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The World is a Scary Place
Jul. 18th, 2009 11:43 pmIt's almost midnight, and I shouldn't be sitting up worrying about not having health insurance and what happens if I get sick. But I am. My parents have made it pretty clear that they wouldn't help me for anything short of a coma... and they couldn't help me for something that big. They simply wouldn't be able to afford it. According to the New York Times, people without health insurance get a lower level of treatment at emergency rooms even in genuine emergencies, such as car accidents.
Yesterday's examiner complained that "Obamacare Will Break the Bank," but from where I'm sitting, the bank has been broken. As most doctors could tell you, health care in the United States is rationed based on ability to pay. Where is the moral outrage? It's just wrong that some people should be (quite literally) in mortal danger because they have no insurance while others are visiting their doctors and getting antibiotics for the common cold (which is viral, anyhow).
No, we most definitely do not want to follow the British model - the National Health is a total disaster. But who says we have to? There are other countries with more equitable health care systems that are not a total disaster. I lived in France, where everyone is covered by "Social Security" (which in most countries means public health care) and where you may, if you choose, purchase health insurance for any procedure not considered essential. It's a remarkably effectively administrated system. Doctors will come to your house if you have the flu. The very beggars on the street can walk into a doctor's office and receive everything from vaccinations to dialysis. For lesser problems, one generally goes to the local pharmacist, who is also qualified to diagnose and treat the most common minor ailments.
Come to think of it, I was sick on a trip to Brussels once, and the pharmacists were lovely to me and asked me all the right questions and gave me a suitable medication. They told me to come back and check in with them the next day, even... and I just had the usual travel ("I'm not used to this continent's weird viruses and I've been on an airplane for hours with no sleep") cold.
I should go to bed. I'm sure most of my anxiety over this is fueled by sleepiness.
Yesterday's examiner complained that "Obamacare Will Break the Bank," but from where I'm sitting, the bank has been broken. As most doctors could tell you, health care in the United States is rationed based on ability to pay. Where is the moral outrage? It's just wrong that some people should be (quite literally) in mortal danger because they have no insurance while others are visiting their doctors and getting antibiotics for the common cold (which is viral, anyhow).
No, we most definitely do not want to follow the British model - the National Health is a total disaster. But who says we have to? There are other countries with more equitable health care systems that are not a total disaster. I lived in France, where everyone is covered by "Social Security" (which in most countries means public health care) and where you may, if you choose, purchase health insurance for any procedure not considered essential. It's a remarkably effectively administrated system. Doctors will come to your house if you have the flu. The very beggars on the street can walk into a doctor's office and receive everything from vaccinations to dialysis. For lesser problems, one generally goes to the local pharmacist, who is also qualified to diagnose and treat the most common minor ailments.
Come to think of it, I was sick on a trip to Brussels once, and the pharmacists were lovely to me and asked me all the right questions and gave me a suitable medication. They told me to come back and check in with them the next day, even... and I just had the usual travel ("I'm not used to this continent's weird viruses and I've been on an airplane for hours with no sleep") cold.
I should go to bed. I'm sure most of my anxiety over this is fueled by sleepiness.
