Just Move Forward
Another cranky opinion
for
CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY
The following is the opinion of a
cranky old man with no expertise what-so-ever on the topic opined. Opposing opinions are welcome, but they are
wrong. As always, please, no name calling,
and that means you, you big stupid head!
Not that
many generations ago, people traveled by horse.
They traveled on horseback, or they rode in wagons pulled by
horses. They traveled on crappy dirt or
muddy roads. But then, for the most
part, people did not travel all that far.
Horseback or cart was good enough most of the time and dirt roads were
fine if you didn’t have to travel very far.
Most people
were fine with traveling by horse.
Early in the
last century a motorized cart was invented. It was called a horseless carriage and eventually, a car. Those cars were different, they were noisy,
they broke down a lot, and they were expensive.
Only the very rich could own one and it was mostly just a novelty.
Then, in
1913, Henry Ford started making cars by a new assembly line process. Cars were affordable for more people and they
were a bit more reliable. As more people
owned cars which traveled faster, roads slowly started to improve to
accommodate the new transportation mode.
Still, the cars were difficult to drive, they were temperamental, fuel
was not available at every corner, and the tires they ran on punctured easily.
By today’s
standards those old cars were a mess. No
one would buy one today or want to take one cross country especially on those
old crappy roads. If in those 19teens
the government mandated all citizens to purchase a car, there would have been a
riot.
“These ‘cars’ are a disaster! They break down, they are less reliable and
more expensive than travel by horse, they are noisy, and fuel is not always
easy to come by. Mandating travel by car
is crazy…BRING BACK THE HORSE AND BUGGY!”
If something
new is not all it could be, should we just throw it away and go back to what
was.
Yes, I’m
talking about Obamacare. Obamacare is a
mess. It is too expensive. Doctors don’t like it, people avoid joining,
and companies are dropping out of the system.
It is a disaster.
Except some
people now have coverage they never had before and get care they may have
avoided in years past.
They may not go to emergency care where their expense in one way or another cost everyone to treat an illness that may have been prevented.
People with preexisting conditions are not left out in the cold and millions who want coverage can get it.
They may not go to emergency care where their expense in one way or another cost everyone to treat an illness that may have been prevented.
People with preexisting conditions are not left out in the cold and millions who want coverage can get it.
The early
cars sucked; should they have been abandoned, or enhanced and improved?
Obamacare
sucks, but without it, we would have never changed our healthcare system. Now we are stuck with some good along with a whole
lot of bad with a system that was forced down our throats because we were
afraid of any change at all.
I have no
more of an idea how to improve our healthcare system than I would have known
how to make a better car in 1910. But we
have innovative intelligent people in this country. Get out of their way, keep politics out and
Obamacare will be allowed to evolve into a better system. It can’t and it won’t happen overnight, but
if we allow innovation, problems will be resolved and we will have a system
which keeps improving.
Or we could
go back to bloodletting. I’m told that
while most people simply bled to death, it actually did cure a few very rare
conditions…and it was a very inexpensive process.
The preceding was the opinion of a
cranky old man, and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.
I really don't know what the answer is regarding the present state of health insurance, etc. Sure has changed in the close to 40 years I've been working in it. I only knew of one family that benefited from Obamacare. She got cancer, had to quit her high paying job as a psychologist due to treatment, etc. They were paying outrageous premiums beforehand but with the change in income, they qualified for a really good plan under Obamacare and she was able to continue her treatments with her same doctors. Sadly she succumbed to the cancer last June after a valiant 4 year fight. Then I know another lady who works as a nurse practitioner on contracted assignments and doesn't qualify for health insurance through her employer. It is astronomical for her to find coverage, so much that the fine imposed by not having insurance is actually cheaper than what her monthly premiums would be.
ReplyDeleteIt could right itself, the present system. I don't know. But at what cost to those who can't afford the premiums and can't qualify for any aid. And that I don't know. I hope I mercifully suffer a fatal heart attack or stroke and don't need long term care.
betty
Be careful, Joe--you're making sense again!!
ReplyDeleteI am soooo pleased that I have GBs National Health Service.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Obamacare sucks. I think there just wasn't enough time to implement changes, have people get used to them and seeing how it all works for the better.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people have lost savings, and homes because of the high price of their insurance, so yes good for a few, but lots of disasters out there. Another thing Obamacare and National Health are not the same. Obamacare requires you to buy insurance from private insurance companies, NHS is the government providing the insurance. It's complicated for sure, but mixing socialized medicine with capitalistic insurance companies doesn't seem like a good plan. The average payment for a middle class couple runs about $350 a month, who has that?
ReplyDeleteAll those new cars needed all those new roads and taxes came into being - that's why they would want to go back to the horse and buggy ...
