Healthcare reform

I have gone back and forth on this subject in my own head quite a bit in the last few days.  Part of me was waiting for it all to sort out and although I am closer to having some rational thoughts about everything it's still a mind boggling thing for me.

I've read a few articles, looked at people's comments on facebook and talked to customers in my pharmacy about this subject and what is amazing to me is that there are very few individuals who have anything good to say about this new change in policy.  Mainly because the bill itself did absolutely nothing to reform the cost and quality of healthcare.  What it did address was insurance.  To me how insurance ever got involved with health care is a mystery.  I understand car, home, flood, or any type of disaster insurance.   Health and life insurance though have always made me scratch my head.

My head just swims with all the different reasons why our healthcare system is out of control.  Lawsuits, corporate greed, fraud, waste.  Everyone knows that doctors are sued when they make serious errors, but they can also be sued if they miss something.  The system is broken and the insurance system is never going to correct it.  I see 91 year old ladies in nursing homes who are getting cholesterol medications - really?  What a waste of resources, but try and tell their 65 year old son or daughter that you think it should be stopped and you will likely get an earful.  What is the benefit of living so long that someone has to feed you and wipe the drool from your chin?  We all are going to die from something and I for one don't want to have to live the last 5 years of my life having my diapers changed because I can't make it to the bathroom in time.

But I digress - probably another topic for another day in that last paragraph.  The issue is healthcare and politics.  All of what has gone down in the past few weeks has really done some damage to the general mindset of people in this country, it has divided people like nothing before.  If you disagree with someone about this you get a dirty look or a wisecrack.  Why is this?  I wish I could understand it better.  One side wants everyone to be covered, the other says that it's too expensive or that it doesn't go about it in the right way.  The one side thinks that if they come up with a good plan people will vote them back in office and the other side thinks if it opposes the plan they will get voted back.  They use every trick in the book to create a virtual war over the matter and force people to take sides.  Their arguments are all logical and well reasoned, but they make you choose and if you don't there is no other option - just for or against.  It's not so simple though since so much is included in healthcare and it's funding.  The bottom line in all of this is that people are getting the care they need and getting it done for a reasonable price.  Yet I haven't heard that said ONE SINGLE STINKING TIME!  All anyone cares about is whether or not their party is right and that the other one is wrong.

I for one am officially not taking a side.  I will continue to do my pharmacy gig the best I can and help the most people I can in that position.  If this insurance and "healthcare reform" mess all comes crashing down then so be it, then I'll find something else to do where I can help people.