Yeah, me too.
Actually, I don't really have a clue what is even being suggested for possible solutions. It's all way too bureaucratic and cumbersome for me and I don't have the mental energy to try to go through it. I keep waiting for a news report to spell it out in plain English, but that hasn't happened yet. The ones that try to always end by restating that they don't really know and there are lots of ifs and buts.
This is the question I have to the powers that be and everyone else:
Why is it that if my house catches fire, a firetruck full of firemen rushes to put it out and even rescue me from the second floor and I don't get a bill.
And as a kid growing up, my teacher taught me all kinds of stuff that I would need to be a happy, healthy, productive member of society, and I didn't get a bill (well, at least not until after high school).
And if a mugger assaults me and a policeman happens to be near, he will rush to my aid and I don't get a bill. And if the mugger is arrested, he will be prosecuted and defended without a bill to me. If he is convicted, he will be housed, fed, and provided medical care at no cost to him (except of course that he does not get to live free).
However, if this mugger stabs me or shoots me, and I have to be rushed to the emergency room, have emergency surgery, and have to recuperate in the hospital for a few days, I will get a bill.
A really really big bill.
Depending on how much it cost to save me, I might even wish they had not bothered.
I understand that I do pay for the above mentioned services through my taxes. And I'm happy to do that. (Well, not happy like YAY! Tax time! But happy in that I believe those services are good and necessary, and if less taxes meant no firemen, then I'd go with more taxes and a fireman.)
I just don't understand why it's such a sacred cow that health care be a business. In fact, I think it's a little bit morally slimy to let money decide if people live or die. How much is your life worth? A million? Two? Maybe only a few hundred thousand?
And does this dollar value depend on your job or your family or what?Not so long ago I figured out based on my salary what I was worth using the business principles of revenue vs. expense. After I took out expenses like food, clothing, housing, etc, I was only left with a net contribution of $12.57 per day. So pretty much any major medical procedure would take more than my lifetime to recoup.
If we had to get estimates on the cost of treating a disease like we do on our cars when they need to be fixed, would we treat our lives and bodies like cars?
Well, the car is 10 years old and it's really not worth it to overhaul the engine if the rest of the car probably won't go much longer anyway.
Well, Grandma is 70 years old. Is it really worth it to put so many thousands of dollars into her when she's just going to die in a few years anyway??
I'm guessing most people go over the first scenario each time their car makes a funny noise but find the second version reprehensible.
So why is the idea of health care as a business ok?
No, really. I need an explanation. Does anyone know?
I'll just wait here until someone can explain it, and hope I don't get sick in the meanwhile.
I really don't keep up with the health care reform debates either, but from the little I do know about it, I don't feel comfortable with the government having too much control over our lives, especially the most important aspects of our lives--our health. All I know is that we've had this health care system for as long as I've known what health care is. Some argue it's the best system in the world; others...not so much. I think that the *idea* of free health care is great, but after looking at the big picture and the ultimate cost towards all of us (taxes, etc.), I don't know what would happen. I do think that health care is way over-priced, but Americans also need to prioritize their spending, too. That's just my opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteI found your post so eye-opening! I too would like to know why healthcare costs seem to get more out of control every year. Could it have something to do with the amount of money that some doctors and specialists insist on making? And could that have something to do with the insane amount of student loans they have to pay back from eight years of school? I think you see where I’m going with this – it’s a vicious cycle, these rising healthcare costs of ours.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think your questions are ones that should be addressed by our senators. Why is it that our houses are saved by our tax dollars but our lives are not? Fascinating post, and I loved your artwork!