So here I am, a middle-class, middle-aged, reliably democratic voter who can't get health insurance because I am self employed and saddled with pre-exisiting conditions. And I'm still probably better off than most of the 47-50 million other uninsured Americans. However you look at it, there is a real healthcare crisis in this country and something has to be done. In the free-market Republican philosophy, as long as the insurance companies continue to thrive and be profitable, all is well - the market will take care of the rest. It will take care of me as soon as I have the heart attack that my pre-existing conditions predict isn't far off, after which I'll no longer be a drain on the system. And while that may be good for a capitalist society as a whole, it isn't the preferred result for me personally. Which is a big reason that I pushed so hard for the Democrats in 2008.
So how is the Democratic head of the Democratically controlled Senate with a Democratic majority in both houses and a Democratic administration going to help me?
By mandating that I buy private insurance from a for-profit insurance company that currently won't even sell me a policy, or face what I gather is about a $4,000 fine. And whether I pay that fine or not, if I get sick or injured I'll still be without healthcare. Oh, wait, there's some wording in Baucus's bill to the effect that the cost of my policy can't be "exorbitant." Look it up, it's an interesting word.
I feel so much better now.
1 comment:
I picked a bad century to quit sniffing glue.
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