Well… I will cut it straight. This talk had nothing to do
with healthcare. In fact, it had so little to do with healthcare that I was
mildly angered. Bernard Harris started his talk by saying, “I know it says I
came here to talk about healthcare, but I know you guys don’t want to hear
about that.” … OF COURSE WE DO! That’s why we paid him to come here. Bernard
Harris talked about being an astronaut for about a half an hour. He then
discussed future technologies of how we can bring down the cost of healthcare.
And that was it. I was stunned. I was not engaged in any sort of mental
stimulation or deep thought about human rights.
Universal Healthcare is still a topic that I am on the fence
about. While people deserve a right to being healthy isn’t there an expectation
under a universal plan that a person does what they can to be healthy. We talk
in this country all the time about “abusing the system.” Under Universal
Healthcare wouldn’t being obese or smoking cigarettes suddenly become an abuse
of the system and a voiding of an individual’s right to health. When you are
delivered your Miranda rights you are told that you have the right to remain
silent, but as soon as you talk you have voided that right. Should we treat
healthcare the same way? If you smoke a cigar at graduation that isn’t a big
deal, but a two pack-per-day-smoker maybe doesn’t deserve healthcare. When this law goes into place and people see a
smoker getting the lung transplant over the non-smoker the proverbial shit will
hit the fan.
Another reason I am skeptical of Universal Healthcare is
that I have no clue how the system is supposed to suddenly deal with an influx
of millions of new patients. Every time I mention this the counterargument
typically looks like this: “Well now that these people are insured they are
less afraid to go to the doctor for early symptoms and the system actually ends
up spending less money in the long run because we have fewer people in the ER
with severe illnesses.” I admit this idea seems logical and even very likely,
but that still does not answer the question of how our medical infrastructure
is supposed to handle millions more people. Do we have enough doctors? If we
do, are they in the correct fields? Do we have enough equipment? Do we have
enough hospitals and doctors’ offices?
These questions segue nicely into my final concern:
rationing. During the afternoon discussion with Harris he talked about
rationing. In fact, he said it was inevitable. He stated this as if it was no
big deal. To me, rationing is the biggest concern. If I need a heart transplant
I do NOT want to be told, “Sorry. You don’t get one.” Rationing is the kind of
thing that sounds fine until it affects me. I, for one, do not want to be a
part of a healthcare ration. Maybe that’s selfish, but right now I have good
enough insurance to get a heart transplant and I don’t want to lose that right.
That last word in that sentence is “right.” I (or rather my parents, currently)
pay enough so that we deserve good healthcare. Won’t people who are paying for
insurance currently, lose their right to good healthcare in the ration system
envisioned by Bernard Harris? I think so.
I believe Universal Healthcare can be enacted correctly if
we use smart legislation, health incentives, and really good science. I do not
want to lose what I have, so any system that is attempting to change the healthcare
system better not be changing my healthcare for the worse. Call it selfish.
Call in greedy. But at the end of the day are you alright losing your health or
your life for the good of a new healthcare system?
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