Part 1
Very few people in the public arena seem willing and able (it is hard to tell which) to engage in an honest, responsible debate about the pros and cons of publicly funded health care in America. The conversation is usually about four words along when someone exclaims: “Why… why… you must be in favor of SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!!!!” In case you have not noticed, the words “socialized medicine” have become as much a pejorative in America as the term “infidel” has become in Iran. Being in favor of either one is dangerous in either place.
This is really unfortunate because it makes thoughtful debate very difficult. If you can win by slinging slogans, you don’t have to think, and some people find thinking very uncomfortable.
The funny thing is that many of the people who rail against publicly financed health care are themselves the happy, willing beneficiaries of that very same publicly financed health care. President Regan made several speeches excoriating what he called socialized medicine. Yet at the same time his personal health care and that of his family was publicly financed and would remain that way for the rest of his and Nancy’s lives. And it was guaranteed. No pre-authorizations required for whatever treatment seemed the most effective when he got sick. Nobody tried to make the premiums for his care so high he could not afford them. He did not pay anything. He and his family got whatever they needed, and I do not remember him ever turning that down while he was saying what a terrible idea it was for others to get at least some part of what he had.
Our own personal embarrassment-in-Congress — Wally Herger — will go on and on about the evils of government-financed health care when he has not seen a medical bill or a health insurance bill in 22 years, except for $300 a month (out of a congressional salary of $14,500 a month, also paid for by the taxpayers). There is a pharmacy, medical clinic, lab and x-ray facility right there in the same building as his office. All paid for by us. But we do not deserve health insurance paid for by us; just Wally deserves that. And it is not socialized medicine. It is health care that he deserves for all the sacrifices he makes to serve us loyal constituents, for a lousy $174,000 a year plus very good benefits ($139,200/year if he retires today) plus many, many other benefits. Oh, yes. All expenses are taken care of as well. We give him an office, pay for his staff, buy his office furniture, provide him parking, allow him to give himself automatic pay raises, and give him free postage. But his health insurance and pension are the two biggies that he does not seem to think the rest of us deserve.
He is not alone. Republican Sen. Jim DeMint calls health-care reform President Obama’s Waterloo and says if the Republicans can beat him on this they can “break him.” If you are not asking yourself “What in the pluperfect hell is this about?” you are not paying attention. Nearly 50 million people in this country do not have health insurance of any kind. Many others have coverage that can best be described as vapor. The company collects your premiums and abandons you when a claim is made. So we have to ask ourselves, did we elect these clowns to play politics with our very lives? Good people who work hard and pay their bills find themselves having to apply for welfare because they got hurt in an accident that was not their fault, but they don’t have medical insurance. So a bunch of politicians are going to “break” the president? No, they are not. They are breaking us, and we should be outraged. DeMint and his fellow political hacks are accepting very generous health insurance benefits but plotting to deny them to the people who are paying for their program so they can bust Obama’s chops. Did I mention that they are in the pockets of the health insurance companies that make billions from the present corrupt system?
Next time: How the insurance companies are picking your pocket and how publicly financed health care works already in this country.
Dugan Barr has practiced law in Redding since 1967. He has tried more than 200 civil jury cases to verdict. He is married and has five children. The offices of Barr and Mudford, LLP, are at 1824 Court St. in Redding and can be reached at 243-8008.
