I just couldn't sleep. I watched Obama's info-mercial the other night, listened thoughtfully to all that he had to say on the matter, and then processed a friend's comment that she felt that health care was part of the "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" that we are all supposed to be guaranteed (under the 'life' category).
She is one of the only people I know who sides with Obama on this one. Most of my friends and family members want government to stay far, far away from their medical care. To them, government and health care go about as well together as carpet and red wine. I am inclined to agree.
To me, forced charity is no charity at all. And that is what socialism is. Charity should be given freely, and I believe our country's attempt to meddle in charitable giving has created much more of a problem than there otherwise might have been.
If American Idol can raise millions for those in need, can't we trust Americans enough to bring food to a shelter or soup kitchen if only they couldn't rest in the false assumption that, "if they really needed help, they could get food stamps, etc." If there were no safety net other than funds and supplies given by neighbors to neighbors in need, I truly believe that my fellow citizens would rise to the occasion and dig deep in their wallets to share. But many of us are apathetic because we trust that our government will step in.
It feels good to share. Paying taxes feels like sandpaper rubbed on sensitive body parts.
Not only that, but we taxpayers would have more to share, if government weren't always dipping into our pocketbooks asking for more. Further, because of the efficiency of private charitable organizations, each dollar would go further (think World Vision, and Habitat for Humanity). They don't spend half of their income in administrative costs, the way our government does. They have nearly ALL of our hard earned money ear-marked for those who will benefit the most from it.
Also note how small, private charitable organizations can hold those who receive aid accountable. If our family were able to donate money to local residents directly, instead of to worthy groups, such as ACORN, we would be able to cease our donations once we realized that, instead of buying healthy food for their children, our neighbors-in-need were taking delivery of their second flat-screen television, and registering homeless people for elections in other states in their spare time.
Fraud in the Medicaid program alone is estimated at 30 BILLION a year! Can you imagine what private clinics, like a local one called Hands of Hope, could do for those in need, with that kind of revenue? Those are our tax dollars folks. That's our money that is being stolen, and our current government wants to add more (to the tune of one trillion dollars) to the pot. How much will we lose in fraud then? Should we be adding programs when the government can't get a handle on what they already have running?
This is not to say that our system isn't a mess. Doctors pay exorbitant costs for malpractice insurance, which, of course we pay in the end in higher medical bills. Why aren't doctors and nurses held accountable with their very careers, instead of being able to return to work after they pay off the latest unhappy patient? My husband (an air traffic controller) is watched more closely at work than Al Gore keeps track of his thermometer. Every word he says, or key stroke he makes is recorded. And if he makes a mistake, all of those recordings are reviewed. If he makes mistakes, he pays a price; ultimately losing his job if he makes more than a few during a given period of time. We're not talking about actual mid-air collision-type mistakes. If two of his aircraft get closer than a certain number of miles to each other, he faces disciplinary action.
If doctors were held to a standard this high, and to this kind of monitoring, and then dealt with their mistakes by being forced out of work temporarily (or permanently if too many mistakes were made over time), I think most patients would come to understand that they could expect good care from their doctors, that they would pay with their careers if they were not very careful with the lives and well-being of their patients, and that they would not win the lottery if a mistake were made.
With frivolous law-suits set aside, costs should go down a good amount.
I have read recently, that 80% if disease can be directly linked to poor habits. Smoking and poor nutrition choices are right at the top of the "poor habit" list.
Has anyone thought of giving a rebate to Medicare/Medicaid recipients who maintain a healthy weight and who refrain from smoking? How about taxing the heck out of junk food? I know this raises some concerns about who decides what qualifies as junk food, but just as safe drivers get a break on their auto insurance, can't we figure out a way to reward those who take care of their bodies?
The big question is really as simple as how big of a role should government have in our lives? If they got out of the way, I imagine we could figure out how to care for those in need and create local clinics that were efficient. Do we have to run the same experiment on health care that has failed in Massachusetts and Hawaii? Canada? Are we really that stupid? I certainly hope not.
