My Vision (Intro) + Further Reflection on Healthcare Reform

I have grand ideals and lofty goals for humanity as a whole. I am fully aware that the world I envision will come about in my lifetime only through a spectacular miracle. Does that mean I should tone down my dream, or give it up altogether? Those who float through life in a comfort zone rarely make an impact, and the world does not benefit from people who deny humanity's capacity for growth.

The essential problem with our global society is that we differ greatly in our goals, aspirations, and ideals. More on that later. I suspect that many leaders are or become more concerned with their own individual benefit than the benefit of society at large. Some even try to mask their selfish intentions by establishing and maintaining policy positions that purport to result in greater benefit for all; when these theories are put into practice, they consistently lead to exploitation of consumers by corporations.

Granted, the capitalist model has fueled innovations in electronics, communications, and yes, healthcare technology, among other things. However, this same model has produced companies that knowingly conceal vital and often dangerous information about their products and methods; to allow such information to become public would impact the bottom line. To name a few industries where regulation has been necessary to force companies to disclose information vital to the public health: The food industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the banking/lending industry. All large parts of most of our lives. Each of these industries has fought tooth and nail to keep our elected leaders from passing legislation that requires them to disclose details about their products/services that might make us pause a moment before contributing to their profit margin. It makes one wonder what secrets are still being kept from us.

The health insurance industry is no exception. Let us not confuse health CARE with health INSURANCE. Health INSURANCE is supposed to guarantee receipt of the appropriate health CARE. Unfortunately, due to the demands of profitability, health INSURANCE providers routinely refuse to pay for life-saving treatments, therefore effectively murdering people (thus the title of my previous blog entitled "For-Profit Health Insurance: Nothing Short of Murder") -- people who have been paying into the system for years. It is an addmittedly drastic comparison, and certainly meant to elicit an emotional response. I do not say it lightly. I condemn the way health insurance companies do business; I find it morally repugnant. I do not believe that adequate care should be a luxury reserved for the rich, as CEO of Whole Foods John Mackey claims in his Wall Street Journal Op-Ed (see my other post, "You're A Mean One, Mr. Mackey", for a more complete response to Mackey's op-ed, which actually contained some good ideas). Any person callous enough to suggest such a repulsive idea is a person with whom I would be loathe to associate.

To allege that the marvelous human brain is incapable of developing a system that can support the healthcare needs of 100% of people is an insult to every great scientist and every visionary leader. I have been accused by contributor darwinkilledgod (the Libertarian professor I called out in my blog "For-Profit Health Insurance: Nothing Short of Murder") of attempting to solve problems as if it is a bad thing. Or is innovation only valuable if it results in somebody profiting somehow? Even following THAT logic, a universal, single-payer healthcare plan would be acceptable; although the health insurance industry would take a hit, EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY would see increased profits overnight through release from the immense expense of purchasing health insurance for their employees. Take THAT, capitalist pigs!