk in a larger pool? Would he say that insurance and medicine works just fine as it is right now, no worries, the free market will figure it out, and move on? I doubt it. My understanding of Jesus' message was love and inclusion, not one of hoarding, exclusion and greed.
Anyway, my point: government can do good things. There's no rule that says government screws everything up. Guess what? Most of our country still functions THANKS to our Federal government. Is it perfect? Show me anything made by people that is perfect. None of us walked out as Nazis or socialists, thank you. I still believe in a free market!
Here's the thing: no plan I've seen thus far addresses the issue of scarcity. The fear is we'll all be subject to long waits. Well, we need more doctors. We can't get more until we improve education AND cap malpractice lawsuits. I'm a big consumer advocate but lawsuits are driving up the cost of insurance, which drives up the cost of being a doctor, which drives up scarcity and cost. In my opinion the lynchpin to solving this mess is fixing scarcity and the insurance cost. At that point the government can take a big step back... But it can always remain an option of last resort for those who can't help themselves. Would Jesus turn those people away?
posted by Victor Agreda, Jr. at
7:36 AM
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