[email hidden] (Captain Compassion) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:"Health care is a human right, not a privilege. If you don't believe this now, you might
change your mind if and when you find yourself in need of life- saving care in a hospital
emergency room."
It all becomes clear now. Your basic premise is faulty. Perhaps I can help. You,
[email hidden], have the human right to maximize the quality of your life to the best of
your ability. However you have no right to ask me or others to help you do so.
Help me out here. Are you a beggar or a thief?
It would seem that every society that wishes to function as a society is faced with a fundamental
question -- which functions are of such utter importance that they should be addressed on a
national level?
Defense of course -- you rarely hear anyone seriously debate whether or not we all should contribute
part of our productivity to try to make sure that we don't have to worry 24/7 about Russian,
Chinese, North Korean, or Martian troops for that matter landing on our dinner table.
We don't even seem to mind having nationalized control of the monetary system. Do you honestly think
that if totally free market forces were at work that anyone would both with minting PENNIES? Do you
think that currency would exist at all. Nope ... if free market forces were completely in play you'd
have to have good enough credit at least for a debit card if you wanted to be in the economy at all.
We don't seem to mind having a nationalized ROADS system -- do you have a RIGHT to I-75? If the free
market were completely in play in that market you'd have to pay tolls right up to your driveway.
Actually we do have a nationalized health care SYSTEM ... of sorts ... if you are sick enough and
you can find your way to an emergency room you will get treated.
However you will also get treated to a bill with six figures on it.
Fortunately we have a bandaid solution for that one too as you can then walk into federal court and
discharge your hospital bill.
I was watching I think it was Dateline the other night and I was furious beyond description by
someone pointing out another gaping "hole" in our system. It was a story about a young lady who was
hit by a drunk driver. Actually as far as drunk driving accidents goes she was actually quite lucky,
but did suffer extensive damage to her face.
The only insurance coverage she had was a $25,000 lifetime limit student policy. I think she got
something like $25,000 more from a victims of violent crime fund. But her medical bills came to
over $125,000.
She seemed to be the type who was too proud to go Chapter 7, but, let's face it, through no fault of
our her own and because, apparently, you and I can't bear the thought of having to wait to see a
doctor for a couple of days over a hangnail, this intelligent, articulate, promising young woman's
financial life is utterly destroyed.
I'm telling you ... yes ... it's pretty cool that I can usually get in to see my doc or my doc's LPN
on 24 hours notice when I have a stomach bug, but I'd trade it in a second for being able to go to
sleep at night knowing that if I ever do get seriously sick I'm not going to have to suffer the
double indignity of financial ruin.
And if you think private insurance is going to be there much longer, each and every one of you is on
crack. Many of the better doctors in the area are no longer doing business with one of the larger
insurance carriers here because their reimbursement rates are so low. In fact, a HUGE hospital chain
here (which includes the university hospital with the Level 1 trauma center) looks like they are
going to tell this large insurance company what to go do with themselves.
Oh ... and there was a great story in the New York Times a few weeks ago about I think it was a
hospital in Yonkers who was putting arrest warrants out on people who didn't show up to court when
they sued them for medical bills they probably couldn't pay.
Just think about this people ...
Each and every one of you who has not called your Senators and Representatives and DEMANDED a
National Health Plan ... one day ... it could be you ... you could be on your deathbed with
tubes running out the wahzoo and the Sheriff could come to haul you off to jail because you
can't pay the bill.
Can you live with yourself knowing that you support a society that is capable of such cruelty? Are
you SURE this could never happen to you?
Ax