Re: Health Care -- Isn't This Funny?

I'm Canadian.

How weird is it that OUR politicians get in huge trouble for suggesting that there should be a private option in health care, but Obama gets in huge trouble for suggesting a public one?

Seems to me like a pretty good situation. I've had socialized health care all my life, and it's been pretty good. I get sick, I go to the doctor, I swipe a card and go home. When my life was in jeopardy, I went straight to the ER, surgery, and stayed in hospital as long as I had to. Swiped my card, went home. Didn't pay a dime, never will. (Apart from tax, of course.) With a socialized system, the costs go down because everyone's insured together, just like a big corporate plan. Of course, it would go down even more if we had a private option, TOO, which sounds like the system you might be having.

The only problem with the Canadian system is the middle-of-the-road stuff, like, my knee hurts but it's not a huge deal. Then you might be in for a six-month wait for an MRI. Times like that, I'd want a private option to just pony up for some private coverage and get right in to the tube.

So... I guess I'm jealous of you guys for having an option. Although I gather that about 40% of you would rather stab yourself in the eye than have the stuff I've got at present, so more power to you.

I'm just glad that you're keeping the private option both ways --- whether Obama's plan succeeds or not --- so that I can come down to New York, stay in a hotel, have a nice dinner, spend some money and get my knee scanned.