Health care and other bad words
A bit more explanation in response to some of the comments:
No, I would have NO issues with condoms being passed out in school. That is not my goal, of course, but if you’re trying to make me realize that this idea of sex education can get too liberal for me you’re barking up the wrong tree. LOL I simply expect that my children in school will be taught basic anatomy and biology. I was taught how to take care of my body by exercising and eating well. Part of that is taking care of your sexual self by protecting yourself. Now MY children are going to get a much more in-depth sex eduation than I would expect in a public school. I am not going to shelter my children or make up nonsense – I hope to teach them about sex on the level that they can understand it for their age. I plan to be very matter-of-fact.
And I am quite saddened that people consider money to be the reason they don’t want good things to happen. If you don’t think it’s a good thing, well then that’s another issue and should be argued as such; but “it will cost me money” is a terrible reason to continue practices that are disrespectful, judgemental and discriminatory.
But it leads into my next post very nicely: money, and this idea that what’s mine is mine and should stay mine and to hell with the rest of it. Now I know the majority of you, dear readers, are good, compassionate people. Most of you are here because you either struggle with infertility or loss. Most of us have reached out a hand to help others, or wished that we could in some way ease the burden of another. This blogland is a small microcosm of the world, a thriving community… and one that seems to encourage connection, at that.
So it makes me very sad when I step out into the real world and realize that most communities aren’t like that. Oh, people will donate their $10 to a non-profit and call it a year. Maybe they donate more and pat themselves on the back. But I’m talking about something more fundamental here.
I have heard on the TV over the last several days how both candidates plan to lower taxes. This sounds very good for the household. I know it’s what people want to hear, especially with the economy how it is, how many of us are struggling. I understand that. Hell, I wasn’t complaining when we got that $1200 check in the mail earlier this year.
But I’ve been thinking a lot today about taxes and why we pay them. We give a portion of each paycheck to the government – to a “pool” – from which we pay for things that we all expect in our daily lives… things like roads, schools, hospitals. And, you know, I’m not all that upset at having to pay for things like that. I certainly don’t like to see some of my money never reach my bank account, sure. But I live here in this country. I am paying money to this country, for all the benefits I receive. So when I see schools struggling on cut budgets I wonder, where is that money going to come from? If the government keeps getting less in, how are they supposed to fund things that we all want, like teachers? I think I’d like to put in a few extra dollars every week to ensure that my future children get the best schooling. I’m okay with that.
Which brings me to health care. Yes, universal health care… that dirty word in the United States that scares half the population to death. Now let me explain something to you: I’m from Canada. I moved here to the United States. I used to have universal health care. No, it wasn’t perfect… there are flaws in Canada’s system same as down here. But you know, it was awefully nice not to worry about how I’m going to pay to get my broken bone set. If I was ill and needed medical care I would go to my doctor – or a walk-in clinic, where the lines were a bit longer – and give them my health care card. And then I’d see a doctor, where they would (hopefully) tell me what I needed to do to get better. They’d proscribe antibiotics or schedule me for something, and then I would leave. And I would never get a bill. Not once in that process of getting my health taken care of was I required to prove that I had money. I could have walked in with a dollar to my name, having just been fired from a job, and I could have surgery done.
It all comes down to money, though, doesn’t it. And, funny thing, most of the people I’ve talked to who are against universal health care have very good health insurance programs through their very nice jobs. I wonder what they’d say if they lost that job and that insurance and their child became ill and they had to pay $10,000 worth of hospital bills. It happens – too frequently, in fact. And it’s not okay.
Canada’s system is far from perfect, but they don’t pay that much more taxes than we do here in the United States. And if they do, people aren’t complaining about their health care coverage. Go ahead, travel to Canada. Ask some people about their health care. See what they say. See if they mind paying. In my life I haven’t heard anyone in Canada who thinks it’s a bad idea. (Which isn’t to say they don’t exist, I’m sure they do – I just haven’t run across any and by far the majority think America’s system of if you don’t have the cash you don’t get the care is just incredibly backasswards.)
To me it all comes down to that fundamental issue of helping others. Nobody that I know wants to go to the hospital. They go if they need something – if they are sick, if they are suffering. To me, universal coverage is making sure that, no matter who you are, no matter what crappy set of circumstances life has given you, at least we, the community, will step in and make sure you are healthy and taken care of. It is the modern world’s version of people stopping by to make sure the doctor gets bread and cheese and meat while he is tending the sick. Everyone feeds the doctor, so the doctor can be seeing patients rather than farming. When you are healthy, you feed the doctor; when you are sick, he treats you.
