Writer's Block: Health Care

[logomancer]

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Every human being has the right to be healthy, both physically and mentally. Whether they exercise that right is up to them, but I don't think people should be forced to die because some insurance company bureaucrat decides that they shouldn't have to pay for someone's medical procedure, or because some doctor thinks they or their patient will go to Hell if they perform a life-saving abortion. In either one of these cases, these people get to make a choice to end someone's life, and that doesn't sit well with me, especially if they're in a line of work where they're supposed to be saving lives.

So yes, health care is a right, and that's why I'm for a single-payer universal health care system, and I'm against those idiotic HHS rules they're trying to railroad through allowing doctors, pharmacists, etc. to not do their job.

I'm vt_andros, And I Approve This Message.

Comments

[wyrdone.livejournal.com]

I have one question for you. Are you ready for your taxes to become 60% of your paycheck? (up from the approx 30% they are for a single person)

[vt-andros.livejournal.com]

Given the fact that, with my current job and no health insurance, anything requiring a hospital visit would likely eat up all of my paycheck for the next several years, I'd say yes.

[wyrdone.livejournal.com]

So it's ok because you don't have a job that provides coverage or don't have a job and don't pay taxes to expect the other tax payers to pickup the tab on your health care?

Being the devils advocate here. There are huge implications in what you suggest. For example, what about those who refuse to work? Should they get to be freeloading parasites? What about the existing welfare momma who keeps having kids because she gets an extra paycheck for each one (and yes it DOES happen), particularly now that she doesn't have to worry about their healthcare?

[vt-andros.livejournal.com]

I don't think that someone deserves to die or suffer permanent damage because people like you or me decide that they're not making a sufficient contribution to society. There are other pressures on people who refuse to work, and I seriously doubt that the people who absolutely refuse to do anything would make up a proportion of hospital patients significant enough to be a serious issue.

And in any case, taxpayers are already paying for indigents that can't afford -- or are ineligible for -- proper health insurance; the difference is that we're paying for it when whatever problem they have becomes life-threatening and they have to go to the ER, which is much more expensive than seeing a doctor and getting preventative care before that point. Universal health care would allow people to see a doctor about things sooner, and thus keep costs down.

As for welfare mothers -- I know they exist, but again, I doubt there's enough of them to be a serious drain on the system. And there are ways to deal with the problem if it does.

In the final analysis, I think the problems you mention aren't big enough to warrant not having single-payer universal health care. On the whole, it will do much more good than harm.