down south

i don't have time to write everything I wanted to because I have to go into work earlier than normal (side note: so my boss can go to walk-in for the 4th week in a row because she can't get an appt with her family doctor even though she is suffering from a new blood disease. Her entire body is slowly being covered in a rash under the skin that looks like 'blood blisters' that is being caused by her platelets going insane. So far the walk in docs have ruled out leukemia but she has still not been able to get into her Family Doc so she is going back to walkin yet again this morning - nice eh?).... anyway that is somewhat related to the healthcare debate going on in the States. The bill was passed last night, and now starts the long haul of ups and downs to see if it really will go through or not. States are lining up to challenge the Federal govt's work, citizens are angry and bewildered that their concerns appear to have been ignored, etc.

But I wanted to touch on a few things - it seems that many who support this health care plan think everyone else who oppose it are nothing but hateful cynical scrooges who want to hold onto every penny they earn and not share anything with anyone else.

In my mind, that is utterly false. Sure there may be a few in there shouting about it, but in reality they ALREADY support a lot of people's health care (HMOs, welfare groups, prescription coverage groups for the poor, donations to groups who help others, state fees for uninsured who show up at emergency rooms, etc). What I see is people wondering if the Federal govt had the right to do this, to impose this on individual states. Is it in the Fed Govt's Job Profile to do this sort of thing? If it's not supposed to happen, and yet they get away with it, what's to stop them from doing pretty much anything they want with other issues in the future? Those are the questions I hear most.

Another is poor people in the US wondering if they will be able to afford the 'affordable' option. I read something today stating that premiums for families earning up to $88,000 will be up to 6% of income... that's still a fair chunk of money. They thought they were going to get a practically free ride but it's apparent they will not. They are concerned with the fine for not having insurance.... well they should be! This bill is NOT all about 'health care' there are even things in it about lowering the cost of higher education, according to Nancy Pelosi's speech last night. If it was 'just about healthcare' and just about helping those 45,000 a year who 'die because of lack of insurance' or the tens of millions who don't have health insurance, then why are all these other crazy details in the bill? Why was there any wording about abortion funding at ALL if it was 'just about basic health care for Americans'. Honestly folks, think about it.

I've seen posts on friends' FB walls saying things like 'I really like the part about kids not losing their coverage' and a comment following like 'because my son was going to lose his insurance in our divorce and I didn't know what I was going to do'... some people are acting like this bill is going to be instated tomorrow, but it will take years. I don't know how long each part will take - some are supposed to be fairly immediate but the bulk is supposed to come into effect in 2014.... according to several news sources. I have always heard from the Dems that it will take 4-5 years.... so why are people so excited and acting like it will magically solve their immediate needs?

Anyway I just wonder what is going to happen. I keep hearing all these sad stories about people not being able to pay for certain services and those stories have been used over and over by Pelosi and the like in order to drive this through.

WELL GUESS WHAT - here is a reality check ---- prescriptions are expensive up here too. My boss is on the GOVT blue cross plan and they will NOT PAY several of her prescriptions. Most recently, Celcept because she is not using it for cancer, her doc is trying it on her blood disease.... so she has to pay several hundred a month. Another drug costs her $1500 a MONTH and is not covered by blue cross. And before you think it's just Alberta - she was in BC on holiday and had a break out of her disease but they DID NOT HAVE her prescription in BC. She would have had to drive all the way to Vancouver so instead they turned around and came back to Calgary. They do not carry her prescription at all in any of the pharmacies along the long road she checked... so it's not just money hungry Alberta if that's what you are thinking,

I also kept hearing a story about some woman in the US who had to use her dead sister's dentures because she could not afford her own - well a lot of people up here can't afford it either. I remember a coworker trying to juggle their two private insurers to see if they could manage the cost of her daughter's $6000 teeth (partial plate). Coworkers working around $14,000 braces for their kids even 10 YEARS ago, etc.

Why they think down there that this will magically solve things is beyond me. The stories of problems up here are everywhere, but people turn a blind eye. Why, if our system is so great, is our death rate the SAME for each disease? We have health care yet the SAME percentage of people die each year as the US. THE SAME, and even actually a little bit more in some cases. Why? Pelosi keeps saying they will help the 45,000 that die each year BECAUSE they don't have insurance --- but it doesn't seem to help them up here. Look up the US and Canada vital statistics and look at the percent of population and you will see it's almost identical... too close for comfort actually. So - why is our system 'better' and why do people not seem to understand it's not about 'not wanting to help others', it's about not being FORCED, and wondering how/why the Federal govt has been able to do this based on their constitution.

60% of motors, health care, Bernanke said this week that he thinks the Fed should oversee ALL banks, etc. Where does it end folks? And what pattern is emerging?