Obamacare

....Sigh....  You knew this post would be forthcoming.  Unfortunately, so did I.  For any new readers, my position on Obamacare is very well documented in prior posts, but the short version is this:  I, along with most Americans, and every medical provider I know, are absolutely in favor of healthcare reform.  I, along with a very large number (probably the majority) of Americans, and all of the healthcare providers that I know personally, are opposed to the health care bill that was so tragically passed yesterday.  I'm about as uninformed as one can be on how the politics of it works.  I hear that the senate version is passed to the house, and the house does this or that and sends it back to the senate, and they vote on this, but it depends on that, and "reconciliation"... it all just goes right over my head.  I wish I did understand it better.  I'm afraid it's far more complicated than the Schoolhouse Rock's explanation.  I think there would be less outrage from the opposition (me) if the government had shown some initiative in fixing what's broken, rather than implementing an entirely new concept.  Absolutely something needs to be done.  But, as I have shouted from the housetop for many months now, the face of healthcare could have changed dramatically if Uncle Sam would simply have addressed the fraud that exists in Medicare and Medicaid.  I believe it is 60+ million dollars a YEAR in fraud that they KNOW exists.  So how much more that they haven't yet discovered?  I suck at numbers, but in a prior post I did the math (on my calculator) and divided up how many counties/parishes there are in the US, and divided 40 million dollars (which, at that time, was the estimated fraudulant amount) per year.  It was a huge amount that could have been used for public health, to at least give primary care to indigent patients, or sliding-scale fees to those who work but can't afford (or choose not to have) insurance.  While I know that I would still have opposed it, I think I could have swallowed it a little better, had the current administration been willing to take other avenues in an attempt to "reform" rather than "reinvent".  It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.  I have asked some of the original Obama supporters, now more than a year after his term began, if they feel like what he promised during his campaign is what we're going to end up with.  Not surprisingly, everyone I have asked has given me a resounding NO for an answer.  Though many supporters stand behind him, I wonder how many of them (at large) are disappointed at what we're finally going to end up with.  I'm not into name calling, but I certainly think anyone who believes that this bill is going to reduce our deficit by x-amount (trillions) of dollars, is a very foolish person.  Maybe it won't be as bad as I think it will be.  But I'd be willing to bet the farm that it ain't gonna be as good as the supporters think it will be.  Do I think everyone deserves health care?  Absolutely.  Do I think it is the responsibility of the government to provide it?  Absolutely not.  Some laws need changing, like the 'pre-existing conditions' exclusion, and single college kids being able to be insured under parents' policies. I just don't understand how anyone with brains in their head could possibly believe that the government, who has PROVEN their incompetency handling healthcare (Medicare/Medicaid) could even remotely hope to reinvent the system.  That fact alone just blows me away. 

To be clear, I do not put blame on the Medicare fraud in Obama's lap.  This is a horrible case of mismanagement that has gone on for years under the direction of Democrats and Republicans alike. 

Oh well, at least now we get to find out what's in the bill.  (Nancy Pelosi quote) 

When I watch this video, a few questions/comments come to mind: 
~So much for transparency.  She eludes to "the fog" of controversy.  Shouldn't the bill have been understood before the vote?  My understanding is that a final bill didn't even exist before they voted. 
~Diet vs diabetes?  Yes, preventive care is totally the foundation for good health.  (See above regarding providing primary care.)  But wait...  now that this bill will probably be passed into law, does that mean the government will tell us what to eat?  Will they close down the fast food restaurants that make us fat?  Will they track our spending, and revoke our healthcare (or fine us) if we eat too much junk food?  Or, would they do the responsible thing, and go into the school systems and revamp the menu to provide kids healthier eating?  (Tune in to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC) No, probably not, because that would cost a little money.  After all, there is no money for the kids in school... teachers on furlough and losing their jobs, government-mandated lunch menus that fill our kids with HUGE amounts of fat, meat by-products and all sorts of chemicals... 

...but that is another rant for another day. Now I must get busy at my job and work 12 hours today so that my federal tax money can pay for the 16,000 new jobs that will be created in the IRS department so that they can police the nation to make sure everyone has health care.  Buckle up, everybody.  It's going to be a wild ride.