Cadillac Health Plans and Splitting the Democratic Alliance

President Obama was elected because he manged to create an alliance of voters who might otherwise have strayed into the independent and Republican camps.  These are marginal voters who often swing elections and they are incredibly difficult to define before-the-fact (as during an election or as an event is unfolding) since they are swayed by fractional micro-issues of an  uncertain pattern or logic.  One example would be a very liberal person who is adamantly against any kind of abortion, or conversely a very conservative person who was for gay marriage.  Yet, those examples are more broad and predictable than what I am talking about. Obama won his election on the margins and inevitably those margins are too fragile to hold up under the stress of a volatile political environment with as much polarization as ours has. Complicating this issue is that the Republicans have utilized a scorched earth approach as to dealing with Obama with a profound inclination to disavow any legislation he proffers just because of it's pedigree. Now the Republicans are exploiting a fundamental weakness in Obama's support by working stealthily to alienate labor from the administration. It is an opportunistic work of genius worthy of that archdemon Karl Rove. The exquisitely  ironic part of the whole debacle is that President Obama is doing the heavy lifting.  The conservatives are just setting back reaping the benefits regardless of the outcome.  The damage will have been done.

One of the pillars of organized labor has been to secure for its members good, no great, health care benefits.  Labor has even given up wage increases and other benefits for better health care coverage.  Desperately seeking a middle way to help the health care reform initiative pass the remaining hurdles the idea of taxing Cadillac health care benefits (see the excellent explanatory article by Slate:  http://www.slate.com/id/2232434/) has gained significant purchase.  Time magazine has a pretty good article explaining the basics of that strategy as well as their disapproval of it:  http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1913147,00.html

Is it a good idea to initiate some kind of tax on the so called Cadillac health care plans?  I do not know.  I do know though that it creates some animosity between organized labor and the Obama administration.  Even if labor leadership decides to stand with Obama on this emotional issue will the fabled "rank and file" stand?  Isn't it strange and disconcerting how all issues are now emotional as if our whole society has the mentality of an immature adolescent? An emo?  I think I liked hip hop better because I can not stand whining.  Think about it, Rush Limbaugh is more emo than hip-hop.

Obama will probably get his health care reform. Unfortunately in our current system of spite and animosity there is the very real danger of it being a Golem with no soul. Keep in mind that in Hebrew golem has the literal meaning of a shapeless mass.

Health care reform has turned into a conflict between those that have (no matter how little they have), and those who have nothing.  Those who have even a little bit have been cleverly convinced that health care reform is the hellish vision of a Muslim president who is not even a citizen out to destroy us all with the contradictory swords of Islam and socialism.  So, relax, turn on Fox and make a list of how illegal aliens (code for anyone who is Hispanic, gay, or well,... just different than you the pure blooded American) is ruining this country.  In the end you get exactly the government you deserve despite the efforts of those who would like to salvage some decency out of the ignorant morass we have become.  If  you are lucky there may even be a tea party within driving distance this Sunday after church.

Here is the problem with health care:  It costs money.  Even bad health care costs a lot of money.  Providing health care at any level is exponentially more expensive than a can of beans and a bag of rice and arguably we are not doing such a great job of even feeding the hungry.  So it is no surprise we are not willing to pay for their visit to the doctor.  In the end, health care reform is really about sharing the cost and anything that does not promote rank selfishness, requiring us to help others, is called socialism.  It is sad to see that we are a country that is more committed to the principles of Ayn Rand than Judeo-Christian values.  When Cain killed Able he haughtily  asked God "am I my brothers keeper?"  In American we are increasingly answering that question with a resounding "NO."

The Be$t Health Care Money Can Buy

If you do not think that our current health care system is irrevocably broken do not waste your time reading this post. Instead here is a link to Rush Limbaugh's web page. Go there instead.

I have been amazed at the hysteria created by the monied interest here in America regarding not only Obama but health care reform. The only thing more surprising is the number of people of much more modest means who act against their own best interest and fight health care reform. I finally decided to write something after what happened tonight.

