Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Someone Else will Pay

We now live in this weird wannabe-utopian yet Orwellian 1984-ish dysfunctional society filled with liberals that want the United States to switch to a communist regime. Despite the failures of socialism and communism all over the world, these people decry the evils of capitalism. Ironically, they seem to completely ignore that it's the very same system of capitalism... making a profit for producing new and innovative products... allowed the United States to be the frontrunner for medical advancement. And despite the failure of the socialism that has made it's way into our capitalistic society, liberals still want it. What is this dismal example of complete failure? Our friend: Medicaid

There's an underlying truth to why this is a this failure, which seems to elude common sense. When you point out the blatantly obvious, all it does is anger liberals everywhere. What is this blatant truth? 

What liberals everywhere want is for someone ELSE to pay for their medication and treatment.

You can separate out people into various categories. Let me simplify it for discussion:

We have poor people...

1. Poor people want someone else to pay because they don't have the money. They look at it is a temporary thing and they work hard to get out of the hole and better their lives. Those that work hard and smart get out of their hole and off of Medicaid. I don't mind my taxes going to help these people. Most people don't mind because the recipients of the benefits are trying to better their lives.

2. Then there's poor people that have a condition that precludes them from ever obtaining the income to pay for the treatment of their condition. They want the mercy of other people around them to help them out, and that's certainly understandable in situations where they have a condition that precludes them from ever obtaining an income to pay for their condition. Yeah, we need to help these people and we don't mind our taxes used to help the truly destitute.

3. But then there's poor people that are poor because they don't care to try and make their lives better. They're lazy and take advantage of various government programs. They scam the system, often on multiple levels. Liberals try to pretend this category doesn't exist, but it's there and it's huge.

Then we have people that aren't poor. We have middle income people and high income people...

4. There's people that have an income but can't afford their medication because they have a condition which requires expensive medication or treatment. Their insurance doesn't cover all of it, so they want someone else to pay for their medication and treatment.

5. There's people that have sufficient income or assets but they want someone else to pay.

6. There's people that have a big income and plenty of assets, but they still want someone else to pay.

There's a mentality out there among liberals that truly believe anyone that's on Medicaid exists in either category 1, 2, or 4. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, they just refuse to admit that people should pay for their own bills. What they really promote is the odd dystopian society of socialism. Some of the tenets of that dystopia is wealth redistribution and reclassification of the commodity of healthcare as a "right," like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

And when you ask who will end up paying for all of it, you either get no answer, or "everyone."


Doesn't that sound nice? Shouldn't we all just chip in so grandma can get her insulin? Besides, you'd want people to chip in when it's your turn, right?

The problem with statements like "we should all chip in" is that it doesn't really specify who's chipping in what? And "chipping in" implies charity. We already have charity. There are multiple charitable organizations, including churches and synagogues, where people donate time, knowledge, and most importantly, MONEY, to help those that need help. 

But that's not really what the liberal wants. What the liberal actually wants is forced "charity." "We should all chip in" is really newspeak for "I'm going to take MORE out of your paycheck to pay for socialized medicine for everyone." It doesn't matter that you're already paying a lot in taxes. It doesn't matter that those at the poverty level pay nothing in taxes. It's cleverly disguised language for "I want to redistribute your wealth to those that don't have it." It doesn't matter which category people are in. It doesn't matter how hard you worked to get to your income level or how much you owe toward school loans or how much you willingly give to charity now. We insist that you "chip in" and support everyone.

Recently on Twitter I made the statement: "I believe Medicaid has it's place, but it's NOT for people who drive a Lexus and have a Starbucks in their hand all the time."

A large number of people hit the "favorite" button for that tweet. The last count was 105. Oh, but wait. There was a also a few people that were quick to judge my tweet by telling me that I was too quick to judge. (Yes, irony inferred). How could I judge someone simply because they're driving an expensive car and always have an expensive drink in their hand? For all I know they could be driving the neighbor's car and they use a Starbucks gift card (that was obviously given to them) every time they come in.

Those who were quick to judge my tweet that was so "quick to judge" the Lexus-driving Starbucks lady were completely unaware of the rest of the story... that the Lexus-driving Starbucks lady freely admitted to taking advantage of Medicaid and actually laughed when Flynn the technician and I had shocked looks on our faces when she bragged about her deception.

