Let Them Eat Cake
Posted: Thursday, September 10, 2009
by e
Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation
It seems to me that too many people are taking a big cut out of the health care pie for themselves. Instead of a middleman, we have numerous middlemen that come between the sick person and his or her care. And it has gotten too top heavy, way out of control.
The medical schools reap huge profits from their business, and it is a business. The doctors run up huge loans to go to medical school, and then self-justifiably become specialists (because that's where the money is), and charge huge amounts for their services, because their services are a business. Actually they are on commission, no different than a used car salesman!
But it will get worse. I foresee health care as a thing of the past for most people in the near future, as the standard of living in this country declines as it must, as our national credit card, which has been unjustifiably sustaining our falsely high standard of living for many years becomes restricted in the future. (All our manufacturing is moving to places that don't have a gazillion middlemen).
Then, for us in the United States, it will be "money up front or no care," at the emergency rooms, just like third world countries. The wealthy will be okay, but the common person will suffer greatly.
Cuba might be communistic, but their health care industry is second to none because its not a money making proposition; it is a nonprofit humane service to the Cuban people. The medical schools are state run, the doctors are state salaried, the hospitals, staff, suppliers etc., all the same. And drug manufacturers can't charge Cuba exorbitant prices like they can get away with here in the United States, because Cuba can shop the world. All we can shop is the Walmart pharmacy.
All we would have to do is take the profit out of each and every health care step, replacing it with love and compassion, and the health care problem would be solved, as well as the problem that is developing in this country regarding the hatred that was voiced at the House of Representatives recently. Hatred is like picking up a hot coal to throw at your enemy; you only burn your own hand.
It all comes down to greed, a disdain for our fellow human beings, and a misunderstanding on what truly makes a person happy, which is never ultimately money. This attitude of greed has wrecked many civilizations, let alone countries, and I fear for the United States. I foresee decline, and soon. The well off will fight tooth and nail to keep their wealth, crying "socialism" at the first mention of taking care of the disadvantaged, and let the common man fend for himself, because they just don't get it. When we say that we are all one, they laugh, and get afraid. Tough times are coming. And tough times have a tendency to trickle upwards, sometimes very quickly depending upon the mood of the common man and woman.
"Let them eat cake," said Marie-Antoinette (1755-93), the Queen consort of Louis XVI. She is supposed to have said this when she was told that the French populace had no bread to eat. And this rings so true in the debate now raging in congress.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Yeah e, the country is all screwed up, but its always been this way. We do need a new direction but most people are afraid of change.Hi David, good to hear from you. Similar to the changes taking place in the economy and banking industry I'm afraid that health care won't be fundamentally changed until there is a full-blown crisis and middle America gets fed up. Until then, there are too many people making a ton of money off of sick people, and they are using that money to influence our lawmakers. It will eventually all collapse under the weight of greed, which always eventually collapses because no one can ever get enough.
What we need to do is look at all the countries that have health care for their citizens and model something after theirs. The french Have the best health care in the world with the cheapest cost. Why can't we come up with something like theirs.
Hi Herb, thanks for commenting. Where is Dresher? I was raised in Johnstown.There seem to be two trains of thought - everyone takes care of themselves, and everyone takes care of each other. In any relationship, the latter makes more sense, and what is society other than a relationship among all the people? The military, healthcare, schools, the post office, etc., cannot be set up to be profit makers, not Wall Street fodder. These are socialistic enterprises to serve the people. It‘s not profitable for the post office to deliver my mail because I live 25 miles from the nearest post office, and I still have to drive five miles on a dirt road to get to my mailbox, but the mail is always there. If everyone had to make a profit in everything that they do, many would get left behind. France understands this and gives up a Mercedes in each garage to meet basic, human needs, met by the government, which is nothing more than the collective society at large. But right now, money and greed, which is based on fear, rules America and congress , and this will probably remain in place until greed finally topples the system, which almost happened this year. Then changes will be made. It’s only a matter of time.
Hi e! Very well put and unfortunately so true. I will be leaving my current job the first week of Oct and insurance is def. an issue. My husband has Asthma and is considered chronically ill. As it is now, we pay $637 bucks a month to have group coverage through my work. Cobra will be even more. Our only hope is that I get another job with group coverage and quick because my husband is uninsurable. It's disgusting that medical care is a business. Something needs to change. But it does come down to greed and nobody wants to give up a piece of their pie, unless of course it is for a bigger piece. Praying for change! Blessings to you! T
Hi Teresa, good to hear from you. Thank you for the supportive comment. Here is a paragraph from an article on AOL this morning by a Connecticut doctor:"It's now incredibly common to see patients who have either lost their jobs or are about to -- and they risk losing their health insurance as well. All President Obama or any politician needs to do is spend one week in my office or that of any doctor in America to see first hand how inefficient and unfair the health insurance industry is, and how frustrated both doctors and patients are as a result."
As you might know, Janet and I moved to Texas from Florida in order to establish a meditation center here. Janet signed on to cobra, which is very expensive, and recently found out that cobra probably won't insure her in Texas because it's across state lines. She tried to get on with Blue cross in Texas but was turned down because of some liver tests over the past ten years that were elevated slightly. She even had a biopsy a couple of years ago to check it out and everything was negative. Still, Insurance companies rule, and how can you trust them, even after you pay them for insurance. Aetna recently turned me down flat and I had to pay a $1200 hospital bill., and I was with them for years with no claims.
I really cannot understand how anyone trusts the fly by night insurance industry over our government. Medicare works fine, so does social security, our public schools, the military and many other government run programs. Something is dreadfully wrong here, and won't be discovered probably until it's too late. Greed is a very ugly thing, look at the lies that are being spread in order to protect wealth. You might be interested in my article that I will post this morning: "Can We Save Our Democracy?"
Please do what you can to advocate fair heath care for the common folks.
Best.............e
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