Wading in The Health Care Pool

I wasn't going to get involved, I wasn't going to comment, I wasn't even paying close attention. But I was struck by the debate that health care 'reform' has stirred. Let me set the record straight; I buy my own insurance. Every year my employer gives me a large stack of plans to choose from. I glance at them, ponder a little and choose one. I base my choice on two factors. 1) How much health care do I think I'm going to need this year, and 2) how much health care can I afford this year. I have been wrong on both counts before, and paid for it, literally.

I realize that some people get healthcare at tax payer expense. I do not see why that means we should all have healthcare at each others expense. My employer and I enter to an agreement as to who pays what, and I find that acceptable. I personally bear alot of responsibility for how much I pay. I also decide what I have done and what I don't. How can I make those decisions if someone else is paying for it?

What to do? What to do? I wrote a letter, to a politician whose stance I was unsure of, but no longer. Here is her response on health care reform:
Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me regarding health care reform. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 45.7 million people, or 15.3 percent of the total population, were uninsured in 2007. The number of uninsured Texans is even higher. Recent statistics show that one in four Texans is without health insurance.

Rising insurance premiums have become an obstacle to accessing medical care. Compounding the problem is the fact that fewer employers are offering any health insurance at all. In Texas, only 52 percent of employers offer health insurance. As a result, nearly half of our state’s citizens must purchase their own insurance in the private market. More and more Texans are choosing to remain uninsured because the cost of private insurance is just too high.

We can and must do more to address this trend. Nationalized health care is not the answer. We must make it more affordable for those who are not covered through their employers to purchase their own health insurance. Tax benefits are given to employers for providing health benefits, so I believe that they should also be available to those who purchase health insurance from the individual market.

You are among thousands of concerned Texans who have written to express their views on this topic. You may be assured that as issues regarding health care reform and health insurance come before the Senate, I will keep your views in mind. I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator

Let me translate for you. You are special if you have insurance, everybody must have insurance. Let us force your employer to give you insurance(with tax breaks) instead of the Government giving it to us. Why do I think it would cost the same in the end?

I will leave you with this pearl of wisdom from a conversation with a Canadian friend.
"What is so bad about nationalized health care? I've had two shoulder surgeries and there was no cost to me."
My reply, "I think that the cost to you came in the form of a nanny state with gun control so extreme that you might as well not be able to own a gun."
"Wellll,"
I cut him off in retort, "Keep your free medical, and I will keep my guns."

This is a gun blog, you knew I would get there somehow.