I was out walking the dogs tonight and found this flyer attached (illegally) to a utility pole so on behalf of the people I confiscated it in the name of the Socialist Party of Greater North America (just kidding,... as far as I know there is no such thing but somebody will believe it anyway):

Oh my goodness. Obama's fiendish plan is to make this a socialist paradise like North Korea?! People will believe anything. It is interesting, albeit scary, to know that many people think that President Obama is a secret Muslim and/or a person who was not even born in this country. What is really weird is some of the stuff I have heard on television from "concerned citizens" who "on their own" have shown up at town hall meetings to demonstrate that in America you really can say almost any damn fool thing you want. Here are my two favorite:

1. Lady stands up with a clip board, somehow the clip board is important I think, and informs us that if the President's health care reform passes that it will "increase abortion by 30%." Humm. How do we know that? Let me state for the record that I am against abortion but I am also consistent in being against the death penalty but I digress.

2. Another older woman stands up and with a shaky voice, full of equal parts fear and rage, declares that she does not want the government to "decide when I die." Interesting. I did not know that. I did not know that as part of the health care plan we are going to just kill old people to save money. Well, as a person who gets older each and every day and who is related to many old people that I love I am against it! I say lets just cross the killing old people out of the plan - I think it was a bad idea in the first place.

Of course there is the famous incident with Senator Arlen Specter when a devout Christian in the loving spirit of Christianity told him:

"One day God's going to judge you, and he's going to judge you, and the rest of your damned cronies on the Hill and then you can get your just deserts."



That incident of grace and loving kindness is depicted on the following video:





Many Americans are angry and feeling sorry for themselves and it is these very people who elected George Bush twice. That anger is fueled by the Tea Party gang and the rest of the ultra-conservative right who make their living by being rabble rousers appealing to the most base of emotions and calling it a virtue when in reality it very much something else. They spread innuendo, fear, gossip, and outright falsehoods and call it truth. However, that is the subject of a whole new post.

Our current system is good if your healthy and/or if you have money. If you are poor and sick it goes downhill pretty fast. Why? Let me give you a lesson in business. Insurance companies are not here to give Grandpa Bob a pace maker, or to cure Little Sue's cancer. Nope. They exist to make money and the more money they have to pay out to sick people the worse their profit margins. If I was an insurance executive I would hate sick people and avoid them at all cost. As a matter of fact insurance companies are pretty good at avoiding sick people. They are clever ferreting out pre-existing conditions, and if you get sick they will start raising your premiums in order to drive you out. Insurance companies are not your friend and they begrudge each and every penny they pay out on you. Insurance companies operate on greed rather than faith, hope, and charity.

Obama's health care reform strategy has been to let a consensus build to do something and he knows that whatever plan for change we come up with will be neither perfect, not maintenance free. It will have to be adjusted and modified as we find out where the flaws are. What he knows is that this is an existential battle and if big money wins again we are in for another twenty years are so with a system that is good for certain businesses and bad for everyone else.

Think about this. There are some things that government should be involved in. What if you had to buy police protection insurance or the cops would not show up when you called? What if the courts would not prosecute people who committed crimes against you because that was not covered in your police protection insurance policy? What if your policy for police insurance did not cover misdemeanors but only felony crimes against you or if you were only allowed three calls to the police a year and after that you had to pay for it out of your own pocket? Then there is fire protection. What if you were required to have fire protection insurance in order for the fire department to respond to a fire at your home? What if you could not afford fire protection insurance so nobody would come to put out your house fire when you called 911 but they would come to prevent the fire from spreading to your neighbors house in the event they were insured? Communities and governments realize that it is in the best interest of everyone to provide police and fire protection to everyone. Shouldn't health care be one of those things that a civilized and humane society provides to its citizens?

Maybe a government sponsored health care plan, or some other kind of truly equitable plan for health care, is something democracies do for their people. Maybe it has nothing to do with socialism but rather responsible and responsive government for the people, by the people and of the people? I think that is the case. If you do not believe me make a comparison with China.

The largest remaining Communist country in the world (although it is really an oligarchy and there has never been a true communist country since they all end up being ran by tyrants or elites), China, has a horrible health care system that requires you pay as you go with no safety net for health care for the poor to speak of. Paradoxically, communist China has deliberately picked a market-based health care system just like us. So maybe a public health care system and socialism are not necessarily synonymous. But, maybe a market-based health care system and control by an elite are?