Cheerleading Health Care

Paul Krugman has lost his mind. His cheerleading for this tinkering on the edges of our health care delivery system that poses as “health care reform” has reached the point that he now refers to it in his latest column as,

Past efforts to give Americans what citizens of every other advanced nation already have — guaranteed access to essential care — have ended not with a bang, but with a whimper, usually dying in committee without ever making it to a vote.

(emphasis mine) News flash, Paul, this "reform" mandates that all persons must purchase health insurance, and there will still be copays and deductibles; with limits on them, but not one person has claimed that they will be eliminated altogether. That's not what "every other advanced nation already ha[s]" Professor.

To my sure and certain knowledge, in England and in France someone in need of care walks into a health care facility, is treated without any questions of a financial nature and walks out without a bill. Does this piece of legislation give that to Americans, Professor Krugman? Does it give it to all Americans? Even Nancy Pelosi only has the temerity to claim that this 1990-page monstrosity of a bill will cover only 96% of the citizens of this nation, and it covers them by mandating that they purchase insurance.

Please tell me, oh genius with the Nobel prize, how making a deal with drug companies to preserve their prices and profits, making a deal with hospitals to preserve their prices and profits, and then mounting a campaign against insurance companies constitutes any kind of major reform of our health care delivery system.

Regardless of the amount, people in this nation will still have to take money from their food and housing allowance to provide for the purchase of what other developed nations provide at no direct cost, health care. This tinkering that we call reform will still allow people to go bankrupt and lose their homes as a result of illness or accident; something that happens in no other developed nation in the world.

How do 26 million unemployed purchase health insurance, Professor Krugman? All of the tax credits in the world are useless when you have no income to pay income tax on and therefor no income tax to offset the credit against. So how, precisely, do we "guarantee essential care" to those 26 million unemployed and their families, Professor Nobel Prize Winner?

I do not for one minute believe that a bill this massive, 1990 pages, can ever effectively be implemented, let alone enforced. Just the administrative cost of having the people who are affected by this monster read the damned thing will cost more than it could possibly ever save.

Pass the bill if this is the best we can do; it’s pathetic, but it’s better than nothing. But only an idiot would make the claim that this bill puts us on a par with any civilized nation when it comes to health care.

Update: Friday, 12:30pm
You inferred correctly. I do not consider America civilized when it comes to health care. Large corporations profiting from human suffering is barbaric.