Thursday, December 24, 2009

Acting White: Obamacare

I wish that I could say that I am happy with President Obama’s impending health care bill, but in truth I am rather agnostic and a bit against it. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for everyone being covered, but it is the type and philosophy of current coverage that, when combined with universal-ness, will quicken our health care collapse, and maybe the collapse of the country itself. Perhaps this collapse is a good thing, because it will hasten a replacement, but not without calamity of untold proportions on our way of life.

If the old adage is true, the health care headache that whites experience means many more blacks are going to die. Too often, racial disparity in outcomes is miscast when it is the case that our entire health care system is off-track. Very simply, our system is designed to let our health break and then perform a miraculous come-from-behind save. This is a very profitable model for doctors and the health care industry as a whole, as it exploits the human tendency to procrastinate and offload self-responsibility and diligence. What is offered as preventative care most often means early detection, rather than true prevention. Why is this so?

Doctors visits make money. Drugs make money. Diagnostic equipment makes money. DNA therapy will make tons of money. Snatching people from pain and/or death, after a lifetime of neglect and indulgence, is very, very profitable. People taking care of themselves, and a health care system demanding that they do so, is cost effective, but not very profitable. Although we know of ways to cut our health care cost drastically, for example by boosting our deficient immune systems with cheap vitamin D3 supplements, there is no rush to do this, as this would decimate the cancer industry, from researchers to big pharma to mega-fund raising organization like the American Cancer Society.

So our entire approach to wellness and health care is an evolution that encourages people to do, or not do, just what they want, and then go to the doctor when ‘keeping it real goes all wrong”. The president has chosen health care as a show case of ‘yes we can’, but I fear that what it really is going to show, with sedentary lifestyles and obesity creeping down the age ladder, is that ‘no we can’t’.

James C. Collier


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Anonymous said...

I do not understand a health care bill that protects lawyer fees at the expense of state funds for medicare.

If individual states cap lawyer fees and lawsuit awards they will lose some medicare funds.

Why protect the lawyers with this mess of a bill at the expense of the individual that needs those funds?

And all this wheeling and dealing buying votes as in Nebraska getting a break on some of the part they pay in medicare as a buyout for that senator's vote while we in other states will have to pick up Nebraska's bill.

What the heck is fair about that?

And to top it off no real benefits from the bill for 5 years!

Why the freakin rush to pass a conglomeration of crap then?

Take your time and do it right WITH bi-partisan ideas instead of pure liberal entitlements that will make a mockery of this current bill.

This bill reeks.

Anonymous said...

I read this post twice to make sure I understood you correctly and I have to say you are way off base with this post.

You stated upfront that you do not like the bill but did not tell us why. Instead you went on about the bad health care habits people and companies have. Well, what does that have to do with the bill itself. Under your theory no bill would be sufficient because of the mindset of the people, correct? So why against the Obama bill specifically?

You have valid points but the implications of your post are not really fair.

James C. Collier said...

@Anon 12:24, I don't care for legislation that purports to help people while destined to the opposite - its a fake. There is no clarity or solutions to the real problems in healthcare re: behavior; health assurance vs. control; and the profit-maximizing medical complex.

Jay Hammers said...

It's not even really the Obama bill anymore - it's the Republican & insurance company bill. Obama and Democrats are forced to support it because if they don't pass something the presidency is jeopardized in 2012. It's certainly a win for the insurance companies and the Republicans who sold out their constituents. They'd do anything to harm Obama's and the Democrat's chances for re-election, even if it means harming their constituents.

Anonymous said...

Obama said it had ninety five percent of what HE wanted in it so at least ninety five percent of it is his and the democrats bill.

Try again.

Anonymous said...

I love Jay's logic. Even when the Democrats have huge majorities in both houses, it's all still the Republicans fault. When a bill passes with zero Republican votes, then obviously the Republicans are getting their way.