Tony K's Blog

Here is a visual version of the health care reform as a flowchart. Good finally some clarity on at least the mechanics of the darn thing. Click on the chart to go to the original post.

There is an unspoken undercurrent in the health care debate and it really bothers me. "If someone is poor or simply unhealthy due to misfortune they should die." That is the core of the arguments against health care reform in the US. Oh sure, the arguments look like anti-communism or anti-socialism, but at their base this is that argument. I don't want to argue about whether that value is "right." It's really a case of individual choice and what each person thinks is right. I do think however that that is where the discussion should be--about real values. The entire purpose of insurance is to "spread risk." People take on a certain, small expense in order to avoid an uncertain, but potentially much greater expense. In the health care system in the United States, if you happen to work for a large company that has a fair amount of clout, you get health care. It may not be cheap, and it may not cover everything, but you will be protected from the big