A Bit of a Cheapshot, But Funny Nonetheless

From politicalpartypoop....

clipped from politicalpartypoop.com

Health Insurance Free for All

There's an interesting article out of the UK today that folks on this side of the pond might think about. It's something I suspected was inevitable for some time, so it's heartening, in a way, to see this discussion taking place.

At issue there, as it will probably become here at some point, is when there's a national risk pool participating in the health insurance system, suddenly there's a much more direct link between myself and the lifestyle choices you decide to make.

When my neighbor decides to live on nothing but Marlboros and Big Macs, both consumed in his own home, most of the results of that decision go to him (and those involved in his insurance comapany's risk pool). They can raise or lower his rates depending on certain choices he makes.

However, if our country becomes part of (literally) the same risk pool under some sort of nationalized healthcare system, we all become more interconnected and the opportunity and justification for for punitive actions against non-conformers increases.

Will the government be able to say, "it is no longer legal to consume tobacco/alcohol/red meat/fritos" in the privacy of your own home because to do so hurts all of us economically?

Considering the public health arguments used to justify public smoking bans and the use of trans fats, I don't think a reasonable person can say that the above scenario's not all that plausible.

Pay attention before ordering.

Doritos Social Science

There's a neat opinion piece in the Washington Times I thought I would direct you to.

Capitalizing on the success of Michael Moore's Sicko, a Congressional committee (which incidentally would have no jurisdiction over the legislation that some of the testimony was clearly intended to act as support for).

They had two Harvard professors, David Himmelstein and Elizabeth Warren, present evidence that about half of all bankruptcies are medical-related.

Now if the inference that one might draw from reading that headline were true, we would really have to consider the possibility that something needs to be tweaked here.

Problem is, of course, it depends on how you define "medical."

The distinguished professors include gambling problems, birth and adoption.  While these most certainly can at times be related to, or one in the same as a medical problem, it's undoubtedly deceptive to just lump them in without some sort of explanation.

Sicko

I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Michael Moore's Sicko later this summer.  Apparently, it rips a new a-hole for the health insurance industry in America.  As noted in the clip below, it doesn't so much go after the millions of Americans without healthcare as much as give voice to the contention that even those with insurance are on the short end of a crooked stick.

While I think he does take some cheapshots in some of his movies (like taking advantage of a clearly not-all-there Charlton Heston in Bowling for Columbine), he gives you something to think, talk and act about.  Compared to most of the crap that comes out of Hollywood in the last 10 years or so, at least Moore challenges his viewers a little bit.

He appeared on the season finale of Real Time w/ Bill Maher last weekend.  Here's the interview.