Obamacare, Trumpcare. Lots of rhetoric, lots of blame, few compassionate solutions. Little debate, considerable fear-mongering, a dearth of effective leadership. Lots of political posturing, little public service. We elected them to do better. We pay them to do better. They have great health care while dishonoring the public trust. And in fairness, there's adequate blame for both R's & D's. Let's take a Mosey look at some of the variables so we can better appreciate the debate.
Which Is Better? The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare?
Many of our fellow citizens had no idea they were one and the same. The Affordable Care Act (its real name before the R's labeled it "Obamacare" as a derisive gesture) was the best the Obama Administration could create without Republican assistance. You recall that the R's pledged not to assist Obama with any initiatives.
But, What About the Rising Obamacare Premiums?
Premiums rose as insurers adjusted to new mandates such as "pre-existing conditions," extended coverage for children, and other safety net mandates. And many other cheap policies were that for a reason. Extremely limited coverage. Insurers dropped policy coverage or dramatically raised premiums to adjust to these new challenges. Many insurers pulled out of markets as they saw their profit margins squeezed, and no one was doing anything about runaway prescription drug costs. Congress had earlier caved to Big Pharma's desire to preclude Medicare from negotiating drug prices. Many healthcare providers had not been incentivized to consider their costs because "insurance will pay for it." You get the drift.
Well, What's Wrong With Trumpcare?
Just About Everything...Let's Examine...
One of the main promises of the R's campaigns was to "repeal and replace Obamacare." But, after winning the races, they and we realized that they'd omitted one important step. They were so busy denouncing an increasingly popular "Obamacare" that they forgot to research and create a replacement. After a stumbling start, the ACA (Obamacare) took hold and became the best option for a growing number of citizens."OOPS!" And, as is painfully obvious in this current public de-robing of the Emperor, their promises of lower premiums, greater coverage and the nonsense of "personal choice" are falling on BIPARTISAN deaf ears. Trumpcare is a political ruse.
Even a country boy such as myself realizes you can't cut coverage, reduce Medicaid funds, shift responsibility to the States, and claim the citizens are well served. No one wants to entrust the delivery of compassionate healthcare to States such as Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas and Texas, who've already proven their inability to prioritize in the public interest.
Don't Buy Into The Medicaid "Entitlement" Myth
Many conservative politicos try to justify Medicaid cuts as a wasteful "entitlement" program doled out to the unworthy. While Medicare/Medicaid programs deserve our accountability scrutiny, the programs were created to address very real societal needs. Those needs still exist and expand with growing populations. Children, the elderly and many veterans are among the most worthy recipients who deserve our compassionate resource allocation and safety net.
Or The Myth of "Freedom of Choice"
"Freedom of Choice" always sounds nice, but there's frequently a catch. Health care is too important to be left to chance or personal choice. In a struggling economy for many folks, with lower-paying jobs and few benefits, too many will use their "freedom of choice" to opt out. To use their dwindling discretionary funds to feed their families or pay their auto and house payments. That will diminish their preventive health measures and necessitate the emergency room as their primary health provider, costing primary providers and taxpayers many times the amount of reasonable health care premiums.
So, What Do We Do?
Illustration by Eric Winter, from Sleeping Beauty, published by Ladybird Books...
A MOSEY SUGGESTION
We can't just self-medicate, try to ignore the political buzz, and hope the politicos will work it out. The outcomes are too important to leave to chance. I heard an appropriate quote, "I don't want insurance. I want health care." That's what we're about. Not political gamesmanship. But a thoughtful government-assisted structure to promote a healthy society. One of the best "infrastructure" programs I can imagine.
NOTE: Unless I can be convinced otherwise, it seems that we need some sort of single-payer, universal coverage system. The U.S. has some of the world's best medical research and technology (and Austin is soon to join the ranks of great medical research sites), but one of the worst delivery systems to its broad population. Many other industrialized and progressive countries are way ahead of us.
The currently neutered Republican majority have got to work with Democrats and others to find a reasonable interim compromise. There need to be public hearings, appropriate committee meetings, expert counsel and other messy policy-making efforts to remedy the current stalemate.
We each need to communicate with our elected representatives at state and federal levels to encourage them to do their jobs in promoting responsible healthcare for all citizens. We pay for it in one way or another. These are complicated concepts that have stymied the small-minded politicos who have made their short-term attempts to rush through thoughtless, expedient proposals. We deserve better. Our friends in the mirror can help our political reps rise to our occasion. To provide accessible, affordable healthcare for all Americans. LET'S MOSEY!