Sunday, November 4, 2012

The Personal Costs of Health Care Costs (or, "Tales From The Darkside!")

I have, am, and will always be a firm believer that medicine and access to affordable health care should be a humanitarian endeavor, not a marketable commodity. And if the only way that the enfeebled- and limited-minded can grasp such a concept is by linking it with some ideologically baited term like “socialism,” then so be it. The bottom line is that health care spending under our current sociopolitical regime eats up 17% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (See: “Health-Care Spending to Reach 20% of U.S. Economy by 2021").  Given that President Obama’s championed health care reforms have not fully kicked in—and whose economic effects can only be speculated about at this juncture—it’s hard not to imagine that total health care spending is as unsustainable a spending splurge as that of government spending adding to the national debt (by the way, has anyone noticed that deficit spending by the government only seems to matter when Democrats are in the White House?). But in considering how some Americans continue to demonize the suspected outcomes of the President Obama's signature legislative achievement, it came to my attention that in the midst of all of the red-baiting and diatribes about government infringement of civil liberties (by way of mandates), people were forgetting just why the discourse of reforming health care became an issue in the first place.
I came across a recent piece from NBC’s The Today Show spotlighting a video portrait of the effects the current health care system adversely affects those priced out of the current system.  If you're one of the few Americans who feel that you don't have a stake in reforming the current system of affordable health care affordability, I invite you to watch the following short piece and think again...

3 comments:

  1. BTPS:

    I do not agree with the structure of your argument on the issue of health care.

    You have a CONSUMER perspective on health care. Is health care no less of a "human right" in Guatemala or Chad? As we look over in these places - is it the ECONOMIC/TECHNICAL/LOGISTICAL truth that wins over the HUMANITARIAN considerations?


    My argument - as I watch the situation of "Southwest Atlanta Medical Center" -it is the epitome of the problems and challenges that I speak of.

    In the wealthy Black Cascade Heights area is this community hospital. To the west of this facility are "Wealthy Blacks" with private insurance. To the east are poor Blacks with Medicare and Medicaid. The Wealthy Blacks drove past this "Ghetto Hospital" to deposit their bodies and their insurance reimbursements into hospitals downtown or in "Buckhead".

    SWAMC was left to go insolvent because the government based health care programs had reimbursement rates that could not allow it to survive in "the black". The private insurance that paid more - had driven past the hospital to these others.

    When "The Affordable Health Care Act" came along - these same wealthy Black people that "did not want any part of 'the Ghetto poor' started talking about SOCIAL JUSTICE and "shared responsibilities".
    The Black power of Atlanta (which I call "The Civil Rights Pharisees") don't mind YOUR PAST ANTICS - as long as you agree with them RIGHT NOW - were happy to look past the part that the "Black wealthy" played in the demise of SWAMC and were happy to stand next to them in the Anti-Tea Party Protests.


    BUT WAIT - WHAT IS A COMMITMENT TO HEALTH CARE?

    When we look at the public schools that this same machine has dominate control over - there are not a sufficient number of new Black physicians that have matriculated through these schools that have famous names on them as PROOF that there is a linkage between the POLITICAL POWER AGGREGATION that they "struggle for" and the management and mitigation of problems within the Black community.

    Even beyond the production of "new medical professionals" to supply these services is the absence of community level financing that can maintain facilities like SWAMC as a recognition of the VALUE OF HEALTH CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY.

    Instead we see 'Health Care as a RIGHT' as the marching mandate used AGAINST NATIONAL FORCES.

    My central argument is that the forces that take over our communities with the promises of better days - ultimately are engaged in a Permanent Struggle. Upon failing locally - they are not fired - they merely find where the RIGHT-WING ENEMY now resides and directs their efforts outward - with great community fanfare.

    THIS IS NOT GOVERNANCE.
    THIS IS NOT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

    This is ONLY "Congregational Unity".

    When the fiscal situation of this fiat currency and economic comes calling - it is then we will see the damage of this scheme.

