My soapbox, let me show you it...

[growyourwings]

[This post has nothing to do with fandom. It's a "soapbox" post--more for myself than anyone else. I'm leaving comments on just in case anyone wants to have discussion around this. But there are no expectations or demands on my flist about this. I'll be placing most content on these posts under lj-cuts so they can be easily bypassed. And when I get my non-LJ blog set up, I'll move future detailed posts to there and only link to them from here.]


American Health Care Reform

I'm very interested in the debate and discussions going around about America's health care system. I worked in the health insurance business for 20+ years. Mostly as an IT geek. And now I'm very embarrassed to say that I know little to nothing about what Obama is proposing and what the pros and cons are of his (and others) plans and options.

I SHOULD know this. And not just because I've spent so many years working in the health insurance industry. But because I'm an American and a human being who is impacted by this. And because I should care about how my family, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens are impacted by this.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I hide my head in the sand when heated discussions of this nature crop up. In the past I've viewed them as non-winnable by any side, so therefore any energy spent in debate and argument is not worthwhile.

I was wrong. Very wrong.

While I was having lunch today with a friend a large group of people started circling the block protesting for a single payor system





I was impressed by their dedication. And I was embarrassed that I likely couldn't get into a detailed, intelligent conversation with anyone about why a single payor system would be GOOD or BAD. All I could go on was that I truly believed that health care should be a basic American right (actually a basic human right.) Not a privilege granted to those with jobs or with a certain level of income. And I know from arguments my husband has gotten into with his friend about what it would cost both in money and in human suffering--I know from those very heated conversations, that any debate around this subject was going to touch nerves.

So I'm setting (yet another) goal for myself. I'm going to educate myself on the American health care system. Not on the mechanics of how insurance works. I know that--I lived it for 20 years. But rather how the whole American health care system operates. It's challenges. It's strengths. It's weaknesses. How it impacts people.

This is a big thing for me--to commit to doing this. I avoid anything reeking of politics. Or of religious-type passions. It was cowardly and lazy of me to do so.

As I said, I really know nothing of substance about Obama's plan. Tonight I took my first step. I read Obama's summary of his plan. I did some googling to find opposing opinions. I'm hoping to find something more like an actual bill that I can read and try to fathom myself.

Right now all I have is a funny video by Will Ferrell "supporting" insurance companies. And links and summaries of Obama's plan. I know I can't understand all (or most of this) overnight or even within a few months. So here's my promise to myself.

• I will read a minimum of 5 articles or blogs a week around this subject.
• I will try to include a mix of:
  
  • History of American health care system
  • Comparison to other nation's health care systems
  • Impacts to people of our health care system. Both pros and cons.
  • Financial impacts of our current system.
  • More detail and understanding about Obama's proposal(s)
  • I will read at least one article/blog offering criticism of Obama's proposal(s)
  • I will learn to follow the reform process through the government process
  • I will try to talk to people about their opinions
  • I will summarize what I've learned each Sunday.

And I have to say that I am scared to death about writing this down because I have a fear that I cannot do this. I will get overwhelmed. Overwrought. Maybe even bored (due to financial and/or legalese). Or I will use the excuse that I have a lot on my plate so therefore I cannot or will not take the time to do this.

So while the list above seems extensive, it is a pick list only. The minimum is that I read 5 things a week and write about it once a week. The articles can be short. Or I can substitute a short video on occasion. Or perhaps a relevant personal conversation. My writing can also be very brief. It can be only a few sentences.

Surely I can do this. I'd like to try.

---

Summary of Obama's Plan (source)

• If you like your insurance, you can keep it.
• no more denial of coverage for pre-exisiting conditions
• No dropped coverage when you are sick or water it down
• Eliminates yearly and lifetime caps on coverage
• Caps out-of-pocket expenses. Because in America, no one should go broke when they get sick.
• Insurance companies will be required to cover, at no extra charge, preventive care. Because there's no reason we shouldn't be capturing diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse.
• If you lose your job or you change your job, you will be able to get coverage.
• If you start a small business, you will be able to get quality, affordable coverage.

How will this be done?

• Creating a new insurance marketplace, the Exchange. Where individuals and small business will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices.
• For those who can't afford this insurance, new tax credits will be provided for individuals and small businesses.
• For those who already have pre-existing conditions, low-cost coverage will be provided that will protect against financial ruin if you become ill.
• An additional step that we should take is to make a not-for-profit, public option in the insurance Exchange.
• It would only be an option for those who don't have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it. It would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better.
• Obama states that he will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficit either now or in the future. His administration estimates that this new plan can be funded by finding savings within the current healthcare system. A system that is current full of waste and abuse. The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud as well as unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies.
• Establish independent medical experts to identify waste, fraud, and abuse.
• Protects Medicare for seniors.
• Can use the savings to fill the expense in coverage that force seniors to pay thousands of dollars a year out of their own pockets for prescription drugs.
• Immediate medical malpractice reform projects.

Read Obama's Plan here.