Lazy Day

Today has been an extremely non-productive day. I am almost ashamed of myself. I had been compiling an ambitious to-do list for several days, but just could not find the motivation today. However, the much needed rest was nice. I did manage to make breakfast this morning and do a bit of laundry so I guess that's something.....

I stayed up late last night to watch Sarah Palin on "Jay Leno". I think she did really well. I always get nervous when she does any type of interview. I am a registered Democrat and supported Hillary Clinton with all my heart and I will support her again if she decides to run in 2012. However, after she lost the presidential nomination of '08, I just couldn't bring myself to support Obama. I am sure he is an intelligent man and we all know he possesses a great deal of charisma, but I just didn't think he was ready to take on such an important role. Ultimately, I supported McCain/Palin. The media portrayed Palin in a negative light, but I can't help but like her. She is intriguing, humorous, attractive, and I personally find her to be extremely intelligent. She just gave a few bad interviews. ----just my opinion. It is also refreshing to see a politician with good, strong morals. As I stated before, I am a Democrat, but as years progress, I find myself often voting for Republican candidates. It seems as though many Democratic candidates have become too liberal for me to support.

I have also become upset with the efforts to force Healthcare Reform. I definitely think the American health care system is in crisis, but I'm not sure the current proposed plan is the best plan. CORRECTION--I am positive the current plan is NOT the best plan. It will definitely make healthcare more affordable for many Americans but it will not fix the core problems that created the health care crisis. I perceive the plan as a bandaid to mask the magnitude of the true issues. The number one problem in American healthcare is GREED. Insurance companies want more money. Pharmaceutical companies want more money. Health care providers want more money. Patients are filing more and more malpractice claims so they can have more money. The vicious cycle of greed keeps spinning out of control and nothing is done to stop it. The first inititiative in healthcare reform should be to establish a standard cost for care across the board. For example: If three patients received the same level of care, but one patient was insured by Medicaid, the second was insured by private insurance, and third patient was self-pay, then who do you think would pay the highest cost for healthcare? The patient with no health insurance will pay the highest cost. Medicaid will reimburse at the lowest rate, private insurance will pay an adjusted amount from the total charge, and the self pay patient will be expected to pay the total charge. Why should the self-pay patient be charged any more than the amount Medicaid will reimburse for the same visit? The whole system is unfair. I also think there should be a cap on malpractice claims. Horrible mistakes happen in healthcare, often resulting in severe injury or even loss of life, but no amount of money is going to fix that mistake and most providers are truly trying to save patients and prevent further harm. I don't think any patient or family member should receive more than $250, 000 per malpractice claim. An uncontrolled Medicaid program has also aided in the demise of the American health care system. The Medicaid system is over used and widely abused. I have personally witnessed Medicaid insured patients come into a clinic as many as 3 times per week without serious health issues. If Medicaid patients were charged a $20 co- pay, then the abuse of the system would be abolished. These are only a few of many issues that need to be addressed. I am not claiming to know everything (I actually know very little), but I do know that important issues will not be corrected and will most likely be overlooked with the current Health Care Reform proposal.