I know I can be an extremely selfish person at the best of times. (My husband actually asks me before using my computer, I have freaked out at him before. *ahem*) I don’t like people touching my things, I don’t like people telling me what to do, I don’t like people getting in my business. But if someone is sick and hurting, that’s something else entirely.
I’ll chip in my money for you… because maybe next time it will be me.
I am against universal healthcare. I look at how the government has screwed up social security, screwed up the entire economy, and the last thing I want to hand them is the keys to the doctors office. I think they will screw that up just as much. I don’t know much about the Canadian healthcare system, so I can’t compare. All I know is that most social programs the government runs are a freakin mess, so I prefer to be in charge of my own healthcare.
I’m a Libertarian through and through, I want the government out of my wallet, out of my reproductive rights, and out of my bedroom. I want to do what I want, marry whom I want, and spend my money how I want.
I believe (and I could be wrong) that a lot of our taxes that go to schools and roads etc are from our state taxes, not our federal.
The government takes too much of our money, and doesn’t spend it well. I’m not overjoyed with the amount of taxes I pay, especially since I pay in a higher bracket, but when they had a tax-rebate (to stimulate the economy) people who made too much didn’t get any money. But people who paid no taxes did. To me, that’s crap.
I’m sorry, I’m writing so long a comment. I just wanted to explain myself.
LOL I honestly see your point!! I think your issue is less about the concept of universal health care and far more about WHO is in charge of it! And I certainly cannot fault your logic… they sure have screwed up a lot lately.
And I totally agree that I think the government needs to take a very VERY hard look at how they’re spending their money. (And you could be right about state vs federal taxes – I still don’t understand the way it all works). I was talking more about the general idea of taxes and supporting one another… but if they *are* going to continue to cut taxes they *need* to figure out how to fix this freakin’ deficit. The US is the hole, BIG TIME. And no one’s really speaking to how to actually *fix* that. Giving everyone free money is a great short-term fix that will make people happy for the election. But I have yet to hear any actual plans to fix the overall problems.
Cutting expenses on government personnel would be a GREAT first step, IMO.
So basically… yes, I totally agree with you. Maybe you’re right, the US system is too screwed up to handle universal health care like Canada does. I just wish we had better coverage for everyone than this hodgepodge system we have now.
Oh, and I don’t mind long comments. :) It’s interesting to read others’ opinions when they have something to say!
Hey, I didn’t realize you were a fellow Canuck. : ) Just wanted to say I totally agree on the health care. I just had my annual physical, & was booked for a mammogram, an X-ray & a bone density scan, & it didn’t cost me a cent, nor do I have to do any paperwork (beyond giving my dr’s requisition to the receptionist when I go for the appointments). My mother is a very proud American (Republican too!), & had to deal with Medicare for both my grandparents. She said the paperwork just about drove her up the wall.
I agree w/Caba. The government has screwed up so much! I call Social Security ‘Social Insecurity’. I have a few friends who are Canadians and they talk about the wait for this and that. Months! I could not handle that. If I have a problem then I want the test done ASAP. I don’t mind paying for my own healthcare if I get good treatment. I guess it is similar to your theory on taxes.
And The US has Medicaid for the poor. That is socialized medicine and it has lots of problems but it does give coverage to a secture of the population who has no insurance. I know there are wage limits though.
As far as taxes go, there is so much waste that it is ridiculous. The infamous ‘bridge to nowhere’ is just the tip of the iceburg. Roads and schools are way down on the list and I think everyone would agree that taxes should help pay for those. I think a reform of getting all the old cronies out of Washington would help to cut the fat in the way money is divided up. Those old cronies have so many people they have to ‘pay back’ that they appropriate millions to this person and that person. It goes on and on.
Great post!
Canada has so many things that the United States lacks, universal healthcare being one of them. I’m sitting at my computer, a week and a half after giving birth, because I’m working from home to keep getting a paycheck and not have to worry about taking too much time off because we have no mandated maternity leave. It’s truly disgusting how little the government thinks of mothers and families.
As a cancer survivor, nothing scares me more than universal health care. I suppose it sounds great to those who rarely have to see a doctor. But when it is your life at stake, having the government dictate when you might get treatment, and what kind of treatment you will get is terrifying. No thanks.
Again, Nat, I totally agree with you! :) It does come down to helping others. It amazes me that some really do not want to help others. They are of the mind set that everyone should just help themselves. I definitely cannot understand that.
Everyone should have access to quality health care, period. I could never leave my job or work less than 60% of the time because I cannot lose my health care! Even if it would be less expensive for me to stay home, I would still have to work for the health care. And that’s just me, who is doing well. What about those who do NOT have health care and can’t get treatment? We need more preventative care and one way to do that is to ensure that everyone has health care.
