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I am a self proclaimed coffee addict and Executive Director of a non profit missions agency working primarily in the Mexican cities of Oaxaca, Guadalajara, and Ensenada. I've been married for over 30 years to Chelle, and we have one grown son, Joseph, a graduate of Auburn University in Alabama.

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Friday, June 29, 2012

Immigration, Health Care and the Supremes... dancing around the real world issues...

I'm not a lawyer.

I don't claim to fully understand all the nuances of even a traffic stop, much less the legalese that many are seeming to enjoy parsing after this weeks Supreme Court rulings.

I know the US has an enormous deficit and that there are limits to what a society will turn over to a central government in both taxes and control.

But I also know that people with no hope in the future get discouraged, give up and can easily be cast aside by a system that fails to take into account the personal side of political and legal decisions.

That is part of what Justice Antonin Scalia was saying in his dissent Monday regarding SB 1070, popularly known as the Arizona Immigration Bill.

He was trying to speak for the ranchers and farmers in Arizona who are feeling overwhelmed by what they see as rampant illegal immigration into their state.

Many of those farmer and ranchers are at ground zero in the immigration wars.  With isolated plots of land, they have been surprised upon many a night to see someone using their out buildings as a camp, or makeshift home.

Why they ask, has the federal government, across many administrations seemingly turned a blind eye to their struggle to feel safe and secure in their own homes?

It is a good question... but it's not the only question worth pondering as we close out one of the most watched Supreme Court sessions in years.

We should also ask if government has a role in making sure all Americans have access, not theoretical, but real access to quality health care in this country.

Seemingly, both Presidential contenders agree.  Even though he disagrees with the route President Obama took, Mitt Romney's plan is to repeal and replace.  Clearly that says he too sees some role for the federal government in this area.

There are millions of us who would love to buy health insurance.  And I say us because, like many, my family is uninsured.

Because of a doctor approved procedure done 25 years ago, my wife is unable to get insurance in the private market.  She has a preexisting condition.  And with that, few, if any companies will offer her insurance at a rate we can afford.

The current health care act gives people like us hope.  Hope that we will not have to forever lie awake at night wondering if we are just a little achy, or if something is seriously wrong inside the wonderful bodies that God gave us.

We have hope that one day soon, when the entire law takes effect, that we will finally be able to gain real access to some of the best health care in the world.  At a cost that will not bankrupt us.

Justice Scalia said the citizens of Arizona were feeling "under seige" against the effects of illegal immigration.

Many of us have also felt under siege against the effects of having to live with a health care system that seems built to do everything possible to maximize profits and minimize access to all but the approved.

The Supreme Court has given us lots to think about this week.  I hope we can move past the political rhetoric and seek some real solutions that are designed to both protect and serve the all of the American people.


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Comments on "Immigration, Health Care and the Supremes... dancing around the real world issues..."

 

Anonymous 5ft3 said ... (3:38 PM) : 

In my opinion, having health insurance does not mean instantly affordable health care. Why don't we address the health care costs, and what drives them up so high?

College educations have sky rocketed, so then those going to school to become doctors are having to pay more or take more loans to become doctors, and as such need to be compensated enough to make it worth their efforts to do so, yes, they want to be paid a good amount for their investment in their career.

Then there is malpractice insurance they pay, and we all know why they must, and yes the uninsured who the rest of us have to pay for drive up costs.

Me, I think a few things: medical insurance should be like other insurance, only used for large, unexpected health problems. Everything else should be out-of-pocket where people can shop around, and where elective things such as abortion are paid by those who elect to have them.

Next, tort reform, so that a.) doctors don't feel the need to do lots of tests to cover their asses, and b.) so they don't have to pay for huge medical malpractice suits, and c.) so that the rest of us don't have to pay for the settlements and court fees and jury awards that go above and beyond reasonableness.

These are a few ideas that I think make more sense in a country that is based on freedom and where individuals are supposed to be responsible for themselves. They should be motivated by them having to pay their own healthcare to take care of themselves because it could cost them more if they don't.

 

Blogger Dave Miller said ... (8:54 PM) : 

Beth, those are some pretty good ideas that unfortunately, neither side is going to take seriously...

But I like 'em...

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (11:36 AM) : 

Therein lies the problems with too much government, Dave.

 

Blogger dmarks said ... (8:28 AM) : 

5ft3 said: "In my opinion, having health insurance does not mean instantly affordable health care. Why don't we address the health care costs, and what drives them up so high?"

One of the reasons I wanted "Obamacare" thrown out was the specific provision in it that forces the makers of health care equipment to raise their prices a lot. We need lower prices, not higher.

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (11:58 AM) : 

Obama doesn't seem to mind prices necessarily getting higher...

 

Blogger Dave Miller said ... (6:48 AM) : 

Beth, your statement is as partisan as those that said Bush did not mind seeing people die in the Iraq war...

Why do people persist in this type of attack?

 

Blogger dmarks said ... (8:29 PM) : 

Unfortunately, Beth is right. After all, his healthcare plan contains specific provisions designed to force higher prices (such as the medical equipment tax). Why would he do this, if he did not "mind" the expected and necessary result?

 

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