Time Warp

US House GOP Plans Early Health-Care Repeal Vote

I saw this today and was immediately horrified.

The passage of the bill was a landmark event, one that inspired hope for someone who has seen the detrimental effects that a lack of health insurance can have. With the cost of my student plan increasing at the absurd rate of $300 per annum, even I was considering taking my chances and going without it. Then I remembered all of the highway accidents in the winter here and decidedly changed my mind.

On the issue of funding Medicare, I think it's universally acknowledged that there are flaws with the system. Far too many elderly patients go broke because of medication costs, and as the Baby Boomers enter into this demographic, I find it unlikely that they will stay silent about having this sort of burden placed upon their weary shoulders when they can defer payment to those who are still young and able to work. A part of me wars against the idea, but at the same time, there is a sense of social responsibility there, one foreign to a society built on entitlement and the assertion of one's "rights".

I'm ill qualified to discuss the minutiae of health care reform, and defer to the judgment of those with a better understanding. Still, I trust my gut and balk at the idea of devolution of healthcare in the US. We will see how this all pans out.