Okay. Here’s how I see it. I believe some basic sort of access to health care is a human right. Each society has to figure out how to provide it, and how much is enough. Me, I’d prefer single payer, and with a pretty comprehensive list of services. But as we are a community that worships at the altar of private enterprise, I’ve no real problem with the plan the Republicans once thought up and has become the Affordable Care Act. This is now the law of our land. The bottom line issues with a privatized health care delivery is insurance. It has to include everyone, so no pre-existing conditions and no lifetime caps. To pay for it, everyone has to buy in. And as with private enterprise, people with capital will make money investing in this. Those who have some adolescent view of their autonomy and see being “forced” to participate as an intrusion on that autonomy are living in a fantasy unconnected to the world we in fact live in. They need to grow up. And, the time will come, probably, when they’ll be really lucky there is insurance to help them through the bad times. Is this all perfect? Hardly? Is it about the best thing we can do in our society at this time? Looks like it. The sooner it becomes like Social Security in the minds of most people (“Don’t let the government touch my Social Security!”), the sooner we can tweak and improve, and hopefully, begin to get control over costs, the last great hurdle on the way, at least so far as access to health care is concerned…
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In