Sunday, September 13, 2009

I've come to realize that when it comes to politics, you can always tell how shaky someone's argument is by the ridiculousness of their statements. The less reasonable and grounded in reality they are, the weaker their actual argument is.

For example, this week, the Republicans claimed that socialized healthcare would lead to 'Death Panels' and euthanasia…because, of course, the first thing we're going to when we have subsidized healthcare is start killing off the sick and the dying.

As I've said recently, America really does have the best healthcare in the world… but only as long as you can afford it. 'Death Panels' and euthanasia just aren't going to happen, but right now there are plenty of people dying all over the country because they can't afford the healthcare they need.

I think the biggest problem here is that for the majority of people, healthcare is an abstract concept. When you have no health problems and insurance, healthcare isn't a huge deal…but it's a totally different story when you have no insurance and get sick.

Let's cut to the real argument here. It's not about the quality of healthcare, protecting Americans or any of that bullshit. It's all about money.

I've been over that a million times in the past, so I'd just like to point something out to the 'average' American, grinding his teeth at the idea that 'he should have to pay for other people's healthcare'.

Exactly what do you think you're doing paying private health insurance? Do you think the insurance company puts all your premiums in a nice big pile and leaves it there in case you get sick? No. Your insurance premiums are paying for everyone else's claims. The only difference between private and socialized healthcare is that with socialized healthcare, your 'premiums' are a lot less, and because those premiums aren't being paid to a business, none of it is being skimmed off the top.

Basically, socialized healthcare is just Medicare for everyone instead of just the elderly. The only reason there's any sort of debate, and the reason for all these bullshit scare tactics, is because the medical establishment that's been screwing us over for decades, who are the very reason so many Americans can't afford healthcare, stand to lose some money.

That's the thing I want everyone to realize. The vast majority of money spent on healthcare isn't spent on our health. It's spent on lining fat cat's pockets.

It's why I've personally been charged $200 for a $2.50 pill and over $500 for three minutes with a doctor. It's why a sore throat cost me well over $1400. Not because that's what healthcare costs, but because the doctors can get away with charging that much because your only other choice is to just die.

1 comment:

Evan 08 said...

Correction: You said that health care companies stand to lose some money. That's not exactly true... they stand to lose a shit-load of money.