Redistributing the Health

I grew up in the United Kingdom and my parents never worried about how they would pay to fix my broken arm; my sister's tonsillitis or my brother's broken leg. When we got sick, the only worry that my parents had was how which one of them would have to drive us to the emergency room or to the doctor. Sounds pretty good, right? It is.

I was diagnosed with diabetes shortly after I moved to the United States (must be all the unecessary sugar in EVERTHING on the grocery store shelves) and for the first time in my life, I worried about how I would pay for the ongoing maintenance of my disease if I ever lost my health care benefits where I worked.

As I watch the ugly behavior at the townhall debates - and Lou Dobb's smug grin as he describes the chaos (like it was an Ultimate Fighting Championship) - I am reminded of the saying "everyone hates lawyers...until they need one". I wonder how many of the uninformed, rumor-reliant blowhards that disrupt these townhall meetings in favor of turning their faces red as they drown out reasoned debate are without coverage. I wonder how hard they would shout and bluster if their insurance company denied a claim; I wonder how vitriolic they would be if they found themselves unemployed and unable to afford the high cost of COBRA - or found themselves without coverage at all.

I have heard some of the tragically ignorant rail against paying for "all the illigal immigrants" to get health care (there is no such provision in the current bill to pay for anyone but citizens). I have heard others complain that they don't want or need the government telling them they must have health care. But if the doctor was to sit them down and tell them they have diabetes, multiple scelrosis, Parkinson's disease - or any number of illnesses which frequently bankrupt 'hard-working (red blooded) Americans", I would bet my pretty good health care plan that their tune would change.

In the end - is it too much to ask that we all take 10 minutes out of our day and actually check out even one of the many non-partisan sources out there to get the truth. Forget Lou Dobbs, forget Michael Steele and forget Glen Beck (Oh, I wish I could) and get some truth unfiltered. Then, and only then, show up to a townhall debate and open your mouth.

Neil