Here in CA, with our stupid state budget, they just said that over the next few years children will be losing their health coverage because of cuts. That’s not ok!
Emily – I am very sorry for what you have gone through. But how much did it cost you to get that treatment? Are you in debt now? And what if you did not have health insurance, how much would it have cost you? That’s my concern. For you it worked out great. But what about people who simply couldn’t have afforded to get that treatment? My co-worker at the cat sanctuary had no health insurance until MA brought in the law that ALL residents MUST have health insurance, and provided a low-cost option available to everyone (which was just last year, by the way). The non-profit we work for cannot afford to provide health insurance; her husband is a musician, and does not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance either. If she got cancer before last year, she would have been screwed. They are barely skating by. Her parents have financial issues of their own. They have no house to take out a loan against. They lived their lives by simply hoping beyond hope that they didn’t get sick. They had NO options. If she had gotten cancer… she would have died.
I understand the need for quality, timely treatment – and I know that Canada’s universal healthcare doesn’t always provide that level of concern. But I’d be interested to hear from cancer survivors in Canada… I actually know some through my family. One of my mom’s best friends had cancer… she is still alive, and she didn’t owe a penny. (In general, life-threatening issues are thrown to the top of the pile in Canada. Things that aren’t life-threatening tend to be the ones that take a while.)
Here in the U.S. we DO have people dictating when you can get treatment and what kind: they’re called insurance companies. That’s why I have to wait for my IVF – they’re dictating what I can get, when, and where. And that pisses me off. I suppose if I had $50k to spend on it I wouldn’t have to wait…. but, like most people, I do not have that kind of cash sitting around.
I am VERY glad it worked out well for you. But my concern is for the people who are not rich enough to afford that kind of quality treatment and who do not have access to a health insurance.
Basically I see universal health care as an insurance policy that is paid for by the government (by our taxes – so we are still paying for it, like we pay premiums now), a company that does not have the right to turn anyone away because they are too poor to pay for premiums or have pre-existing conditions or any other loophole the current policies use for not insuring people. It is available to EVERYONE. I would still expect – demand – the same level of care that we, the privileged ones, get now.
2/3 of our government budget is spent on social programs (ie welfare, social security which btw was not started to be a “retirement program”, etc). By the inference of the rich giving to the poor, that is blatant socialism.
The more educated a person is, the higher the likelihood of getting a better (read: white collar) job that will provide health insurance. I don’t think that someone who does not have an education and lives off of government supported income or miniscule actual income should have the same benefits that we have that are a direct result of my husband’s hard work and cash-paid education.
If you’re poor as a child, you can go to school for free, therefore giving a direct path to a better career and better healthcare options. The significant problem with this scenario: most children grow up to be the adult equivalent of their parents in terms of success.
In terms of being “treated”, every person has the right to treatment in a hospital. You cannot be turned away for inability to pay. Optional treatment including IVF is based upon employer sponsored healthcare and Universal Healthcare would not solve that, that is not what the intention is.
My insurance happens to cover IVF 100% though I did not need it. I know a lot of insurances offer infertility benefits, again though, it stems from the education-to-job reference. A government sponsored one would be horrendous for the world. People that can’t afford healthcare and living off social programs having more kids. Thankfully Welfare amounts are capped at 2 or 3 kids.
Forgot one thing:
You are wrong about people not wanting to go to the hospital. Having worked in several different hospitals (inpatient and outpatient), I will say first hand that a lot of people DO like to be in the hospital. Most of the times they come to get their “fix” of IV pain meds. Doctors admit them as they refuse to leave the ER by being discharged. Happens all to often. And you know what? They don’t pay and they don’t have insurance. So theoretically, you are already “helping others” by paying MORE than necessary for your insurance premiums because someone was unnecessarily admitted.
So you did not like the comments I left…
I guess truth really does hurt.
Brianne – I’ll give you that, I know my dad does rant that people in Canada use the hospitals for minor issues (he happens to like the idea of co-pays). And education… up to grade 12 it’s free, but what does a high school diploma get you nowadays? Not much. To get a college degree that will get you a really good job you need a LOT of cash (I am STUNNED at how much it costs now… OMFG!). There are scholarships and loans, but I look at some friends of mine who have a stunning amount of student loans that amount to more monthly than my mortgage and home insurance and everything rolled into one. Yikes. Education is most certainly not free!
And what the hell does people not liking your comments have anything to do with whether it’s “truth” or not? We’re all expressing opinions here (and most of us are having a nice discussion). And besides, I was responding to a question you asked in your comment.
