Tuesday, September 15, 2009

since I'm already feeling all political...

Regarding the health care debate:

For those of you out there who advocate keeping the status quo, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. But: I challenge you to consider dropping your current health coverage* for a period of one year. Just a year! Preferrably do so when you're experiencing a major life change, like moving, or losing a job, or having a child. You probably won't get into a car accident during that year. Odds are against it. Probably none of your other family members will, either. You'll even have more freedom to choose your provider for routine exams and such.

Not willing to do try my experiment? Then how comfortable are you, really, with our current health care system? Because you are just one job loss away from that scenario. And with no guarantee that you will only be without coverage for a year.

*I know several people without health insurance who do not advocate a public health insurance option. Frankly, I respect their opinions more than those I know who do have health insurance and oppose reform, because, well, at least they put their money where their mouth is. Still agreeing to disagree, though.

2 comments:

Idyllic Youth said...

I have health insurance and would like reform. It is silly to have to carry health insurance for things that can often be predicted (like the birth of a baby following pregnancy, not an accident) and a yearly pap smear, dental cleaning, or physical (usually scheduled and not accidental). Why should we have a system that operates the way car insurance (designed to protect against crashes, accidental and unplanned)? I also don't like paying more than 200 dollars a month just so that I end up paying 1500 dollar deductable just to pay 20% of all costs after that and that is if the doctor I want to see is "in network". Its a bogus system designed to keep us all eternally in care and never actually graduating beyond care into wellness.

Heather said...

Yeah, I hear you--we tend not to use the health care coverage we have. But--it sure provides some protection against going bankrupt--or worse, just not getting care--were something catastrophic to happen. At this point, I'll just be happy if that gets covered, and am not going to hope to much that the system put in place promotes wellness.