Health Care Debate

Just a few musings...not in any necessarily coherent order...

The last few weeks have certainly seen a lot of anger and debate about health care in our country. I've been truly amazed at the veracity of the debate, the anger and distrust that has been shown for government in any form. Some of the video from these town halls has been troubling.

What really strikes me is that we seem to have forgotten about the 46 million people in our country who have no access to health care except for the ER. In the debate about whether or not we'll still get to choose our doctor, our taxes, a public option, etc, we've forgotten about those who have no insurance.

A faculty member at WSU posted a link to this article in the Christian Science Monitor...that's what got me thinking.

I've also been disappointed in the level of debate on the issue. While health care is an extremely complicated (not to mention emotional) issue, no one really seems all that interested in a dispassionate exploration of the issue. Rather, all we seem to get are ideological haranges, as in Sarah Palin's assertion of the creation of "death panels." Honestly, do we really think a US President is going to support this? If I understand correctly, the bill (which, by the way, is only one of several plans under consideration in Congress) simply provides for doctors and other health care workers offering information about end of life resources to help families at that type of difficult time. Is it necessary? I don't know...all I've heard is that, evidently, Obama wants to kill my grandmother.

The funny thing about government health care is that it already exists. Medicare has existed for several decades to help those over age 65 obtain good health care, and make sure no one over that age went without. Why can't that be extended to all Americans? Because it's too expensive? What is more important than a person's health? What other budget item is a priority over that?

One of the few bright spots in my high school career was my stint on the debate team. We did four-man debate, in which two teams with two members each took opposing sides to debate a proposition. What I enjoyed is that it taught me how to construct an argument, how to evaluate evidence, how to spot fallacies in logic. Sadly, it seems many Americans have lost these skills, or never had them.

So, here's my prescription: take the time to learn about the various proposals and what's in them. Ignore the sensationalistic arguments--they're probably blown out of proportion and/or told by a person with their own agenda. And when you see things on tv, find out who's saying them and what their agenda is. Places like MoveOn and the Heritage Foundation have agendas which may or may not match your own. And, most of all perhaps, look at this issue through the lens of your faith. What does the Gospel teach us?

I could go on and on...