If carried out, Obama's health care reform might not make a big difference for me right here and now, but what matters is that it would make a huge positive difference for the majority of the people living in this country! I got irritated when hearing one of the CNN anchors mentioning that it's only relevant for the 47 million Americans who don't have health care insurance today--it certainly is very important for the huge amount of Americans who are UNDERinsured--which sadly turns out to be a huge group too.
And it certainly is relevant for all the companies that are bearing an ever increasing burden of paying their employees' health care insurance bills. By making health care a federal/state matter like it is in all other Western countries, the companies can concentrate on doing their business, which would free up money to R&D (and education of their staff) so the companies can improve their competitiveness.
It also makes me angry to see the Conservative ads on tv about how "some bureaucrat from DC will come between you and your doctor"--it's the exact OPPOSITE!!!! = Right NOW, an insurance company IS between you and your doctor. This fact costs some people their health and in worst cases their lives. Remember the guy in "Sicko" who had to choose which of his 2 fingers he would save when his middle finger and ring finger were cut off in a work accident?
He had to choose the ring finger because he couldn't afford the more important and therefore more expensive index finger, even less to get both fingers back--THAT is not an acceptable way for a rich country like the US to treats it's tax-paying citizens!!!! No other Western country treat its citizens like that!!! I know, being Danish and having lived in three other European countries, among them Belgium (Brussels, the EU capital). From a doctor's perspective, I can only imagine that it will be equally easy/difficult to save the index finger as saving the ring finger, so this sad ending of the story can only be happening because a greedy insurance company wants to sqeeze as much money out of sick people as they possibly can--their profits mist be outrageous!!!...and ever-increasing it seems, seeing that the burden of health care bills grows on both companies and the states/federal authorities.I know the economy in this country is under immense strains right now (again due to excessive greed in the financial sector), but as Obama says, the country will go bankrupt if nothing is done to change the current system. And the best investment this country can make is in its citizens: keep them healthy and educated so that they won't be a burden on society, but a steadily increasing income generator.
(Source: The Economist)I know Denmark is a tiny country compared to the US, Canada, Japan or Germany. But nonetheless, Denmark topped the Economist's hitlist in both 2007 and 2008 for being the best country to do business in. And during this current economic crisis, Denmark has been the least affected of all the EU countries, probably because its economy already is one of the strongest in the EU and has been so for years. In the 1990's, Chirac and Schröder looked to Denmark's flexicurity society that makes it easy to hire and fire while at the same time making sure no one would be left behind homeless if they lose their job. Thanks to some of the highest taxes in the world (together with Sweden) the Danes are protected by a huge welfare state that not only gives them free health care, but also free universities and money to live for while they study. I'd say the Danish model has proven its strength!
Links
Obama's health care plan
Wonkroom on Conservative Patient Rights Group
Conservatives for Patients Rights themselves
Politico on the Conservative add
Michael Moore on his scary documentary Sicko
HealthReform.gov
whitehouse.gov on health care
World Bank: Denmark no 5 in the world to do business in
The Economist: Denmark the best place to do business in
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