Chapter 14: In which Shantzy Pantz Discusses our Absurd Health Care System

Once again set-off by something I read in the New York Times -this time by Nicholas Kristof- I've decided to inflict my ideas on those foolish enough not to tune me out.

My great hope in this current go-round of the health care debate is that we will finally have more simple logic introduced to replace the headache-inducing, special-interest-defending ideology that has trapped us in a shotgun marriage to a wasteful, half-effective health care system.

We spend -twice-as-much (see paragraph 10)- let me repeat -twice-as-much- as many industrialized countries. Are we twice as healthy? That would be worth a chuckle if I wasn't so frustrated. Seriously though, no seriously. Why do we do this to ourselves? We pride ourselves on being capitalists but we're being swindled. Shouldn't a true capitalist know a bum deal when they see one? Is our ideology so strong that we'd rather be idiots than socialists?

I ask because that seems to be the main argument of those who oppose a national health care system, that it seems too much like Socialism. Well in my mind paying $650 billion (paragraph 12) extra per year with nothing to show for it seems too much like Idiotism.

Where do all the dollars go?

To doctors? Sometimes. I wouldn't mind that so much since theoretically they're trying to help patients.

Big Pharma? (Not to be confused with the Biggie Smalls hit from the mid-90s). To be sure.

My biggest complaint though is that 20-25% of my insurance premiums go to pay people at my insurance company whose job it is to find ways around paying for my medical treatments.

I believe that health insurance companies have a fundamental conflict of interest. My insurance company can never be expected to have my health as their top priority since if I get sick along with too many other subscribers then the company goes out of business. They have to compromise the very services they offer -often when needed most- in order to profit and grow or avoid bankruptcy.

We should build our health care system on a stronger foundation than private corporations.