I'll keep my dilapitated, aging 'Nazi Socialist*' health care system over yours any day.
Born and raised in Canada I've known nothing different than going to the doctor if you're sick. Heading to the hospital for emergency care means having my health card with me. Nothing more.
For years, I knew nothing of the American health care system aside from what I had seen on TV: one image that resonates with me to this day is a man shot and left - dying - in an emergency room hallway on a gurney. No one had information about his insurance, or if he even had any and he was left there. Suffering. Overlooked because of a lack of paperwork.
That? That doesn't happen in Canada.
Hearing that my American friends owe THOUSANDS in health care costs for sick children, surgeries, CHILD BIRTH scares the ever living crap out of me.
The idea of losing my home, having my wages garnished and collection agencies having my number on speed dial for my child's birth makes me unconditionally happy to be a Canadian; to have this 'nazi socialist*' health care system available to me is a blessing.
I, for one, cannot even fathom the idea of NOT having Canada's health care system at my fingertips. I can't grasp the idea of walking limping crawling into my local hospital in labour, about to give birth to my child, and worrying OMG, I hope nothing happens. I can't afford to have a c-section. It will bankrupt us if I have this baby via c-section. I am quite comfortable knowing that I enter the hospital and leave with - at most - a bill to have cable television in my hospital room and a working phone. I literally left the hospital after having my second son with a bill for $17.25 for the telephone in my room and another $45 for three days of parking.
Who in their right mind would NOT want that comfort, I wonder.
Someone (an American) once told me it cost them 30 THOUSAND DOLLARS for the birth of their daughter. How can anyone without decent insurance afford to have children at that rate? And even if you have insurance, what if you're considered "high risk" and your insurance refuses to cover the costs related to bringing your beloved baby into the world? Or what if you're facing infertility and require shots which cost more than a mortgage payment and you need THREE?
Why would someone WANT that stress? It makes my head spin.
In my naive Canadian opinion I believe those whom are against the US health care reform are those whom are well-to-do. Those who can afford their treatments; who can afford their insurance premiums and co-pays; those who are - at the moment - healthy and believe that they will be paying out of pocket for others less fortunate then themselves to afford the same level of care at which they receive.
(Please, correct me if I'm wrong. If you're living on food stamps, in subsidized housing, you have mounting health care debts and are against this bill, I'd love to hear why because as I've said - NAIVE.)
(And by well-to-do I mean have a car or more than one, own your home, work, afford vacations, a summer home or even have children in private school.)
(I'm so going to catch shit for this one, aren't I?)
God forbid they be stricken with a debilitating illness or have a serious accident which leaves them without a job, without their wages and without the ability to afford the heath insurance of which they've depended on wholeheartedly. When, in reality, the amount of which they would be required to pay into the reformed health care system would probably cost them the same or less - in the long run - than the mounting insurance premiums and co-pays cost.
Again, this is only my naive Canadian opinion, because as a working Canadian citizen, I pay into this Canadian 'socialist' health care system which in turn provides care to people who require life-saving emergency surgery after a serious accident; provides hospital care (even hospice care) for those whom have been stricken with a terminal illness - not unlike my aunt who passed away from a brain tumor this past January. Without our health care system her husband and her teenage son would no doubt be faced with collection agencies, downgrading from their family home, and even possibly wage garnishing just to cover the care she received in her final months.
What a legacy to leave your family... mounting debt and unrelenting collections calls.
Who would not want to have the 'luxury' of keeping their home, their car(s), their wages, their life savings! in lieu of a health care system that provides you basic care when needed; one that ensures every child is cared for - no matter their parent's income, no matter their social standing? One that ensures (though sometimes lacking) all avenues are explored in order to provide the best care possible?
It's not a perfect system by far, that I won't deny. As any system it has its faults, but those faults, in my opinion, far surpass the fear I've witnessed over losing homes, filing bankruptcy, having agencies threaten legal action because of overdue bills and having to chose paying a medical bill over feeding a child.
It's not right.
No one should live like that.
No one.
_____________________________
* "Nazi Socialist" refers to a protester sign I saw in Chicago during BlogHer while Obama was in town
Samantha blogs regularly at her personal site temporarily me dot com as well as at Craftastrophe: Because handmade isn't always pretty.
image from Fetchy's flickrstream
