How much compassion can Americans afford? That sounds like an oxymoron. Compassion isn't like cake. You don't cut smaller pieces when there are more guests; you buy more cake.
Most affluent people never see the poor neighborhoods where the kids, the pregnant women and the elderly who are deprived of healthcare because they are not poor enough to qualify for help live. Maybe you've never seen a ten year old with rotted teeth because his parent can't afford dental care. Perhaps it doesn't bother you that the mortality rate in the inner cities is lowered by considerable years because of lack of healthcare.
Perhaps you don't see the middle class who may be out of health insurance because they are out of work. I am not a raging liberal. I do believe in cost-effectiveness in government and private business. I exercise it myself. I have great healthcare coverage but I don't run to the doctor every time I get a sniffle just because my plan pays for it. Prudent health management is something everyone should practice.
It wasn't health care per se that hurt the Clintons. It was how it was presented and what was contained in the proposed legislation. I agree. It was a mess. However, the fact that advanced civilizations such as the British Isles, and the Scandinavian countries manage cradle to grave health care without offending their populations or bankrupting their governments, should allow us examples and standards that are effective.
We who have ample will always be able to afford choices not available to the poor. That is very fair because it isn't an either-or proposition. Money always bought the best. I am talking about a low income, hard working couple who can't afford to spend $12,000 a year to get ANY health care. So, when their kid runs a high fever, they go to an emergency room which costs us $1200 for one visit and when it is more than a cold and he has to be hospitalized, the hospital can't reject him so we pay more somewhere somehow so that this event can be handled.
The issue is: What is both caring and prudent? I believe that basic health care which includes a family physician, major medical for real procedures and medication for the truly sick should be guaranteed for every American. I don't believe in waste. I am not rich but I would be considered well-off if we use the present means of measurement. I have that $12,000 a year insurance plan including dental, eyecare and prescriptions. I do not concern myself that my neighbor may not be able to choose the doctor whose name is carved on the side of the building while I can. I am concerned if he can't afford a doctor at all.
I congratulate you on your success. You earned it. Remember that not everyone is as wise and as tough as you. What are we supposed to do, sit behind our steel doors and say "bleep you" to those who have less than we do? I say find a way to be sensible and compassionate.
