Happy Day

Well, the congress has managed to pass a health care bill, and while it wasn’t easy and ran into a lot of opposition, change is always scary to many; it is the start of having this country step up to its responsibilities. There are only a few things certain in this world, the old maxim says death and taxes, but why should some die unnecessarily while others get the best possible care?
Is health something that should be traded on the open market? I predict that in a relatively short time, the days when so many went without adequate care will be viewed in the same way we view things like sweat shops and child labor, or perhaps even involuntary servitude. We have other issues in this society that are somewhat embarrassing if we are a modern civilized society, for example the number of homeless but the failure to provide health care, or the bankrupting of people who become sick is simply a barbarism.
You will hear some people continue to rant about socialism or how we can’t afford to pay for it, but of course most of those people have health insurance and it gets paid for somehow, usually with a subsidy that we all help with (what is a tax break after all?). They live in a fantasy world where there are these rugged individuals who don’t need help from anyone. Of course, even some of the best examples of this; say Bill Gates or Warren Buffet took every advantage of what protection society offered. Why do we interfere in intellectual property protection? Imagine Microsoft if its software could be copied and stolen with impunity. Why make companies file financial reports that have to pass certain criteria. Clearly, software is stolen and financial reports are fudged, but imagine what it would be like without rules and Big Brother.
Making Insurance companies insure people and creating pools for everyone to get better prices is hardly socialism. It is also clearly cheaper to prevent an illness then it is to treat it, and usually much more effective. I suppose those who believe people should be allowed to live without health insurance should also believe they should be allowed to drive without auto insurance. The lack of insurance becomes a problem when there is a major illness or in the case of automobiles a major accident. Outside of a very few extremely wealthy individuals, people can’t pay for this when it happens without insurance and the lack of insurance passes the entire bill to society. Yes, some lucky individuals may never have an accident or a major illness, but they all share the risk and should all share the insurance cost, because no one really knows who it is going to be.
Health care for all, we aren’t there yet but this is a happy day in America.