Obama's choice healthcare...

I may be on an Obama kick today, but it is time to start ferreting out the real differences between Clinton and him. So far, Obama's been appealing to the change constituency and not the issue group.

So onto his choice healthcare system.

Choice is what we have now and it's causing a major part of the healthcare problem. It's the reason why my payments, and anyone who has chosen to purchase insurance, are so high. We are paying for all those who choose not to get insurance when they go on what the British refer to as the dole.

It also means that those who believe that they don't need health insurance, the young for instance, are not really paying their share of the problems. Yet, when they do need it, they demand the most.

Another argument that people use to fight universal mandatory health insurance [along with the new Nazi reference, that I don't quite seem to be able to understand right now, but forgive me, I've been out of the country for the last week] are the British and French models of what they refer to as socialized medicine.

Yet, any citizen from either of those two countries, or any other with similar programs, would tell you they wouldn't have it any other way. They like knowing that they have the security if they need it. Yes, the government, hence the citizens, is paying for it, but what exactly is the purpose of government? Isn't is, to borrow a phrase, "that government of the people, by the people, for the people,..." is the real point of having a government?

I would also point out that all of my friends on Medicare, though they may bitch from time to time, love not paying anything when they need the care the most and only have to pay a smaller fee for "supplemental" policies that don't cover some specific things with Medicare. They live on fixed incomes and a 3% cost of living increase every January, doesn't help much.

so, to be ridiculous, maybe we should make not only healthcare but also Medicare and Social Security choice type programs?

oh, wait, that's Bush/Cheney/Republican idea. you know, privatizing it... that's another choice initiative. you know, choosing more money for the insurance industries. that's not the same as working with lobbyists for money. that's working with them to let them make more money...




[update @ 3:44 pm: after writing this I later was reading Steve Clemens' over at his site The Washington Note and found that he had something to say about this also - "Note to Barack Obama: Choice is the Problem, Not the Fix in Health Insurance". Check it out. He's much more objective than I am.]