Penny For Your Health?

As I watched my boyfriend during his press conference about healthcare, my main thought was "Can you imagine how much more confusing this would be if ol' George was trying to explain this?"

But I seriously, seriously don't get this whole debate. A few people with a lot of money are bending over backwards to paint government healthcare as anti-capitalist. Since capitalism was created by Jesus, anything mildly opposing it is clearly from the devil/Hillary Clinton & ought to be destroyed. In response, a lot of people with very little money are trying to show that government healthcare is actually pro-capitalism & will increase competition, promote rainbows, strengthen marital fidelity, &c.

Who cares?

The real question is: Is capitalism good for healthcare? The answer is clearly 'no'. I don't mean to say that every aspect of our society should be centered around healthcare. Nor, as the contemporary debate might make it seem, should every aspect of our society be centered around capitalism (does this count as blasphemy?). Rather, leave capitalism where capitalism is good (like with I-Bankers & AIG... LOL) with a solid understanding that it's not good for everything.

So why isn't capitalism good for healthcare? Put simply, I don't get why we allow peoples' health, the most basic aspect of their livelihood, to be part of someone's profit-maximizing scheme. Not their money, not their homes, not their food. Health.

The basic function of a health insurance plan is to provide services when your health is damaged or put in jeopardy. But spend a minute looking at health insurance providers as they actually function, & you'll see they dedicate a disproportionate amount of time denying people the only service they're supposed to provide. That's what happens when capitalism & health mix. Icky. If I'm paying for my cookie, give me my cookie.

So perhaps this doesn't necessarily call for government healthcare -- though I have to say I'm a fan. But it definitely is a call for healthcare providers to start... I dunno... providing healthcare (& not leaving families in the dust). Qitaal fee sybil Momo. [MdG]