Sex, Religion and Politics

I'm pretty sure Miss Manners would have a pithy comeback regarding Facebook status postings. As in polite conversation, I sincerely question the wisdom of people who wear their politics on their sleeve. Especially when they are egregiously uninformed.

Okay--there's no fighting ignorance I suppose, but whatever happened to plain ol' civility? The latest meme on Facebook is all about health care reform (remember when it was a place where you could toss virtual livestock at each other all in good fun?) and the knives are coming out.

This is the status update people are posting:

"No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day."

Sounds reasonable--but to many idiots stalwarts it's a thrown-down gauntlet. I submit to you that anyone satisfied with the current state of health care--which is to say, where you or your employer pay an outrageous monthly premium to an insurer that limits who you can see, what treatments you can be prescribed, how much they will cover, etc.--has either never gone without health insurance or had to deal with a chronic illness.

Having type 1 diabetes means that unless I work for a company with group health insurance, I am un-insurable. Because health insurance isn't about providing health care, it's about minimizing risk and maximizing profits. And even with group health insurance I am forced to navigate a system which is more about preventing me from obtaining health care rather than providing me with the means to do so.

I've had health insurance and I've been without health insurance--and in my experience neither situation is ideal as a means of health care. Anyone who thinks that a single payer solution like in Canada or Great Britain would be a bureaucratic nightmare hasn't navigated a health insurance phone tree. We already have the bloated bureaucracy--it's called "Blue Cross" or "Blue Shield."

And @#$% you to the moron who thinks I should move to Canada or England because I'm dissatisfied with the way the current system works. I hope you never contract a chronic illness which forces you try to actually get health care from your health insurer (good luck with that!), or have them raise your premiums or rescind your coverage as many health insurance companies have done (Well, actually I sorta do...).

It's time to remove the profit motive from health care. And it's time to get back to tossing sheep and whatnot on Facebook.