Warning--may contain some politics...

\At the risk of alienating my dad (who, once upon a time referred to me as a "bleeding heart liberal"), I am going to post some of my feelings on the new health care bill.

I need to issue a disclaimer first:

I have been living away from the U.S. for nearly 5 whole years now, and don't have my finger on the political pulse of the nation.  I haven't been involved in all of the press and publicity of this new bill.  Nor have I read it.  I only know what the BBC chooses to report about it, and what I have seen on various friends' blogs and Facebook notes and status updates.  That being said, I still have some strong views on big government and socialized health care.  You don't have to read if you don't want to.  Really, I won't be offended.  Neither will I be offended if you choose to disagree and leave nasty comments (but please don't be too nasty)!

I've run the gamut of socio-economic situations in the U.S.  My family didn't have much when I was growing up.  Every penny was budgeted.  My dad worked his buns off to provide for his large, voracious family.  We always had health insurance, but we didn't go to the doctor unless we felt like we were on death's door.  My mom would save up unused antibiotics, never finishing a course herself, so she could give them to us when we had an infection and avoid incurring fees and co-pays.  I believe there were many times that she and my dad just sucked it up and suffered when they should have seen a doctor because they quite simply could not afford to go, even though we had insurance!

Later, when I moved out on my own, I didn't take out insurance.  Mostly because I was 21 years old and thought I was invincible.  I was working though, and I had a medical issue that resulted in an uninsured trip to the emergency room.  Let me tell you, the cost was crippling.  I lived on eggs and toast and little else for about 3 months, which was all the time I was allowed by the hospital to spread my payments out without incurring interest on the debt.

I got health insurance soon after that, and later added my husband to that insurance.  It was EXPENSIVE, but we needed it.  On two incomes, we were able to manage some pretty hefty medical bills that came our way.  Even with the insurance, we ended up paying several thousand dollars out of pocket for a bout of iritis and an ectopic pregnancy.

I travelled to the United States and my darling son had a medical emergency over there that we are STILL disputing with our travel insurance provider over.  It looks like things are going to go our way, but if they don't we will have about $8000 in medical bills, incurred over a 2 day period.  Scary!

Now I live in England, and I have been enjoying socialized health care for quite some time.  I am reasonably healthy, as are my husband and children.  I have had two c-sections, which I didn't have to pay for.  I received all of my pre-natal care free of charge.  Up until last year, we had to pay a small fee of around £6.50 for our prescriptions (lower income families receive them for free).  My childrens' check-ups have all been free.  My IUD was free.  My husband's imminent vasectomy will be free.  Childhood immunizations are free, as are prescriptions for my children.  I can take my children to the doctor's office any time I feel it is necessary, and have NEVER had to look at my bank balance first and weigh their health and comfort against my financial situation. 

We pay a lot of taxes in this country.  I paid my fair share while I was working, as did Martin.  When he was only employed part time, despite constantly looking for more work for over a year, government "handouts" were the reason that we didn't lose our house and were still able to feed our family.  Had we not had social healthcare, Dylan would have a massive scar on his face from taking a tumble.  He would have an undiscovered blood clotting condition and heart murmur.  He would have a hydrocele that was undiagnosed and untreated as well.  My daughter would have a broken arm that never got examined or treated.  I would be having countless problems with my asthma.  Honestly, now that Martin is working full time again I am more than happy to go back to paying those astronomically high taxes!

I hear a lot of people going on about how they shouldn't have to fund other peoples' laziness.  I hear a lot about how it's not fair, for me to work so hard so that other people don't have to work at all and can just sponge off the government.  Why should I have to pay because someone else won't work?  Personally, I don't see it like that.

I know there are a lot of people who live off the charity of others, and I know there is no such thing as a free ride.  Someone always has to pay.  But I know those people are already benefitting from government funded health care--it's medicare and medicaid!  The peple who will benefit most from socialized health care are the working poor--the ones who are doing everything they can to make ends meet and just can't quite do it.  The ones who aren't offered company subsidized medical benefits because they don't technically work full time.  The ones with large families who just can't afford the high premiums and co-pays.

I like things to be fair just as much as the next person.  I really do!  But honestly, sometimes people really can't catch a break.  People die every day in the United States because they can't afford to see a doctor.  How can that happen in one of the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world?  The rest of western society is appalled by the lack of social medicine in the U.S. and views it as almost barbaric.  And I kind of think they are right.

I have always aligned myself, politically speaking, nearly down the middle.  I lean to the republican side of things, but certainly not in this regard.  I don't think the government is responsible for all things, but I think it's right that they should be involved in THIS thing.  When people are dying because they can't afford to go to the hospital, the government has a responsibility to step in.  That is why we pay taxes!

I also find it interesting that most of the people who are opposed to socialized health care are right-wing "Christians."  Surely, Christ didn't teach that we should look out for number one and to hell with everybody else.  Am I my brother's keeper?  Well, sometimes, yes.  Especially when he can't take care of himself.  Even when you don't want to!

I don't know the specifics of the health care bill.  I know that the system is flawed.  But I fail to see how regulating an industry that has been taking advantage of people for years is "giving up my personal freedom" or "losing sight of the American dream."  I just don't get it.  When did taking care of someone who is less fortunate than me turn into a thing which, as an American, I shouldn't do?

I guess I just don't get what all the fuss is about...