Fatboy’s Take on the Healthcare Reform Bill

Please, Mr. President, Don’t Kill Me

I had no intention of doing anything remotely political on this site, but I’ve just been overwhelmed by the number of tweets, Facebook statuses, and blog posts that I’ve seen from the cystic fibrosis community in favor of the bill that passed last week. Overwhelmed to the point of needing to speak out.

Disclosures first

I took the Nolan Chart survey to find out which political sector I fall into based purely on my views of what government should be. I would suggest taking the survey, too, because it may help you think about things consciously that you just regurgitate what you’ve known from your house growing up.

Libertarian: supports the smallest possible government, supports individual liberty in all ways, prefers to only defend our borders and not interfere in other countries’ affairs

I scored as a libertarian, near the conservative line. I’m not hard line libertarian, though, because I believe in a strong military backed by government money and the Interstate System. Until we can get everyone in private schools funded by some sort of consortium of parents, I suppose I have to agree with public education for now, too. I will use their “working definition” of libertarianism for now.

I do not believe the government knows how to run anything right, or at least better than a private company. Examples: USPS vs. FedEx, Medicare/Medicaid vs. Aetna, Social Security vs. mutual fund 401(k)s invested in properly. Money is wasted left and right, like for studies to see if people have slower reflexes when drunk or if students get lower grades in college if they don’t attend classes. Special interests rule the day, and I’ll be shackled and sent to Azkhaban before I become one of those suit’s special interests.

I earn my money. I’ve earned my degree. I pay an exorbitant amount of self-employed taxes (over $6,000). I pay thousands of dollars ($440/mo in expenses and $485/mo in premiums) for my health care alone, but I’m in charge and no one tells me “no, that isn’t covered.” I’ve been blessed by the Creator with trillions of neurons that I choose to fire of in a dazzling array of faith, love, motivation, determination, grit, and an iron will to survive, thrive, and spur others on to the same greatness that I have achieved. Granted, I’m not a household name or anything to brag about, but I’m proud of every achievement notched in my belt that the government never had a hand in.

The CF community

I see CFers running around saying that they can’t get coverage or they will be denied any useful coverage because of their pre-existing condition, but in most states, if you work for a company with more than 50 (maybe even just 15) employees, insurance companies cannot enact a pre-existing condition clause. I’ve never not been covered as a result. Now that I own my own company, I paid COBRA for a year and used the HIPAA guarantee and prior-coverage certificate to wave the one year delay on pre-existing conditions again.

I do realize that some states have REALLY sucky state-run health care and even some rampant private insurance companies who are protected by certain state laws, however this does not give the federal government the right to force an entire nation to pay for those few individuals and to oversee a few states run amok. California is bankrupt, for crying out loud! Does anyone expect them to have decent health care? Do you really think that letting the federal government run it will make it any better? Congress couldn’t run a lemonade stand and make a profit if they didn’t take the lemons from a grower and get the sugar as a tarif on imports.

State rights vs. progressive socialism

Working definition of socialism: taking possessions or earnings from a group of individuals (the working middle and upper class) and giving it to a group of individuals who don’t, can’t, or don’t want to work or choose to work one lame job and live beyond their means, creating a situation of poverty and being willing and expectant of Goverment aid and rescue.

I used to make $12,000/yr (2002) and never took a dime of state or federal aid. I paid for my own insurance and had a roommate to defray the cost of living. People on welfare should not have cable, cell phones, or car leases, but they do and expect to live like the Jones’.

I will help the poor on my own free will, but don’t force my hand to help undeserving leaches by taxing me to fund entitlement programs. I choose to teach people to fish rather than give them fish and certainly don’t take fish from someone with a stockpile of fish and deprive them of the fruits of their labor.

My reaction to the health care bill

I’ll start with the positive: we do need reform. “Shoving this through” against the majority will of the people according to poll after poll (Rasmussen, ABC, etc.) was procedurally wrong because, well, it would be better to JUST have included these things that are important, not to mention tort reform. Americans weren’t against reform. They weren’t against helping sick people. They were against a complete takeover of a system that involves more money than the rest of the G8′s entire GDP. Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security are already bankrupt.

Answer me this: how are we supposed to add 35 million people to Medicare without increasing waiting times, scaring off doctors who don’t want to mess with it any more, and dealing with the likelihood of rationing procedures, if not medicine? Who is it in the government’s best interest to “cut out” of the system when they run out of money (HA!, they print more, right?) to care for everyone? Diabetics, CFers, MS patients, CP patients, cancer patients, and transplant list people are going to be the biggest drain on the system. There might actually be money in the system if they were somehow to be eliminated from a need for care… called death. It wouldn’t be the first time it has happened in history. Check out Germany pre-WWII. They were called “mercy killings” for those whose lives were deemed to be invaluable and more humane to end. This isn’t fear-mongering. This isn’t rhetoric. This is history, folks.

I don’t think “tearing the house down to build a new room” for us high-cost patients was a good idea… just build a new room. I was looking around at programs the government estimated costs for. I didn’t find a single instance where they underestimated, but found plenty where the cost was between 10x more and infinitely more because of unforeseen domino effects of their bills. Here’s some foreshadowing: many doctors will leave practice. Lines for care will increase because 1) care will be mandatory and 2) doctors who remain will be overwhelmed.

The bottom line

The key is that the government is not your savior. We live in a land of opportunity and options. If where you work or live now doesn’t provide what you need, then move, get another job, and do whatever it takes to get onto insurance that works for you. I’ve been at 28-38% FEV₁ for years and have worked and gone to school 40-60 hours per week on those lungs. Don’t tell me that you’re too sick to work. Don’t tell my you can’t get a job with benefits. That is what a loser tells themselves.

Don’t be a loser, be a winner.

Be a fighter.

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• The History of Fatboy – The Formative Years

Tagged as: government, HCR, health care reform, losers, winners

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