She is one of the only people I know who sides with Obama on this one. Most of my friends and family members want government to stay far, far away from their medical care. To them, government and health care go about as well together as carpet and red wine. I am inclined to agree.
To me, forced charity is no charity at all. And that is what socialism is. Charity should be given freely, and I believe our country's attempt to meddle in charitable giving has created much more of a problem than there otherwise might have been.
If American Idol can raise millions for those in need, can't we trust Americans enough to bring food to a shelter or soup kitchen if only they couldn't rest in the false assumption that, "if they really needed help, they could get food stamps, etc." If there were no safety net other than funds and supplies given by neighbors to neighbors in need, I truly believe that my fellow citizens would rise to the occasion and dig deep in their wallets to share. But many of us are apathetic because we trust that our government will step in.
It feels good to share. Paying taxes feels like sandpaper rubbed on sensitive body parts.
Not only that, but we taxpayers would have more to share, if government weren't always dipping into our pocketbooks asking for more. Further, because of the efficiency of private charitable organizations, each dollar would go further (think World Vision, and Habitat for Humanity). They don't spend half of their income in administrative costs, the way our government does. They have nearly ALL of our hard earned money ear-marked for those who will benefit the most from it.
Also note how small, private charitable organizations can hold those who receive aid accountable. If our family were able to donate money to local residents directly, instead of to worthy groups, such as ACORN, we would be able to cease our donations once we realized that, instead of buying healthy food for their children, our neighbors-in-need were taking delivery of their second flat-screen television, and registering homeless people for elections in other states in their spare time.
Fraud in the Medicaid program alone is estimated at 30 BILLION a year! Can you imagine what private clinics, like a local one called Hands of Hope, could do for those in need, with that kind of revenue? Those are our tax dollars folks. That's our money that is being stolen, and our current government wants to add more (to the tune of one trillion dollars) to the pot. How much will we lose in fraud then? Should we be adding programs when the government can't get a handle on what they already have running?
This is not to say that our system isn't a mess. Doctors pay exorbitant costs for malpractice insurance, which, of course we pay in the end in higher medical bills. Why aren't doctors and nurses held accountable with their very careers, instead of being able to return to work after they pay off the latest unhappy patient? My husband (an air traffic controller) is watched more closely at work than Al Gore keeps track of his thermometer. Every word he says, or key stroke he makes is recorded. And if he makes a mistake, all of those recordings are reviewed. If he makes mistakes, he pays a price; ultimately losing his job if he makes more than a few during a given period of time. We're not talking about actual mid-air collision-type mistakes. If two of his aircraft get closer than a certain number of miles to each other, he faces disciplinary action.
If doctors were held to a standard this high, and to this kind of monitoring, and then dealt with their mistakes by being forced out of work temporarily (or permanently if too many mistakes were made over time), I think most patients would come to understand that they could expect good care from their doctors, that they would pay with their careers if they were not very careful with the lives and well-being of their patients, and that they would not win the lottery if a mistake were made.
With frivolous law-suits set aside, costs should go down a good amount.
I have read recently, that 80% if disease can be directly linked to poor habits. Smoking and poor nutrition choices are right at the top of the "poor habit" list.
Has anyone thought of giving a rebate to Medicare/Medicaid recipients who maintain a healthy weight and who refrain from smoking? How about taxing the heck out of junk food? I know this raises some concerns about who decides what qualifies as junk food, but just as safe drivers get a break on their auto insurance, can't we figure out a way to reward those who take care of their bodies?
The big question is really as simple as how big of a role should government have in our lives? If they got out of the way, I imagine we could figure out how to care for those in need and create local clinics that were efficient. Do we have to run the same experiment on health care that has failed in Massachusetts and Hawaii? Canada? Are we really that stupid? I certainly hope not.
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