Interview Meme, part thankgoditsover

We finally get to the end of this thing so I can move on to something new, like posting pictures of hot Asian women.

A lot of smart people (i.e. the ones who agree with me) believe that health care should be a basic right of every American* instead of a for-profit industry, but there are several concerns about socialized medicine – a free system would get over-burdened by people who might not go to the hospital if they had to pay, less profit would mean lower salaries for medical personnel, and the government is not known for efficiency. So I think a compromise is in order – government-regulated corporations. I use the utility companies as models for my basis of comparison.

Government is often better at regulating things rather than directly running them. In my part of the country, which is better than wherever you live, our electricity and natural gas were provided by corporations regulated by the government. They were allowed to make a profit within a reasonable limit. Based on employee pay and some of their facilities I’ve seen (the kind festooned with fountains and ponds), they were obviously not hurting for money. Billing was simple and straight-forward. Service was reliable. Then someone (I’m guessing the corporate officers seething over their inability to get richer at society’s detriment) claimed that the community would be better served by marketplace competition, and so the gas was deregulated. A few years later and my costs have quadrupled, plus I have to be careful about who I select as my provider because many companies have hidden fees beyond just charging for the gas. There was talk of de-regulating the electricity, but the gas fiasco (coupled with California’s woes associated with deregulation) created enough of an outcry that it was left as is.

Some object to paying taxes for health care but don’t mind paying for insurance. Under the government regulated system, you could still call it insurance (and it would be handled by private companies) but everyone would be covered and it would have to conform to a national standard instead of the whim of the company handling it. My employer switches insurance carriers on us frequently, and the type of math some employ is the kind you could use to make a plausible argument that the universe does not, technically, exist.

And there are a few things to help defray the costs to society as well as discourage hypochondriac wussies. Copays based on one’s annual salary, for instance. Also charges for emergency room use if it is determined you didn’t actually need the emergency room. Some insurance policies have that clause currently in effect.

Anyone who thinks this system is imperfect is correct. Go back and read my statement about systems before you begin whining.

And now we’re through. Anyone asking me any more questions will be summarily killed. We now return to our normal blogging.

* but foreigners** can go suck it.
** hot Asian women will receive full coverage plus free breast / pelvic exams whenever I have the time.