Kathy, I understand where you are coming from. I'm not in favor of a system like Canada's. However, there are many countries with universal healthcare, which has many definitions by the way, that actually works.
I know this topic can be a hotly debated one, so I'll just keep my comments short and sweet.
Our current employer-based model is an utter tragedy, as is the entire for-profit model really. I have no idea why people think it's a good idea that a CEO of BC/BS of whatever state gets $20 million a year. The insurance companies make the most money when they deny claims and raise premiums. (I do realize that insurance companies generally make money by assuming risk for a lot of people, and then paying for catastrophic events that happen to a few.) The amount of overhead and the amount of administration--at least 24% (between 30-40%) of every healthcare dollar in the US is spent on administration--that is required to navigate our healthcare system is
terrible.
When it comes to delivering adequate care to people in this country, one talking point is driven by greed while one is not. We've seen recently how greed works out haven't we? Not to mention that healthcare delivery is not selling iPods, maximizing profit does not necessarily mean best care, in fact I would argue that it almost has to mean inadequate care in our current system.
Of course there are downsides to every healthcare delivery system, but I'd like to remove greedy profit-driven individuals from running the show.
My biggest problem is that insurance companies have no problem insuring the healthiest individuals, but the second you're too poor, malnourished, illness stricken, unemployed, chronically ill, old or disabled, they kick you into Medicaid and Medicare. They have absolutely no problem extracting the maximum amount of profit right up until it isn't profitable, then they kick it to the taxpayers to pick up the slack.
However, I do believe a big piece of the problem is that people have the mentality that they should be taken care of regardless of their lifestyle choices--no matter how bad they may be. We have an obesity epidemic in America (as an example) and we, as a nation, must make preventive medicine a priority. We must be preemptive with our healthcare and not wait until the type II diabetic needs a kidney transplant. It's as if we need to establish some sort of incentive-based healthcare plan, so that people will actually live healthier.
Self-responsibility needs a resurgence and at the same time, I believe, people should be entitled to
basic healthcare coverage.
I know I am greatly simplify an incredibly tangled issue, but I'm just trying to share a few thoughts.
PS...Kathy, it truly is a shame that your pregnancies were not covered by your insurance. It's examples like this that irk me.