The reference to the “truth hurts” comment was when someone trolled my blog after I left the comments. I choose to not be anonymous so that was my blatant mistake.
There is nothing wrong with a political debate on a blog and I actually enjoy engaging in such discussions. I read you blog long before the politics comments, I normally do not comment.
What I mean when I say schooling is “free” is this: If you are a minority, from a poor family, ward of the state, and a handful of other choices (cant remember atm), college is literally paid for by the state and/or federal government via grants. You do not have to do anything but file your taxes and ask for the money to go to school. It’s sickening how easy it is. The people who can not get these grants is the people that generally want to go to college the most. My husband and I neither one qualified for financial aid so every semester had to write out a check to the college we went to. You can’t even get low interest loans if your parents make too much money (ie middle class is “too much”).
You are right, there is not many (if any) jobs that can sustain a family with just a high school diploma. But again, my point was that those people who work the minimum wage jobs are likely from such backgrounds that would be able to go onto college for free. That goes with the argument that they are likely similarly successful to their parents, just doing enough to get by.
Sorry if the last comment was offensive. Political season kills me.
I am sorry someone trolled your blog – I assure you, it was not me. I have been away and barely have time to keep up with my own stuff.
I agree, the middle class is the one that gets stuck the hardest. :( Many of my friends got stuck with paying for college because their parents had “too much” money – and either it simply wasn’t enough to afford their own houses and a child’s college education, or the parent simply didn’t care to fund their child. So my friends got stuck with the bill. It sucks. Of course that was in Canada, but it’s even more expensive down here.
And I agree that people really really need to be helping themselves. I don’t think that handing out free money is wisest on any level… people need to be trying to help themselves unless they have an honest physical or mental handicap that prevents them from working.
But I still don’t have an issue with society being more socialist in nature. What insurance program a company enrolls in is entirely up to them, other than state mandates (which is why I think state mandates are such a good idea, especially in the case of things like infertility, where most companies/insurance policies do NOT include them. And I really don’t think that we should be depending on our employer to look out for our health. That seems to be a bit backwards, to me. I really don’t like having to play this job-hopping game in order to get the health insurance coverage that I need! I have no issue with paying for it – I just wish that what *job* I have limited what *insurance* I can get. I guess that seems second nature to you Americans. But I really really love my non-profit job. Does it pay a ton? No, unfortunately not. It’s not a big company. It doesn’t rake in the revenue (in fact, it rakes it almost nothing). There are only a few employees, so they do not offer any health insurance. Should my co-worker quit the job she absolutely loves – one that really makes a difference in this world – in order to seek out a more prestigious job that has health insurance? She actually has a degree and previously worked for a more common, white-collar office job. She changed fields for personal reasons. She still makes money, and she gets by with what she has. She pays taxes. She contributes to this society – more than most people do, I think. She volunteers for other non-profits. She works hard. She makes money. She is not on welfare. I think that’s just as important as what I do now at the bank. And yet, before the Massachusetts law came into effect providing *every* resident with a means to *affordable* health insurance, she would not have been able to pay for any kind of medical bill. That makes me so very sad.
And don’t take this as me saying US needs to throw out what we have and take Canada’s system. I just think *some* kind of change is necessary. Canada’s is closer to what I envision things should be like. It still has plenty of flaws.
It seems as though America may never have enough money to pay for everything we want/need. And that is really a shame. I don’t think either candidate has a good stance on the healthcare issue (though I do not solely vote on that issue, I vote Rep. party regardless). Obama wants universal healthcare, McCain wants to give a $5k “tax credit”. I felt like screaming at the tv last night: We don’t pay $5000 in federal taxes AND AND AND our current health plan through dh’s employer costs them over $10k/yr for him to only have to pay the $250ish/month. Tax credits are not money to us, they’re essentially taking away amount you’d pay in taxes and then what you don’t use you don’t get to keep anyway.
Although I am not totally familiar with state-to-state issues, MA has some flaws with their budget being in the red due to the government sponsored healthcare (maybe some other issues too though).
It is hard to do what you love and not get paid what you should. I get that. I left hospital sponsored healthcare that was 100% coverage of EVERYTHING incl IVF to stay home and essentially “do nothing” with the rest of my life.
Socialism to some aspects I agree with, but not when it comes to taxes and healthcare. People helping others? Sure. I can’t wait to get my kids involved in things like that. But for the government to decide how much of my husband’s hard earned money they want to take from him to “give to the poor” I take serious issue with.
And I know it was not you that was on my blog, could tell from the IP address.