With all the misinformation flying around from the Republicans and the health “insurance” industry (AKA the American Mafia) about President Obama’s health care plan, I thought it was time to put more than two cents in.
Let’s make one thing clear first. If you (or someone you know) has cancer; heart disease; diabetes; HIV/AIDS; leukemia; Down’s Syndrome; Alzheimer’s; epilepsy; mental health problems; hepatitis; hemophilia; cirrhosis; are on dialysis; or any other illness, syndrome, infection, etc. then you have a pre-existing condition. Period.
Hell, life is a pre-existing condition. I’m surprised the insurance companies haven’t cashed in on this: they could deny everybody care with this simple truth. You are born, thus you get ill. If you were never born, this couldn’t have happened, right? Now, that doesn’t mean that the dead or the un-dead can get coverage; they, too, were at one point living. Not that I’ve ever seen a vampire in the emergency room because an amateur forgot which side the heart was on when they drove in the wooden stake.
But I digress.
If you, for some reason, lose your current health care coverage, your pre-existing conditions most likely will not be covered by your new insurance provider. Aside: why are they called “providers” when all too often they deprive? Chew on that for a bit - just don’t choke - may not be covered.
It is time to cut the health insurance companies out like a cancer. That’s the best analogy for them. They endanger the health - physical, mental, emotional and financial - of the people of this country. You could try radiation therapy, but I'm afraid they are as immune to this as cockroaches.
Every time they deny an expensive or experimental procedure, they put the burden on the patient. If you don’t have the money - having expected your health insurance to cover it - you either struggle to pay or default.
If you default, it sets off a chain of events. First, your credit rating plummets. This could affect getting loans, renting an apartment, buying a car or home. The negative credit will linger over your head and your life for seven years.
Second, the hospital and doctors will attempt collection. If that fails, it will be sent to an agency. You will get phone calls and letters pressuring you, sometimes in threatening terms, to pay your outstanding debt. Not great for your mental health.
Almost makes you wish you’d taken your chances by not having the procedure done, doesn’t it? Or at least saved your money by not handing it over to the insurance company. Like I said, the American Mafia. Pay up, and we’ll protect you. Can’t be responsible for what happens if you don’t. Capisce?
Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Spain - even Cuba - have national heath care. Despite the fear tactics being employed by those opposed to you being healthy, citizens of those nations are, for the most part, quite pleased with the system.
As for being socialized medicine, what’s wrong with that? According to the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
When you are sick, are you happy? I suppose finding a commode could be considered the pursuit of that status, but does it really seeking happiness, or merely relief? I guarantee those who have to put up with you aren’t overjoyed.
By the way, isn’t health an integral part of life? Oh, yes. I mentioned that above. Life is a pre-existing condition. Thus, it seems self-evident to me that all persons have a right to health care to preserve that life as best as possible. There is no guarantee that you will keep living forever - death is, eventually, a constant. But why die when it could be avoided with medical care? And why die because you couldn’t afford it.
How many rich people live longer lives because they have solid health insurance? Do they care if you, too, could live a better life? Of course not. Elitism includes access to the best care, while the huddled masses die in the streets like rats. Enough where they came from.
So why are you letting them tell you to reject Obama’s health care? Rush Limbaugh is eventually going to have a massive coronary due to his abundant size and drug abuse. You can be sure he has doctors and heart surgeons at his beck and call. Dick Cheney’s already proven that by having money - i.e., power - one gets what they need. Can you? You think? Really? Guess again.
As a point of fact, this country, the states, and cities have been playing “socialist” as far back as the late 19th century. Gasp! Horrors! Take a look at how socialism has infiltrated our nation long before there was Communism:
Public Education: Even those who don’t have children, or their kids are no longer in school, pay taxes to fund the school system. Not that education in America these days is on par with the rest of the civilized world. But imagine how many more stupid and ignorant people there would be if they couldn’t learn to read or write without having the financial ability. Can you say a thousand years of George W. Bush’s? I knew you could.
Emergency Services: would you prefer to have to pay for the police, fire department or paramedics to come to your rescue? Your tax dollars pay for those services, whether you need them or not. Of course, you better have good insurance, or you’ll be paying for that ambulance. And the EMT’s. And the Emergency Room visit...
Veteran’s Health Administration: This is socialized health care. Your esteemed (elite) Congress men and women, as well as the President and his cabinet, get the same type of health care. For the rest of their unnatural lives. No wonder they don’t want you to have it. As I mentioned, elitism. Aren’t you glad you paid for Dick Cheney’s pacemaker?
Transportation: Our highway and interstate infrastructure was paid for by - you guessed it - YOU. And me. And every other tax payer. I won’t imply that the wealthiest Americans have managed to hide so much of their money, in addition to getting tax cuts, that they aren’t paying their fair share. Who cares - they take private jets, not cars. Why pay if you don’t use it? That also includes Amtrak (which lost a great deal of funding).
Postal Service: You think your ever-rising in cost stamps are paying for the U.S. Postal Service to operate? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause, but no, your pitiful few letters are not enough to fund the USPS. In fact, as more people are using email, text messages, and paying bills online, only the die-hard romantics and collection agencies still send letters. You remember, those sweet love notes telling you to pay the $50,000 you owe for that bypass surgery or we’ll take it all back?
Oh. One more thing. When you pay your health insurance premiums, that money goes into a pool. When somebody has a claim (and it’s paid), the money comes out of that pool. Some of that might even be yours. If you have to file a claim, it too comes from that same pool, even if it isn’t “your” money.
Obama’s plan includes preventative and wellness care and education, something lacking in this country for far too long. If you learn how to take better care of yourself, or catch an issue earlier through testing, don’t you think you’d have a better chance of dodging the bullet? Detect a tiny malignant cancer soon enough, it will never become the size of a basketball. And yes, there are documented cases of tumors that size or larger.
If you don’t care about yourself, what of your family and friends? I won’t ask you to extend your compassion to strangers - what have they done for you lately? I’m sure not even Mother Theresa gave a damn about you when she was alive, and even less so these days. To be honest, she worried about everybody who was suffering. Even you.
I hope I’ve been able to enlighten and entertain as well as educate you. And I hope you will use that muscle between your ears and think before you make a fool of yourself at the next town hall meeting.
Thanks for reading.
as Mary Griffith in a performance that proves that Siggy's still got it. I hope she gets nominated at least for an Emmy for this role. 
