Thomas Jefferson said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." And, he had never met the health industry which is assigned the task of keeping us alive these days. He was talking about something easier, like kings.At breakfast this morning, some friends and I were discussing, among the many other problems of the world needing our attention, the mess our health care system is in. The intricacy of the problem is daunting. Everyone can discuss their own grievances and frustrations and high out-of-pocket costs associated with this lugubrious industry, but suggesting a solution that doesn't involve shooting insurance company executives and lobbyists is hard to think of.
Once, at a pharmacy, I almost got myself arrested for saying, "When the revolution comes, I'm grabbing my gun." The woman ahead of me in line had no insurance and couldn't afford the $140 she needed to pay for the doctor's prescription she walked in with. She offered them $90, but of course, in our country, health costs are non-negotiable. At the same time, I was struggling with my own prescription complications and had reached the red-button emotional level that is bad for my health.
My friend Dashman sent me an article by Susan Ager discussing her trip to an emergency room in Denmark. The visit was free, because health care in Denmark is paid out of tax money. Her experience there was wonderful.
Ager concludes:
"It's true Danes pay among the highest taxes in the world. But their system provides not only free health care but free long-term care, including 24/7 home care, and generous unemployment and education benefits.We'd never stand for taxes so high. But the appeal of such a system is powerful, and it might help explain Denmark's ranking in a huge UNESCO study this year as the happiest nation on Earth. No one ever need worry, as millions of Americans do, about being sick, broke and alone."
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1 comment:
This is a debate that is going on in Australia at the moment. Australia's social programs have slowly been dismantled by the conservative government over the past then years - guided by ideology and nothing else. The result - we are wealthier and better off than ever (so we are constantly being told) but people do not feel more secure. People can afford a plasma TV and a 4 wheel drive, but they also have to fork out for health care and education. What really makes us happy?? Money can't buy happiness,cause the govt is on its way to being turfed our.
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