Sunday, February 28, 2010

More Of The Same

The problem with the latest iteration of health care reform is that is just a minor tweaking on the same old corrupt system. It would be fine if it would all work out – but it won't. There are too many players involved who are getting enormously wealthy from the current health care mess: The hospitals, many Doctors, the health insurance behemoth, and the gigantic pharmaceutical industry. The media, advertising, and marketing people who help all of them get even richer also have a lot invested in keeping medical care in America “for profit.”

Barack Obama might possibly get his “reform” passed, but even if he does it has all been in vain. There will still be many millions of sick and injured people in America who are denied access to proper health care. It is popular to say that one's last ditch option in America is the Emergency Room. But if you need long term care for cancer, heart trouble, diabetes or almost any other chronic condition the Emergency Room just doesn't work out. Even people who get injured often go without treatment rather than take the risk of the greedy hospitals' collection departments trying to take their very last possessions - small bank accounts or their houses which they have worked so many years to pay off. So people die needlessly. People who could be cured by modern medical care are allowed to die simply to satisfy “the markets” and the profit motive.

Eventually maybe even the right wing fanatics will figure out that we no longer have the resources to allow the “for profit” system to continue. Doing nothing will eventually bankrupt the country, that part is clear. But just take a look at Greece or Italy in 2010. A refusal to face up to blatant reality right up to the very end is also an option. It is like these guys are on psychedelic drugs or something.

The health care reform idea that is currently referred to as “single payer” is the only solution which has any hope of succeeding. Too bad that the profit motive and all the greed is making it unacceptable to so many of the corrupt politicians. This is not a good sign.
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