The Folly of Health Insurance Reform

I was just watching Michael Medved on MSNB's "The Ed Show" saying, "Most Americans don't want government healthcare, they want INSURANCE REFORM." In an odd coincidence, I taught Michael's snotty litte brother, Ben, in my first Muir Writing class at UCSD in 1978. Anyway, Michael isn't one of the neo-fascist screamers of the Limbaugh and Savage ilk. He at least couches his words in reason.

The problem with insurance-only reform is that it will merely inflate the Ponzi scheme we've already got. I saw Elizabeth Edwards state on the "Daily Show" that at one time a single insurance company CEO made 1 in every $700 spent on healthcare in this country. ONE CEO!

The type of reform Republicans endorse, eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions and requiring that all be insured, will simply add to all our health insurance costs. Why? Because insurance companies will use the new rules to jack up rates. Their excuse will be that covering the truly sick is expensive, and all these government regulations constitute an onerous burden. Their solution will be increased government subsidies to cover their inflated premiums. They'll make money coming and going.

So-called insurance reform, without a government plan to compete, will merely prolong the agony of our intractible and slowly dying system. For-profit insurance will continue to demand its 30% overhead, and that CEO will continue to aggregate his salary. For insurance companies, "single-payer" means we, the rate payers and taxpayers, will continue to pay singularly exhorbitant salaries to their CEOs.

An Uneventful Friday (which is a good thing)!

Today has been a fairly peaceful day. I've spent most of it reading, both online and off. At least the coffee is good!

I was watching Chris Matthews on MSNBC a while ago. What a grinning idiot. He's amused by Blago, and Rush Limbaugh, when he should be serious about the national disgrace. He claims, "the president made a mistake when he took on Rush Limbaugh." Oh, really? The President's not trying to change the mind of the dittoheads; that would be like reanimating zombies and teaching them not to eat brains.

Limbaugh coined the term "Porkulus" for the stimulus package. Really, he was hoisting himself on his own petard. Who better fits the moniker, Porkulus, than the big, fat, drug-addicted pig himself? Porkulus, bend over and grab your ankles, as you're fond of saying, because we're comin' for ya!

In the meantime, tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day. Meeting with Bonni and Stef in the morning, and SD Symphony with my parents that night. I'm looking forward to the fun! I don't get out as often as I'd like anymore, though I'm not as bad as my roommate, who stays inside his chamber 23/7. But then again, those noxious clouds of pungeant smoke emanating from under his door probably explain his lassitude.