Health Care Debate

I don't know what anyone else thinks about the current debate on health care reform in the USAmerica, but I'm intrigued by the 10:10Challenge issued by the United Methodists.

Their stated goal "for a justice-filled system of health-care that is:

* INCLUSIVE
* AVAILABLE
* ACCESSIBLE
* ACCOUNTABLE"

sounds right to me. With due respect to my friends in the medical community, I know the current system is in desperate need of change. Even though the current system is working for many, as a whole, overall health studies and mortality rates show that this country is not getting sufficient value for the amount of funds being spent. American businesses and the poor are especially hard-hit by the high cost of health care.

So, I do not understand the fierceness of the debate from those who are trying to protect the insurance companies and the status quo. As someone with an aging family member, I do not understand the mistrust of a "public option" patterned after Medicare, which clearly "works" for our seniors. When doctors tell me they are eager for themselves or their spouses to reach age 65 so they are eligible for Medicare, that tells me more about what they think of that system than the rants and complaints being voiced publicly. As a dues-paying member, I do not understand the AARP who loudly demands protection of the Medicare system while fighting against a similar system for the rest of us, including the millions of uninsured.

As an upper-50's semi-retired couple in pretty good health, we are paying over $25,000 per year in premiums for a private medical insurance plan through a professional society group for a high-deductible, bare-bones plan (that is, no coverage for prescription drugs, dental, vision, preventive care, disability, etc)- with the premiums going up 10-15% per year! If we had no insurance, an option which is looking more and more likely, the doctors and hospitals would charge us 2-3 times the rates for their services as the insurance companies are charged (check your latest billing to confirm this). No wonder the nation's emergency rooms are choked with non-paying customers.

I recognize that there are major issues with the cost of a new "public option" and that the insurance companies feel threatened by the concept, but at some point the "greater good" needs to win out. As I prepare to join the millions of uninsured, I suggest it is time for a change! This issue is personal to all of us, but I also see it as a matter of justice. Peace to all!