*Video courtesy of YouTube.
The above video is very disturbing, if only for the fact that it underscores the argument that President Obama's plan for rationed, socialized healthcare will only place a dollars-and-cents value on individual American lives--and a cheap one, at that.
Interestingly enough, both the so-called Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans have each recently offered non-binding health insurance alternatives, though whether these are workable solutions to this odious healthcare catastrophe remains to be seen.
In the best event, Congress will not act on any comprehensive healthcare bill--or at least not anytime soon. Reasonable observers can usually agree upon the need for reform, perhaps even drastic change, but this pressing need doesn't mean that more government intrusion is the solution. In fact, as in so many scenarios, it is actually a compounding problem. And the current reform under consideration is just that--a hasty governmental fix to a complex issue profoundly affecting hundreds of millions of lives for years to come.
Healthcare decisions--and this includes those made in quality-of-life and end-of-life contexts--should most definitely not be made by bureaucrats and politicians pondering banal statistical extrapolations on the cost of providing adequate individual care for one procedure or another. People are not, and never have been, numbers. To the point, these issues should be handled by qualified medical professionals and specialists, patients, and in some cases, patient advocates such as loving, immediate family members if an individual cannot argue on their own behalf.
And whatever healthcare plan comes to the forefront, it is clear that it should include for patients more insurance coverage choices at reasonable rates, greater access to alternative treatment options supported by research, and an undeniable affirmation of their right to a respected voice in the specific treatment approaches applied to their own care.
In other words, both President Obama and Congress should simply show a genuine respect for human life.
IN OTHER NEWS: For better or worse--and really, it is the latter of the two--Sonia Sotomayor moves closer to confirmation as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
1 comment:
I like how the Woman speaking to President Obama asks if there will be a way to measure someone's spirit and joy of living. For some reason this made me think of all the cranky old people I have met thus far in my life and how it always seemed to me that they were upset with everyone and everything around them; and did well to let everyone know that they were angry. So, does this mean that these elderly people would/should be disqualified for medical assistance because they don't show any joy of living?
Post a Comment