ReplyDeleteOn topic, our insurance is pushing a grand a month, and we have deductibles to meet, and co-pays, the whole nine yards. We do not qualify for ObamaCare.
when I for worked for a non profit, I made a couple grand over a thousand a month, and qualified for nothing, my area has walk in clinics, Catholic, Lutheran and County hospitals with billing programs based on your income and ability to pay, my dentist provides rates lower for those without insurance, guess we are in a good state. That isn't the case everywhere,
DeleteObamacare varies state to state, insurer to insurer, one may have a deal someone else a financial burden, fix it? I think this is one case where throwing out the baby with the bath water is a good idea.
sorry meant to say a couple hundred over a thousand a month
DeleteGet intelligent people who have no vested interest in the insurance or medical system to study it, tell us what's working and what's not. Change what's not. Of course, this won't happen, it makes too much sense.
ReplyDeleteI think ACA is a prototype. I think it was made worse by a lot of mean spirited fat white men who wanted to bring down one man of color. And, I think if it is abandoned, rather than improved, there will be a lot more people marching in the streets.
ReplyDeleteI think this comment is mean-spirited, clearly racist against people of no-color, and fat shaming. The accusation of racism is very unfair, and quite frankly tiring to those people who just have a different opinion. A different opinion is not always racist. However this fat white man would like to see a system that is fair to as many as possible and open to all even though it is very expensive to me.
DeleteAmerica isn't likely to have an effective Health Care system because conservatives will always block the one thing that makes Health Care reasonably priced elsewhere---a single pay system. It's truly the only way to keep costs down, as other countries have discovered.
ReplyDeleteWell I suppose some health care is better than no health care. Hopefully it improves for you. Ours seems to work reasonably well. Always room for improvement though.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answer either, but the democrats put this crappy system together and it doesn't work well for the majority. I've always thought it was a tax grab. It appears it's pretty good at that. I love it that the democrats crafted this plan, but it's the republicans fault that it doesn't work. How on God's green earth does that work?
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
also has a "ponzi" scheme vibe to it
DeleteGreat analogy. Early "anything" was just the first step to something better. While I agree the ACA is a mess, I'll still give credit to Obama for trying something different, and beginning the process. The system we had, employer provided healthcare, was great....if you worked for a large employer. But every year a few more borderline profitable companies opted out, leaving their employees to fend for themselves. The trend line was/is that that system will eventually collapse. SOMETHING, tbd, will need to replace it, and the ACA seems like the starting point of that process. So let's fix it.
ReplyDeletecould be the conservatives, but I would think it's more the insurance companies and their lobbyists. I believe you are right about a single pay system, which in some countries it is true National Health and the government is the insurer, it would work like social security. those who opt for private would still be able to get it; like the Amish opt out of Social Security because they rely on savings, grown children, grown grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that it was not politically viable to extend medicare to include everyone. No healthcare system is perfect, but I have lived with the American system and the British and a bit of the French. The American system is great if you have insurance through your work place -- but too many people don't. The British have some problems and need more government investment. My French experience has been the best -- but requires small reimbursable payments. America has just started and the way it works can always be improved if there is the will to do it...
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, our actual health care keeps getting watered down. My insurance actually encourages calling a hotline as opposed to going in to see a doctor and getting real care. As Trump says, SAD!
ReplyDeleteI like Lowandslow's take on this which is along the same lines as yours.
ReplyDeleteIsn't "Obama"care pretty much what is "Romney"care in Massachusetts?
ReplyDeletehmmm, probably no, Obamacare is federal law in all states, and yea it's a mess.
Deletehuh, does Massachusetts not have Obama care? anyone else want to move there, HA!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Joe. One of the problems with Affordable care is that there were so many dead set against it succeeding.
ReplyDeleteOne of the basic antibiotics that my wife takes in her rotation in her treatment plan for her immune issues went from 10 cents a tablet to several dollars a tablet. There was no research to write off, no scarce incidents that would account for such a dramatic increase. Just greedy bastards who own the patents. And this is just one of thousands of stories.
R
exactly, affordable (HaHa) care is not National Health Care like Canada, UK, and France have, it's a poor attempt at socialized medicine by forcing you to use private insurers.
ReplyDeleteTrue national health works differently, the government becomes the insurer, in the same manner that they fund retirement through social security, also they may cap what health care providers can charge, creating a system that actually works and is affordable to everyone.
which is sad, because if we had true National Health Insurance like Canada, Uk, and France everybody qualifies, I lived in London for awhile, and wow, even as an American citizen I qualified under their health care system, at the time it was free birth control at a clinic.
ReplyDelete