Putting Health Care into Context
When I got a message on my Blackberry early this afternoon that the good folks over the pond in the US of A passed a Health Care reform bill and nonchalantly relayed the information to my friend, an immigrant from New England, he looked at me as if I was living on a different planet.
“Get the F@#k out of here”, was his exact words. Then he began to tell me the story about how it was a choice between our NHS and the “nightmare system” over in America which practically decided which country his newly formed family settled in.
“So Obama actually did it”.
It was at that moment I finally understood what this year long protracted debate actually meant. As a British citizen who has grown up within a socialist medical system, you don’t realize that a country which is very similar to your own, with families not much different to your own family had not much choice but to consider Healthcare as luxury not a necessity.
My conversation with Jez put things into prospective, if the numbers coming out of the Senate are true, 30 million more Americans are going to have affordable access to Health Insurance and Insurance companies are not going to able to drop people because of pre-existing conditions (going by the Senates Bill of course). To get a bill like that passed, in a very partisan legislature and in a tense political climate has got to be testament to Obama’s political skills.
To realize that a public option couldnt pass in the Senate and effectively kill it in order to move on shows how much Obama saw this process for what it is – a historic moment for America, not an ideological war. Something that the Clintons failed to understand.
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6 Responses to “Putting Health Care into Context”
I wonder what your friend would say when, given that the Dems have 60 votes, they couldn't have done this months ago. Or they could they have just set up a fund to pay for the 30 million, again months ago. Hmmmm, smells like BS, and feels like a lack of starch in the spine. But, this is show business, and the show must go on.
Nonsense question, if some of those 30 million people died while this unnecessary delay took place, who is responsible? Answer the ones with the 60 votes.
“Answer the ones with the 60 votes.”
1) It's Bush's fault! 2) The Republicans should have known better and Done Something when the could have; it's their fault. (As would still be the case, today, if we began hostilities now with Iran)
And, rightfully so. Everyone knows that Bush left a secret device that squirts out a psychedelic gas every three hours. This gas, appropriated from Saddam's secret WMD (weapons of mass delusion) stockpile, causes the inhalers to continue the thinking and actions of the previous White House tenant. Hence, the Iran decision and the failure to close Guantanamo, among other things. However, it is weakening so it may be pure O, from here on.
Don't forget the failure to pass health care legislation completely this year (though in addition to hyping the Senate legislation in and of itself, passing the Senate legislation seems to be quickly being claimed as “passing health care legislation” by some, I've noticed — as well as calling the Senate but not the House legislation “landmark” (!) legislation).
I actually don't blame Obama solely for any of these delays, though perhaps he (excuse me, Bush) could be delayed for these as well, because it's like failure to fill so many vacancies in his administration in a timely manner. (Of course, that can be blamed on Bush as well, too.)
Yes it is extraordinary political skill to say the least. It is very difficult to actually get something done in American politics. Even if you do, you will live to regret it, such is the partisan state of politics created by our Social Darwinist republican party and their corporate puppet masters. Though their elimination is painfully slow, we are determined to create some semblance of Social Justice within our country.
Unfortunately our newly passed bill must take on more machinations before it becomes law. As well, it will still take years before we have proper Socialized Medicine thanks to the false belief that Socialized medicine or even the very word “Social” is a spell of satan’s evil, thanks to corporate funded propaganda. However it is a milestone passed virtually without any republican help what-so-ever.
Right makes might as it were. We shall drag our ignorant diluted brethren kicking and screaming into the twenty first century as the rest of the free world applauds their approval with our intrepid modernization project.
People don't get it do they. We are trying to have the highest standard of living and have all the amenaties of other countries like free health care, too. Well, if we continue on the road we are on, we will get our free healthcare and also, our economy will go down the toilet. But does anyone care. No. All we care about is what we think we can get out of the government now. Hey how about free college and free cars. If we would have free college, everyone would have a chance to succeed, right. And free cars is very important. How are people to get to work and school without vehicles. Now there is public transportation but we can force people to use public transportation can we? We don't make the rich take public transportation. Most of your rich people get company cars or government owned cars. That is an insult isn't it. Give me my government car I demand my rights.