Solving the healthcare issue

So, I rarely every discuss politics because of this. 

And this

And the fact that I view most elections like this

However, with the shutdown going full swing and it largely being over healthcare (well it’s largely over ego’s, pride & re-election campaigns but I digress) my friend and co-worker Tony recently solved the healthcare and government shutdown issue. Here are the ideas he came up with and I think would work pretty well (as well as any other option) and I’ll even add in some artwork to make it more visually appealing!

Keep in mind this is the simplified sweetened condensed version but it should be enough for you to get the gist of it.

Solution 1: Healthcare

Problem: There are people in America who need/want healthcare but cannot afford it.

Option 1) People who need healthcare and can’t afford it should

      A)     ignore it and hope they get better or

        B) die in the street.  

Bring out your dead

This is a pretty harsh option and having seen it in person in China & The Philippines it’s not a road you want to go down. We already ignore the homeless and the mentally ill let’s not add to it. So, in America because we don’t want option 1 we presently go with option 2. 

Option 2) You can go to the ER and not be refused service or have to pay your bill. This however creates lengthy wait times and drives up the cost of medical care for those that have insurance and/or do pay their medical bills as you are in essence paying for those that cannot or will not pay. This is an indirect cost that is spread to everyone.  This along with Insurance companies’ impressive bureaucracy and refusal to pay legitimate claims brings us to option 3. 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/19/patient.insurance/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/health/06patient.html

Option 3)Obamacare

This is how Obamacare works

I think that covers everything we understand about it currently.

So what are we left with?

A method I have entitled the Rainmaker!

Ok so instead of A) leaving people dead in the street and B) indirectly being charged out the wazoo for people's ER visits we can do the following as suggested by my friend/co-worker Tony. Bob has money/insurance provided by his job and can go to private doctor/private insurance. Jim does not have money/insurance (whether by choice or circumstance) and goes to government doctors and hospitals. 

I think that actually makes a lot of sense. Those with Jobs that provide insurance and or have money can go to private health care. Those that are unable or unwilling to do those things can go to government sponsored healthcare. So instead of an indirect tax on healthcare there is a direct tax and private medical providers aren't bogged down with the paper work/bureaucracy of Medicaid/Medicare. Of course there are probably 1,000 objections to this idea and/or explanations as to why it's naive, won't work etc. You are welcome to write your ideas on your blog.

The main object I hear most people levying is "that's not fair" people actually say that a lot and it starts at an early age. We all have an inborn God given sense of right and wrong. However, that moral compass is also tainted by sin & self. So typically when we say "that's not fair" what we mean is "this is not tilted in my favor and I do not like it" consider that next time before you say "that's not fair". In America you have more opportunity to make something of yourself then you do most anywhere in the world. Don't believe me? Listen to this guy.

Solution 2: Government Shutdown

This shutdown is not a fluke. It's been a long time coming. I imagine there will be more of these in the future and it's entirely possible that by the time my kids can vote there still won't be a budget, they will still argue over raising the debt ceiling, and each side will continue to blame the other of partisanship politics. Why is this? Incumbency is a powerful thing between that and Congresses (Republican & Democrat) propensity for redrawing districts in their favor I don't see the grid lock changing.

"The Cook Political Report calculates that in 1998 the House had 148 Republican safe seats, 123 Democratic safe seats and 164 contested seats. Two redistrictings later, for the 2012 election there were 190 Republican safe seats, 146 Democratic safe seats and 99 contested seats. That means today, only 23 percent of members of the House need to perform well to be re-elected. The other 77 percent, on both sides of the aisle, can devote their time and energy to grandstanding. That's a formula for the mess in Washington. " - Greg Easterbrook

So how do we solve gridlock issues that are going to continue to appear? Three Words: STEEL CAGE MATCH! Picture it! In one corner there is President Obama and in the other corner is Speaker of the House Boehner and surrounding them is a 20 foot steel cage with a roof!

This will be a no holds barred, no DQ, I Quit match! Their entire political careers are on the line! Winner take all, Loser signs the winners bill and then leaves Washington for good! Tell me you wouldn't pay to see that?!?!?! You could charge 3x the going rate for a normal pay per view. There would be a clear winner and loser! Also, you could raise a good deal of money while you were at it. In future deadlock events you settle in the cage! No proxies to wrestle for you. The actual politicians have to fight it out!

That's ridiculous you say! Of course it is. However, it's no more ridiculous then what is currently going on and we have the added benefit of seeing a bit of sport. 

Ultimately though kings, kingdoms and countries rise and fall. When we put our hope in man we will be disappointed in the end. 

Jeremiah 17:5-8:

⁵ This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

- Glen