Sobering

HuffPo linked to this article from ABC News. It discusses why rising unemployment will lead to a potentially catastrophic situation with health care in the U.S. In short, we are screwed, whether we've been laid off or we have jobs that provide health insurance. The article predicts that soon the American Hospital Association will be in Washington looking to be bailed out.

"There is a huge, looming problem about what to do with people who are unemployed," said Dr. David Nash, dean of the Jefferson School of Health Policy and Population Health in Philadelphia. "The short answer, regretfully, is that there is no good answer for these people."

I have an answer. It seems to me that was has been happening in the arena of health care for so long, with insurance companies getting fat off of the suffering of ordinary people, is analogous to war profiteering. I may be naive, but I say, take them over. Nationalize health care.

I actually resent these further comments from Dr. David Nash.

"As someone who grew up in Germany and lived for some years in Canada and got used to portable, life-cycle health insurance, I have always been amazed that Americans preferred the ephemeral health insurance that comes with the job at a particular firm and is lost with losing that job." Reinhardt said. "Now, the foolishness of that preference is becoming clear to many middle-class Americans who spent their life denigrating 'government' health insurance.

"Frankly, I find it hard to muster much sympathy for people who are waking up only now."

"There is not a silver lining," Nash said. "What's coming home to roost here is the historical accident of having private health care insurance tied to the place of employment. There is no way out if it is tied to the source of where you work."

Thanks, Dr. Nash, for blaming the victims. Middle-class Americans have been duped by a Congress who allowed health care to become a commodity instead of a right.

The only people I hear denigrating "government" health insurance are Republicans and wealthy people.

Americans have been asking for health care reform for years, and we keep getting "solutions" shoved down our throats that benefit the insurance companies. Unlike members of Congress who have what amounts to a socialized health plan (paid for by us, the People,) the average American has been forced to choose between mediocre or downright bad health plans. There has been no meaningful health care reform. I still seethe when I think about the "blue ribbon panel" that Hillary Clinton chaired, on which sat CEOs from several of the major health insurance companies. Oh yeah, they were really going to come up with a plan that benefited us.

We are living in scary times, and I don't know what it is going to take to make the powers that be change their course and do what's right for the people who really make this country run.