Thoughts on Health Care Reform From a Federal Employee

I work for the federal government.  You probably already know that. 

I work for one of those three-lettered law enforcement agencies.  You may also know that Mrs Gunfighter works for the federal government as well.  As federal employees, we have pretty good health insurance.  When we combine our great health benefits with our seniority, we don't have any real worries when it comes to our health care.  When we get sick, or when our child gets sick, we go to our physician or pediatrician, when we need a specialist, we make an appointment and go.  We are truly fortunate.

Tens of millions of Americans aren't so lucky.

As you probably read on the post that I posted mistakenly from my personal blog, you know that I am a big supporter of Health Care Reform (HCR). Today, I'd like to tell you why.  No shrieking.  No screaming... and none of the hyperbolic ranting that I freely admit that I am capable of.

In this post, there won't be any discussion of socialism, Nazism, communism, or crackpot freeperism.  There won't be any of that, because the sane people that are debating HRC shouldn't be talking about -isms.  This argument isn't about -isms, it's supposed to be about people, and how they can be helped.

Too many Americans are priced out of the market when it comes to health insurance.  There are somewhere near 40 million American citizens who can't afford to go to the doctor when they, or their children are ill... and that, my friends, isn't right.

For me, the argument is simple:  Will the current HCR bill, currently being shrieked about by the lunatic fringe, provide medical coverage to the poor?  If so, than I am all over it. 

You see, we have to do something about HRC now.  Not later.  It won't wait.  There are those that say: "Slow down.  This doesn't have to happen right away"... those people are usually people with good medical benefits.  There are those who say "This isn't a good bill, we need a better bill"  Those are usually the people who, when their party was was ascendant, did nothing to forward comprehensive health care reform.  There are those who would demonize a President for doing what he believes (reforming health care) to be a moral imperative, that stood silently as the previous President sent our soldiers (and our money) to war for no bloody good reason.   I respectfully suggest to the naysayers that doing something... anything, now, beats the living crap out of doing nothing... which is what our government has done for the past eight years.

I have a friend... a blog buddy, really, who is a stay at home mom to a 4 year old with a serious heart defect.  Her husband, like me, is a professional lawman.  Their health benefits are nearing an end... and medical professionals have told them, in private, of course, that the best thing for them to do is to divorce, and for the mom to declare bankruptcy so that the state that they live in will pick up the tab for their son's treatment.  Can you believe that?  We have come to the point where families are being destroyed or, at least, forced to lie to be able to be able to provide for their son.  Tell them that their son has to wait.  Tell them that they should divorce.  Tell them that their son should be held hostage to a political agenda.  Tell that, as Franklin Roosevelt said, to the Marines.

Look  This country, by any standard, despite the current economy, is wealthy beyond reason.  We can afford to insure the poor with a public option.  If we can afford a voluntary military of nearly 2 million in strength (and pay for their health care, and the care of their families), we can afford to help the poor.  If we can afford to fight two wars at the same time, and conduct simultaneous military operations in various other places in the middle east, Africa, the far east, the Philippines, anti-piracy operations, and shoot down ailing satellites, we can make sure that poor kids can get seen by a doctor.

I don't believe that we can look into our collective national mirror, and live with that.  Do you?

Yes, it is going to cost a lot of money.  Yes, it will be difficult.  Yes, there will be problems and even serious problems in making it work... but doing nothing is worse.

This nation needs health care reform.  It must be comprehensive... it must cover all citizens, and there must be a public option.  It's the right thing to do.

So, I respectfully submit to those who stand against HCR give the nation a better option.  Have whomever your representatives are, give us a better bill.  Please do more than complain about the cost... because the cost is worth it.

Make no mistake, we may fail... but failure is nowhere near as bad as never making an effort.

When Gunfighter isn't preaching about Heakth Care Reform, he can be found teaching Uncle Sam's agents new and better ways to shoot people, teaching Sunday School, coaching soccer, posting at his personal blog and being the best husband and dad that he can be.