    (Please note - I believe that the corporate government contractor is equally in need of regulation as the 'Social Justice' treasury raider. )

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  2. No, what I have is a humanitarian perspective on health care, in pretty much the same vein as a public education (which is no more "socialist" THAN a free public and compulsory public education). As with any economic regime, you're going to find those who benefit more than others, as in the case of the example you gave in Atlanta. As I alluded to in my response to your argument in my "Why I Am Not A Republican or Democrat" post, the only REAL and permanent solution for black social, economic, and political interests is self-help, the like that Malcolm X spoke of, while black conservatives and liberals were allying themselves with the GOP and Democrats as our saviors.

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  3. Brother BTPS:

    Let's keep the focus on "Humanitarianism" then.

    To give you a broader context of my position please watch: "Europe's Debt: America's Problem?"
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5DhxjZpvoQ

    (Note: The "Free To Choose" network has the 1 hour episode on their web site until Nov 15th)

    The key point that the analysis concludes with is that: THE EUROPEAN UNION MADE A SERIES OF NON-ECONOMIC CHOICES TO GET TO THIS PLACE OF CRISIS. The SOLUTION to this crisis, therefore is one of POLITICAL LEADERSHIP that is making SOUND ECONOMIC decisions to get it out of the fatal crisis.

    My position, BTPS is that those who use "Social Justice" (just to assign a label to what you are arguing) to GAIN POSITIONS OF POLITICAL POWER must ultimately be responsible for the ECONOMIC UNDERPINNINGS of the HUMANITARIAN priorities that they have set forth.

    If ECONOMICS were off of the table - it would be logical for Canada and the USA to merge with Mexico and Belize in order to hug them into the cover of "Humanitarian Social Justice" that is more abundant in the USA and Canada.

    I sense from your arguments that you have no intention what so ever to take a look at the RESULTS that have been achieved by those who climb the mountain carrying the banner of SOCIAL JUSTICE - to see if INFACT they have HEALED THE PEOPLE - after compelling them to INVEST THEIR VALUABLES IN THE CAUSE.

    Is it any thing more than a scandalous act to have a group of people standing after a long struggle yet the INSTITUTIONS that were to allow them to live UP TO this HUMANITARIAN STANDARD that you suggest have been "WON OVER" politically yet they are in a shambles.

    This condition causing the people to STRUGGLE MORE?

    I will be honest with you - I believe that the "Social Justice Movement" is rooted in ASSUMED BLACK INFERIORITY. Not that WE ARE inferior but the forces at work understand that it is easier to lead a CONGREGATION of "The Least Of These" who the "preacher" has identified 'THE DEVIL' for, than it is to WORK THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONS that is now under control to DEVELOP THE PEOPLE to be the primary providers of this elusive SOCIAL JUSTICE.

    If "Social Justice is the Christian thing to do" the MOLDING the former 'Least Of These' into the prime providers of SOCIAL JUSTICE is the GODLY THING TO DO.

    What then should we call the people who have erected (what I call) the "False Religion Of Black Americanism" for the purposes of forging UNITY IN STRUGGLE via the political channel BUT IN THE PROCESS - as we look at all of the community institutions that THEY NOW CONTROL we do not see the MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS who have come through our community ranks OR the COMMUNITY FINANCING which PROVES that HEALTH CARE IS A HUMANITARIAN RIGHT and that the PROPER ALIGNMENT OF OUR INSTITUTIONS is proof that the Black Racial Services machine INDEED is on a path that is laced with INTEGRITY in our development rather than just HARVESTING THE BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS for delivery to some other market?

    Though I reject American Politics as a legitimate course of BLACK COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - I will NOT YIELD in my observation of the EMBEDDED CONFIDENCE MEN who lurk inside of the BLACK COMMUNITY CONSCIOUSNESS NUCLEUS and like all parasites - divert the NUTRIENTS FROM THE HOST'S BLOOD into the cause of perpetuating their own phenotype.

    Though they are BLACK in physical appearance it is the SPIRIT of usurpation of aggrieved people that THEY HAVE INFLUENCE OVER BUT FAILED TO DEVELOP that necessitates that we remove the ARTIFICIAL SOCIETAL CONSTRUCT OF RACE and instead look upon their common spirit that they share with any other opportunists who have unchecked access to a hen house.

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