Monday Morning Quarterbacking HCR
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Monday, March 22, 2010
Both sides spent a lot of political capital yesterday, make no mistake.
My scorecard:
Winners
- I know some people who are on the verge of losing insurance. I don't know if this bill will take care of all of them, but it will take care of some. As I've said many times, it's a shame that hard-working people get screwed over.
- Children. It never ceases to amaze me how some factions of society force "personal responsibility" on pregnant women (some of whom are victims of rape or incest; some of whom are widows or were left by their husbands), yet don't follow through to help those women continue to responsibly care for their children once they're born. Pro-life works on both ends of the birth canal.
- The politicians on both sides who stated their cases in calm, measured tones, using facts to back up their arguments. No matter which side of the vote they were on, they scored gains for civility.
Losers
- The shrill screamers on both sides of the fence. Thanks, folks. You drowned out those who tried to present their arguments rationally.
- The radical Tea Party types. (See my note from yesterday. I know they're not all unhinged.) You made yourselves look really good shouting the "n-word" to elected representatives and taunting a guy with Parkinson's. Does it make you feel like big boys and girls?
- Rep. Randy Neugbauer of Texas. I'm ashamed and embarrassed. This isn't how our mamas taught us to behave. I hope Rep. Stupak accepts your apology and we can move on.
As for the cost, the middle class is always going to get squeezed. I can't see any way around it. However, this seems marginally better than the way we're paying for the uninsured to get health care now. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but when people who can't afford insurance or $75-100 for a physician visit go to the ER when they're sick we pick up that $1000 or so tab. There are some very compassionate doctors who see uninsured patients and allow them to pay out their bills, but they have to make up for it with higher fees for the rest of us.
And those people who wait until the last minute to go to the ER? Well, what happens if they're diagnosed in the late stages of cancer or need a bypass? Guess who pays, one way or the other?
This isn't perfect. Yet, I am mildly optimistic.
Comments are welcome, but personal attacks or uncivil, shrill rhetoric (even if I agree with you) will get deleted.
Tags: Politics
Filed under: Politics HCR
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