By Arletha Wright
Supervisor, LA County Sheriff’s Department
Working for LA County, I’m lucky to have quality health insurance. But I know others don’t–like my daughter and two grandchildren.
Recently I attended a Town Hall meeting with my Congresswoman. Like a lot of people I had questions about health care reform. I had listened to the talk shows and the news media, and I wondered if the government would make people take what they had to offer–or give you a choice.
I’ve learned that health care reform is actually about giving us choices, and that’s important for my family.
My daughter is now covered under Medicare, and she has had trouble finding a doctor who really fit her family. When my grandson, Deon, was denied coverage for speech problems she had nowhere to go. With health care reform she could choose a doctor she liked and who knew her family. She could get coverage for her son’s condition.
I always say my grandson will be a medical doctor–because of his initials, M.D., and because I want to give him something to aspire to.
Health care reform would mean that as my grandchildren get older they will understand that they have medical choices. My daughter would have the choice to be able to go to one doctor instead of having to shop for doctors.
Health care is about our families’ futures. I know there are a lot of strong feelings, and I urge you to keep an open mind during this debate.
The main thing is to eliminate or reduce the PROFIT motive in Health Care…….
When health care is treated like a business then the bottom line is to make money and
the results are cutting corners ( or costs ) at every possible turn and treating patients
as commodities rather than human beings…….
In Single Payer systems like Canada’s you just pay your regular tax and you can choose
ANY doctor or hospital to go for any procedures so the effects are no headaches for
the patients as to what HMO or plan is good and which won’t do what procedures…….
Also the system AUTOMATICALLY ELIMINATES the BAD doctors and facilities since
EVERYONE will choose the most reputable and good doctors and facilities so the BAD
ones will be out of business since no one will go to them……
Also when NO MIDDLE MEN like insurance companies are involved the government will
set a UNIVERSAL STANDARD by CAPPING the amount of money any vendor can
charge so NO ONE can charge crazy prices on medical equipments and doctors will
NOT operate on the drop of a hat ( or medicine bottles ) just to make another 50,000
for his next YACHT or Condo ( probably for his mistress not the family haha )
Even tho this particular reform lacks the comprehensive approach of a Single Payor
system…….it is still a GOOD START……PRAISE GOD……!!!