On Health Care Reform

I'm hanging out with Steve today!! He wasn't in England when I went over there this summer, so I've been looking forward to seeing him since I haven't seen him in a year. I love that I feel so close with my brothers even though we're all so far away.

I still don't know where I'm living in two weeks. I'm doing everything I can to sort something out, but I really have no idea what's going to happen. It's simultaneously terrifying and exciting. Albeit I was so looking forward to moving to LA with friends, but if it's not going to happen then I'll have to move myself. At least I have a temp job for three weeks. I feel better at least knowing that.

And now, a few words.

On Healthcare Reform:

I cannot believe the misconceptions accumulating about national health care. We have had the NHS in Britain for years and although it isn't a flawless program (show me one that is) everyone in Britain, foreign or otherwise, knows that if they have an accident or a medical emergency - even a minor injury - they can go to hospital and receive medical care. The first question they face isn't, "How are you going to pay for this?" The first worry isn't, "Does my insurance cover this?" When my family lived in California two of my brothers broke their arms on separate occasions, and one of them needed surgery on his eye. The eye surgery cost around $2,000. And forget being able to afford medical care for broken bones; neither of them could afford to have them fixed. Add to it that all of them were under 18 when these things happened, and it's absolutely atrocious. You could say well, you're not citizens. It's your problem. But the truth is that any American could receive medical attention in Britain. I realise that medical care for immigrants is not the issue Americans are debating; it's just an example.

The NHS is not without its shortcomings. Yes, the wait time can be frustrating. But I have waited in many a queue at a California hospital, and it is no different. The system just seems fairer. And for those who want "better" medical treatment, there is privatized health care, which to be honest I fail to see as any different than those who can afford better insurance coverage than a minimum-wage worker. I don't know the many ins and outs of the health care reform proposal, and I don't mean to suggest that it is necessarily the right system for the United States; I just know my experience as a lifetime recipient of national health services. And just for the record, I don't care what side of the debate you're on; screaming bloody murder at a town hall meeting like a two-year old having a tantrum is not the way to get your opinions respected.

-K