The Finch Formerly Known As Gold

9 June 2006

And, of course, free ice cream

News item: The federal government should guarantee that all Americans have basic health insurance coverage, says a committee set up by Congress to find out what people want when it comes to health care.

Tam starts in at the subheadline:

"Report doesn't say who would pay for such a plan, or its cost"

Well, duh.

Hey, Sparky, why don't you go ask these same 23,000 people if they're in favor of paying an additional $1k/yr in taxes? Think the response will be similarly overwhelming? People are always in favor of free stuff. The headline couldn't be any dumber if it read "Americans in favor of gold houses, rocket cars."

Meanwhile in Hades, polls report steady support for ice water and new pitchfork-control measures.

Posted at 1:12 PM to Political Science Fiction , TANSTAAFL


anyone wishing for free universal health care should spend a couple months in the IHS explaining to people that the budget doesn't stretch to include funding for elective knee arthroscopy, Accutane for Acne, or Viagra...
They also don't ask how they will get doctors and nurses to staff the free places.
I mean, I was IHS for years, so am used to living in rural areas. But what about a lot of yuppie type docs who like to go to Starbucks and go to the opera. You think they are going to like it in Clinton or Pawhuska?

Posted by: Nancy Reyes at 2:05 AM on 12 June 2006

It's not the *free* that's important, it's the coverage at ALL.

I can give you hours of stories about my attempts to get individual health insurance. Suffice to say that in summary I am perfectly healthy (several letters from my doctor to the insurance companies to that effect, even), but still BCBS refuses to cover me at all, for any price. All the rest are a variety of more and more dodgy places, with less and less actual coverage.

Of course, I could be covered on my husband's employer's insurance (that would be the State of OK), but to do that would cost, I kid you not, $400 a month.

Riiiiight.

Posted by: Jennifer at 1:01 AM on 13 June 2006