Sure, Let's Keep Talking About Health Care Reform

As the Democrats in Congress and Pres. Obama renew their efforts to pass health care reform, I thought I'd take the cue and go over the case one more time.  I know it is overkill, but overkill is the true spirit of blogging.

We have an unmistakable health care problem in America.  Most everyone can agree with that (except the wealthy).  There are about 47 million Americans without health insurance, and about 10 million children, most of whom want health insurance but either can't afford it or have been denied coverage based on a pre-existing condition (which can range from big problems like heart disease to something menial like heartburn).

Even if you are lucky enough to have health insurance the picture is not pleasant.  Premiums are rising at four times the rate of inflation and wages, and have doubled over the past ten years (has your earning capacity doubled in the past ten years?).  Insurance companies are also notorious for avoiding paying out for ostensibly covered procedures based on any technicality they can find, or for no reason at all.

You see, health insurance companies are in it primarily and overwhelmingly to make money for their shareholders.  While that may be something acceptable for, say, a toy company or a chain home improvement stores, it is not desirable for our health insurance industry.  It has lead directly to the problems we are experiencing now:  In order to make as much money as possible they do all they can to make health insurance unavailable to the average American.

In the face of this mountainous evidence of a broken system, many will claim that increased regulation, a public option, or a single-payer system would destroy the best health system in the world.  The WHO ranked America's system as 37th internationally.  We are 33rd in infant mortality, 38th by life expectancy, and usually the around lowest among industrial nations in terms of satisfaction and self-appraisal (in other words, Americans hate their system more than almost any other nation hates their own system).

We have hardly the best system in the world.  Maybe the WHO ranking is a bit low, maybe a bit high, but we have nowhere near the best system.  The critics will point to the anecdotal evidence of people coming from Canada and other countries to have procedures done in America.  I would respond in two ways.

First, I have plenty of anecdotal evidence of Americans who go to other countries to get work done faster and cheaper than they could have in America.  Second, and this is the key, if you are rich enough to be able to come to America to have a medical procedure then, yes, we have the greatest health care system in the world.

America has the greatest health care system in the world if you are wealthy.  If you are not wealthy, we have a terrible system.  Like all other facets of our great nation, if you are wealthy our system is the best.  If you are wealthy unfettered capitalism is the best system in the world.  If you are wealthy you have access to the best education system in the world.  If you are wealthy and can buy politicians, we have the best system of government in the world.  If you happen to be like the vast majority of Americans and are not wealthy, well, too bad.  You are not rich and powerful enough to change the system, so you get to be told how great it all is while looking around and seeing nothing but problems.

I don't think the Democratic plan will save health care, but it is a start.  It's something.  What we are doing now has failed, so trying something new that has worked in other countries is not a bad thing.  And if it takes the reconciliation process to overcome Republican filibusters and obstruction, so be it.