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I know this is the second time in about four weeks I've said "I try to avoid politics" on my blog only to touch on what might be considered political, but I've been pushed a little far. As I've mentioned before, I have ties to St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay society working to help the poor: I have family members with literally decades of service through SVDP, a relative who had a paid job with them for a number of years, and I myself have worked with my own parish's chapter sometimes, as well as donating financially on a regular basis.
The last straw in the health caredebacle debate is that I'm hearing members of SVDP and some other Catholic organizations are getting shelled because the SVDP US National supports health care reform (read statements here).
I'll put my cards on the table. I support health care reform. I think the Obama plan is the best we can do right now, although frankly I would support far more. I have a number of friends in the UK. I know National Health has its problems, but honestly, none of them have told me they'd trade it for our system, and a few have told me they never would. (Feel free to comment if you're one who would trade and simply never mentioned it, because it's not on LJ that I've had these conversations!) I've even been treated in the UK: I became ill while in England for a conference, spent the night in A&E, and would compare it favorably with my treatment in US hospitals. Yes, I had to wait three hours for treatment: but a) that three hours included getting much of my information before showing me to a cubicle; and b) I waited five hours for an emergency appendectomy right here in Tampa, folks. I didn't pay a dime for my treatment or the medication they handed me before I left in the morning; they didn't even charged when they faxed my medical records to my doctor back home.
I say this so that I have no hidden agenda. I know people disagree with my position; I know friends disagree. I'm not primarily interested in arguing about health care here.
I am sick of the lies. The Obama plan would not give us "death squads"; it would neither encourage nor require euthanasia and abortion. I have heard of SVDP and other Catholic organizations fielding angry calls and letters asking them how they can be Catholic and support murder. A relative even told me of a pastor who almost refused to commission his parish's SVDP members because of the issue. These accusations are insane, and they are lies. The Obama plan offers voluntary end-of-life counseling...free. That's currently something people get by paying, and many health insurance plans do not cover it.
I am pro-life (if you're new to my journal, please do read my other entries on the topic to find out what that means to me, because often people jump to conclusions because of extremists they've heard claiming that name). I would not support a plan that introduced euthanasia and increased abortion. Indeed, I think extending insurance to women who do not have it may well decrease the incidence of abortion and make women's legal choice whether or not to bear a child a freer choice--it's not really a "free choice" if one feels one must have an abortion because giving birth would lead to poverty for mother and child.
Many other lies have been spread. My favorite is the idea that Stephen Hawking would be dead if he were in the UK using National Health. Yes, you read that right; follow the link. The piece to which I've linked has a tone that I don't agree with, but I have read the facts elsewhere; they are correct. I'm not going to debunk them all. I've actually just taken a short break from work because I've been getting distracted by this issue.
And I'm hearing about health care being rationed under Obama's plan. What? About 18% of Americans have no health insurance. In my county, the number has reached 21%. I have friends with no coverage. I have friends with poor coverage. I have a friend who needed medication for herself and her baby on a Friday afternoon; she got to the pharmacy at 5:15 pm and was told her insurance company would have to speak with both doctors before she could get the medications covered, and that wasn't going to happen. She paid out-of-pocket; she could afford that. What happens when the patient in question can't afford to pay out-of-pocket?
We already have rationed health care in this country.
By all means, let's debate health care (though don't compelled to do it here!). But let's be honest about what's at stake. You can argue against universal coverage, or you can argue against Obama's plan. But please don't tell me Obama's plan will set up death squads or tribunals, will start rationing health care in this country, or would kill Stephen Hawking.
Thanks for tolerating the rant. It may be that none of you needed to hear it, but I needed to say it.
The last straw in the health care
I'll put my cards on the table. I support health care reform. I think the Obama plan is the best we can do right now, although frankly I would support far more. I have a number of friends in the UK. I know National Health has its problems, but honestly, none of them have told me they'd trade it for our system, and a few have told me they never would. (Feel free to comment if you're one who would trade and simply never mentioned it, because it's not on LJ that I've had these conversations!) I've even been treated in the UK: I became ill while in England for a conference, spent the night in A&E, and would compare it favorably with my treatment in US hospitals. Yes, I had to wait three hours for treatment: but a) that three hours included getting much of my information before showing me to a cubicle; and b) I waited five hours for an emergency appendectomy right here in Tampa, folks. I didn't pay a dime for my treatment or the medication they handed me before I left in the morning; they didn't even charged when they faxed my medical records to my doctor back home.
I say this so that I have no hidden agenda. I know people disagree with my position; I know friends disagree. I'm not primarily interested in arguing about health care here.
I am sick of the lies. The Obama plan would not give us "death squads"; it would neither encourage nor require euthanasia and abortion. I have heard of SVDP and other Catholic organizations fielding angry calls and letters asking them how they can be Catholic and support murder. A relative even told me of a pastor who almost refused to commission his parish's SVDP members because of the issue. These accusations are insane, and they are lies. The Obama plan offers voluntary end-of-life counseling...free. That's currently something people get by paying, and many health insurance plans do not cover it.
I am pro-life (if you're new to my journal, please do read my other entries on the topic to find out what that means to me, because often people jump to conclusions because of extremists they've heard claiming that name). I would not support a plan that introduced euthanasia and increased abortion. Indeed, I think extending insurance to women who do not have it may well decrease the incidence of abortion and make women's legal choice whether or not to bear a child a freer choice--it's not really a "free choice" if one feels one must have an abortion because giving birth would lead to poverty for mother and child.
Many other lies have been spread. My favorite is the idea that Stephen Hawking would be dead if he were in the UK using National Health. Yes, you read that right; follow the link. The piece to which I've linked has a tone that I don't agree with, but I have read the facts elsewhere; they are correct. I'm not going to debunk them all. I've actually just taken a short break from work because I've been getting distracted by this issue.
And I'm hearing about health care being rationed under Obama's plan. What? About 18% of Americans have no health insurance. In my county, the number has reached 21%. I have friends with no coverage. I have friends with poor coverage. I have a friend who needed medication for herself and her baby on a Friday afternoon; she got to the pharmacy at 5:15 pm and was told her insurance company would have to speak with both doctors before she could get the medications covered, and that wasn't going to happen. She paid out-of-pocket; she could afford that. What happens when the patient in question can't afford to pay out-of-pocket?
We already have rationed health care in this country.
By all means, let's debate health care (though don't compelled to do it here!). But let's be honest about what's at stake. You can argue against universal coverage, or you can argue against Obama's plan. But please don't tell me Obama's plan will set up death squads or tribunals, will start rationing health care in this country, or would kill Stephen Hawking.
Thanks for tolerating the rant. It may be that none of you needed to hear it, but I needed to say it.
