The health care reform bill - or should I say the silly and often irrational fight against it - has gone on for so very long that I had almost forgotten about it until I was reminded this Sunday by a friend it was coming up for a final vote. President Obama is planning a signing party for today. Then he goes on the road to sell what it is that has been passed. McCain is launching a national campaign for its repeal already and asking for $25 donations from everyone that doesn't want access to health care? I am a little unclear on the concept. Another friend of mine into holistic medicine (as am I) is protesting the new bill because it will not cover acupuncture and herbal remedies. Hard to find insurance not that does.
Amendments to this very new bill loom in the wings already. It was a pass what you can and then modify as able effort. But we are no longer the only developed country in the world without open access to health care and insurance. The mere outlawing of exclusion for pre-existing conditions makes it worth the fight. But clearly the fight is not over.
A friend of mine noted recently that the world seems to be speeding up with all the technology and communication available but when it comes to laws and legal matters the wheels grind ever so slowly. I maintain something needs to be done. My relative small legal issue in the scheme of things has lingered on for two and a half years and already taken a full day in district court and likely to take another. And then there is the judge's time in considering the matter after both sides rest. My legal aid council figures roughly $50,000 spent to defend me against my house being taken from me. I estimate that opposing council has billed $36,000 to his client for an original $21,600 lien with no back up proof that has already been amended to $14,000 by the plaintiff because of an accounting error.
I believe that now we are on the road to a reformed health care and health insurance system we need to work on reform of litigation. Our legal system is almost as screwed up as the health insurance industry. It is just that people don't die waiting for decisions from judges like they do HMO's. A book I was reading about a murder in Victorian England has the accused tried and hung within three months. Average wait on death row in America today is 9 to 15 years.
On other news there is an extreme Cabernet shortage because of the Chilean earth quake, sharks lost their bid before the UN to be protected (did a legal shark plead their case?), and a Nazi man in Germany was convicted for 1944 murders. Now there is a legal case that has taken forever. And Google China has decided to leave the Chinese mainland and relocate in Hong Kong. Fear of reprisal?
As far as finding a Healthcare to cover Acupuncture,Herbs etc I think that would be stretching too far,certainly that will never happen,my goodness all those Drug Companies would go broke..the almighty dollar.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Court case,the whole thing is so appalling,just hang in there Jacqui,in the end Justice will be done and once again you will be able to have that lovely peace up there in the mountains...plus I would be asking for him to pay you for all the stress he has given you in the past 2 1/2years.
'Justice will be seen to be done'
Am I being stupid here but isn't mandatory health care for all, a good thing? Doesn't it ensure that everyone, not just the well-to-do has access to health care? Doesn't it also ensure that people don't get turned away from hospitals? I do wish we had that sort of system here. I can understand those in holistic medicine would feel left out but I think at this stage, that is a 'no no' - it's taken too long to get this far so small steps seems like a good idea.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the justice system goes - it stinks - virtually all over the world unless one has taken illegal drugs into an Asian country. Then they hang you pretty damn quickly.
A shortage of Chilean Cabernet?? Oh hell!
Without a public option it is such a give-away to the rapacious health industry that there is not much to celebrate. Our Canadian medicare system doesn't cover much in the way of natural health either. But then you are more likely to go bankrupt when using "the system" anyway. I try not to use it, but am sure glad it is there when I need it.
ReplyDeleteIn order to get it passed the public option had to be dropped. That was going to help contain future raises in insurance premiums. They have gone up almost 60% in less than 2 years.
ReplyDeleteBut my understanding is that will be handled as a separate bill in the near future. This does prohibit the stupid "pre-existing" condition practice that insurance companies used to side-step coverage. There may be multiple names for insurance in the US but all are run by 3 major companies so chances are when you change jobs you were not changing the covering company except in name.
With everyone covered hospitals and emergency rooms do not have to compensate for the "uninsured" losses and so the thought is their basic costs will go down. Our medical procedures in the US are 200% higher than the nearest European country. But we are only 47th in care.
I have been looking at the fact that if I needed shoulder reconstruction in the future I can fly to Thailand, spend two weeks, and return having had the cutting edge surgery and it will cost me less than the co-pay here in the US. Sad commentary.