the debate is getting violent

unless you've been hanging out in a cave lately, i'm sure you've noticed the debates that have been going on across the country about the healthcare reform president obama is proposing.

i don't know where you stand, but i am completely for healthcare reform. what that means to me comes down to several things:

1. quality healthcare available to everyone, all the time. no exceptions.
2. insurance providers that are care-based instead of profit-based
3. no one gets denied coverage because the insurance considers the treatment "not medically necessary" or it's considered a pre-existing condition
4. you have healthcare simply because you are alive, not because you have a job

i see it too often where i work where people are denied treatment for these reasons, and some others that are made up by health insurance providers as a method to deny coverage (that the patient is paying for) so they can increase their profits. i think healthcare is a human right, not a privilege only for those who can afford to pay for it out-of-pocket or for those who have jobs. you shouldn't have to be concerned about going bankrupt because of a complication during pregnancy or because you or your spouse gets cancer.

a lot of the talk about healthcare reform has been based on some people thinking the single payer option is "socialist". for that argument, i encourage you to look at this link. we're already close to it. i don't say that as a warning, but it's not as bad as people think. especially when i read a thread like this one on reddit that has people from iceland, france & canada chiming in about how incredible their healthcare systems really are. the US has the one of the worst healthcare systems out of all the developed nations. and we claim to be the best country to live in? if you're healthy, white and male...that's very true.

it's become really obvious to me that most (if not all) of the people who are protesting at these town halls and healthcare debates across the country fall into this category: white, middle class, and republican. most of them, from the points they bring up, have not even read the actual proposed bill and are only listening to people like rush limbaugh (and others who are only trying to push their own agenda) and are not listening to both sides. check out this interview with frank schaeffer (a christian activist) as he talks about this issue.

since a lot of this has become politicized, i encourage you to read the bill for yourself. i'm tired of hearing things like it has a "death panel" or other such nonsense. that was made up by a certain vice-presidential wannabe to get some press. be informed.

Text of Proposed Healthcare Reform Bill

this post is my small effort to dispel some of the myths, etc that are being spread about this issue. i encourage you to honestly research this and what it could really mean for you. not based on fears or what someone else has told you. unless that someone else is an expert in this area.

EDIT: i just came across this post from Tim Wise on facebook about the whole healthcare as an equality issue.