Sunday, March 28, 2010

Healthcare Reform

A lot of people seem to be up in the air over this whole healthcare reform deal.

I posed a question on FB asking people to say why they were or were not in favor of the reform bill.

I got several replies from people who were in favor of the bill, or I guess now I should refer to it as a law. I did not hear from one person who was not in favor. Most said that it was not perfect, but that overall they were happy to something done.

I was not attempting to start arguments and the commentary on my FB status was very tame and friendly. I am simply curious to hear what people think as it is not often that an issue raises such a strong response.

I wondered if people even knew what the bill was about as there has been so much propoganda and rhetoric from both ends of the debate. I really questioned if people were simply reacting to what they have heard in the media.

So I will attempt to post the same question here, just to see what people have to say as I really am curious. If I get more than one response I hope that people will keep it friendly.

So comment away!

5 comments:

cindy w said...

Hi, found you through BlogHer Ad links. :-)

I am in favor of the HCR bill, except that I wish it had gone further. I really wanted a public option to be included. (I also married a Brit & I've had a few firsthand experiences with their National Health System and have had only positive experiences there. So I'm not scared of the concept of Universal Healthcare.) But, you know, whatever. This bill is a starting point, Rome wasn't built in a day, yadda yadda.

And yeah, I do know what's included because I've read a few non-partisan fact-checking websites (factcheck.org is probably the best one I've found) that distill the truth of the bill from the propaganda.

You're extremely lucky that the discourse of your FB discussion remained civil. I grew up in Mississippi, so a lot of my friends & relatives were... not happy. Like, one girl I went to high school with (and who I know for a fact is NOT an idiot) actually put, "It's the end of the world" as her FB status when the bill passed. And another said that everyone who voted for Obama (so, um, me & the other 53% of the US population) is a moron & should be ashamed of themselves. It's just insanity. Is this bill going to save the world? No, certainly not. But is it going to bring about Armageddon? Come ON. Time for a slight reality check there, I think.

Anyway, sorry for rambling & having a brain dump in your comments section. :-) Curious to know what YOU think of the bill, since you didn't explicitly say either way.

Missy said...

Hi Cindy so glad you stopped by to comment.

It was actually the hateful and armageddon type statements on Facebook that prompted me to first pose my question. I have a really hard time understanding such vitriol over this issue.

I am in favor of the bill and agree with you that it did not go far enough. I was really hopeful that there would be a public option, but this is a start.

I have no experience with universal care, however I am a therapist and about 99.9 % of my caseload are Medicaid recipients. On the provider end of things I have found Medicaid to be a fair compensator (is that spelled right I am too lazy to check a dictionary right now.)and the best part is they do not put limits on how many sessions a client can have. So I get to use my education and experience to decide when treatment is completed, not a number determined by an insurance company.

So my experience with Medicaid leads me to think that perhaps having a single payer, government run option may not be the end of the world as we know it.

I also have many a family member (including my parents) who can not get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, so that part of the bill is a huge relief.

I often feel like the lone liberal, as I live in Kansas which is not exactly a hot bed of liberal politics.

Hope you stop by again sometime!

mamalion said...

I was hoping to find some calm anti-HCR comments here, because I honestly don't get how anyone could be. I don't know anyone who isn't paying more and getting less than they were ten years ago, except my retired mom whose plan was set when my dad died in 93.
I tested pregnant 3 days before our COBRA ran out last year. MediCal, a welfare program, was my only option - no one else would insure me, even if we could have afforded it.
I've also had positive experiences with national health plans in both Ireland and England. Wish the bill had gone further, but I think we'll get there eventually.

Anonymous said...

I think we're moving towards an Australian system. If I understand that system correctly, you are covered by a government healthcare program, but have the option to purchase increased coverage privately. I think it's the best of both worlds. If you can afford coverage, you can buy it. If you cannot afford coverage, you still have health insurance.

Anonymous said...

I think we're moving towards an Australian system. If I understand that system correctly, you are covered by a government healthcare program, but have the option to purchase increased coverage privately. I think it's the best of both worlds. If you can afford coverage, you can buy it. If you cannot afford coverage, you still have health insurance.