Health Care Irony

[usha93]

So, there were these folks on my teevee the past several months, and they were screaming. Red-faced, spittle-flying, top-o'-the-lungs-to-ye screaming! What were they hollering about? Often impossible to tell, but the message coming through was "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS THE BEST HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD

Comments

[takwish]

I'm less and less able to see the humor in this situation. These people are ruining a process that could have made significant improvements in the lives of many of us, and they're doing it for utterly stupid reasons.

[usha93]

As a parent, I taught my daughter to take turns, not to shout over other people, not to lie and B.S., to stand by her beliefs rather than changing them to suit the circumstances of the moment...you know, parent stuff.

Sometimes I feel I didn't do my "job" of preparing her to live well in the world. Sometimes it seems like all the basics have changed -- to get along in this world, it does start to look like it's better to throw tantrums in public, change your opinion more often than your underwear, stuff cotton in your ears, and if you're ever called on your bullshit, to just keep repeating the same thing, louder and LOUDER and LOUDER!

Aren't there any parents doing their jobs anymore? Sometimes I wonder. :/

[christeos_pir]

BTW, have you seen this?

[usha93]

No, I hadn't. Thanks, dude! :->

It's actually starting to get a little ridiculous, the numerous beneficial effects of the cannabis plant. It's way beyond ridiculous that this is still a Schedule I drug.

Hey, medical MJ could be a big deal in health care reform. If every state had a medical MJ law, then broke seniors and disabled folks could do a little home gardening, and grow something that's been shown to help with conditions as diverse as glaucoma, neuropathic pain, chemo-induced nausea, and even neural protection. And the PharmaCos would lose out. Oh! Hmmm. That means it will never happen. :/

[usha93]

Hey there! I've added you too. ;->

It's my daughter who was the astrologer, as a way to get a few extra bucks while she was in college. My own interest waxes and wanes!

Oh, I'd heard some questions about illegal aliens being eligible for free health care -- silly me, I thought they meant, y'know, like Mexicans or something! I dunno as I want my tax dollars paying for some grey from another planet! =:o

LOL. Welcome to the Asylum!

[pennyann]

Hi again old friend! I'm glad to be back and appreciate your response to my last post, so I decided to come say hello.

I think it is unfortunate that what I fear is going to happen is that we are going to get an even shittier health care situation than we currently have because the democrats are going to cave to pressure and re-write and edit and drop all the good parts of the reform for a milquetoast solution that won't help anybody and will just spend a lot of tax dollars.

I have not missed having cable and having to listen to the new nitpicks on either side all day long on the 24 hour news stations.

Love to you though my dear! xoxoxoxo

[usha93]

Howdy-do Penny! How's the allergin roller coaster going? I'm hoping you can at least see Ok and that any scratching of itches you may be doing is only in that FUN way!

The first thing that really rang my warning bells with this was when the White House announced a deal with the major PharmaCos, where they'd putatively put up some of the money it'll take, in exchange for the government's agreement not to negotiate drug prices in any public option plan. That's how GWB pushed Part D through, and it was a terrible idea then; it's a worse one now IMO. Those of us with Medicare pay a ton for our medications, while the exact same drugs are 1/3 to 1/2 as much for those on Medicaid, because the States have the opposite deal. It's written into law that the States must negotiate the best prices on the meds it covers. Meanwhile, the Federal gov't is forbidden to negotiate ... and the prices go up and up and up

[lori_holder]

I deplore the lack of internal consistency in these matters. My feeling is, go ahead and hold whatever opinion you like, no matter how bizarre it may seem to me, but for the love of pete don't tell me that 2=3 one day and then 2=4 the next. I'm still going to think you're wrong when you tell me 2=3, but I will both think you're wrong AND a Total F*cking Moron if you try to hold down both lines at the same time.

And really. On the healthcare thing. People are screaming because they're worried that some faceless bureaucrat is going to tell them which doctors they can see...because they prefer a faceless profiteering corporation to tell them which doctors they can't see and what medical tests they can't have? Seems to me for an awful lot of people it's going to be six of one, half-dozen of the other.

[usha93]

Exactly.

You know, it seems to me that so-called "anti-intellectual" positions frequently used to have a strong component of common sense to them.

These days, it seems like many folks' position is to be anti-common-sense. And that's just disheartening. :{