I'd like to say this is an isolated incident... that the majority of people on Medicaid driving expensive cars and wearing expensive clothes, holding the latest iPhone that they pulled out of their Louis Vuitton handbag... the ones that live in expensive $500,000 homes in Snootyville... that they all have a story why they're on Medicaid and why someone else should pay for their medication.

Unfortunately, it's not an isolated incident and the 105 people that hit the "favorite" button on that tweet know it too. They see it all the time just like I do. I'm tired of people that scam the system. I worked hard for my doctorate of pharmacy. And I pay a lot in school loans for that degree. I earn my income, every damn day. I am highly paid and I earned the right to that income because of the work I put in to earn my degree. I don't need to have more of my income taken away from me and redistributed to people unwilling to put in the hard work that I did. And that's reasonable and fairI give freely to charity. I have a charitable heart but I already pay a lot in taxes. 

I don't need a socialistic government to take my hard-earned income to pay for people that think someone else should pay for their medication.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

And there are some of us who have conditions that make a pretty good living, but with both diabetes and high blood pressure, find it very difficult to get insurance. This is true since I work contract engineering around the country. My wife and I are self pay as far as meds and doctor visits are concerned. Our doctor keeps wanting me to try the most expensive new meds, runs a lot of tests(and admits that he has no clue how much they cost). We have a health cost sharing that runs several hundred/month, but doesn't cover any pre-existing conditions. So we see what we can afford, and skip the rest.

We don't want someone else to pay for our care, and it is very frustrating to have others getting full treatment for next to nothing. My younger brother, now retired, gets everything medical for him and his MS afflicted girlfriend taken care of for less than $50/month. They are both fans of Obamacare, natch. Govt pensions for both, even though neither is near 60.

I had to go to an emergency clinic while working out of state last February for a chronic cough that I thought was turning into pneumonia. It wasn't, but the cost for getting an x-ray, an exam, and some meds was over $1500. The poor immigrant couple ahead of me were ecstatic that the cost of the woman's treatment was zero, with similar diagnosis and treatment. There was an interpreter for them, paid for by my wages, and the woman got paid time off from her work.

Me? Client was angry that I went to the clinic even though I was coughing up blood(I've had pneumonia twice)and called my agency. I had to make up the time that weekend and write an apology to my supervisor. There is a note in my file for that shop that states something to the effect that I am a hypochondriac, even though the client supervisor saw the bloody gunk...My brother laughed at this, and I suppose he's right.

Keep up the great work, Crazy. Some of us still make a point of ordering our meds before we run out, and thank the pharmacy staff when we pick up the meds. We'd give them Christmas gifts, but the store chain prohibits it.

Anonymous said...

Nail on the head. I don't mind the medicare tax, I am paying for my parents who paid for their parents. That's how I am okay with it. If I think about it beyond that I just get mad.

Thanks for giving it voice.
Mary

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy reading well reasoned opinions that disagree with my own. Can you tell me more about the flaws in Canada's health care system? I'm also a fan of the Singapore system but I understand that country has far more high income people than low income people and the distribution of wealth is very different from the US and therefore not comparable. I believe Canada more closely resembles the population makeup of the US.

Anonymous said...

I view healthcare as part of "life" in the "life, liberty, pursuit of happiness." Without it, I don't have a life.

Anonymous said...

Your argument relies on the fallacy of pluralistic ignorance. You see people who appear to be scamming the system. In fact, in one case at least, gleefully admitting to scamming the system. None of us wants to pay for those people. But you can't use these people to build your case against healthcare for all. Do you know what percentage of medicare or medicaid recipients are not legitimately entitled? Because I believe you are assuming their percentage is high and using the ones you know as an argument against continuing to provide free/low cost medical care for deserving people. If there are people scamming the system, REPORT THEM. Then, work to reform the system. Destroying the system isn't the solution. That just dooms people to die for things easily prevented or fixed.

Yes, socialist systems redistribute wealth. But we agree to this redistribution partly because if everyone contributes, we won't miss our own contribution. And partly because we are charitable and compassionate. But if we're smart, we will also agree to supporting the system because while we may be capable of paying our way NOW, at any time that could change. And if it changes, we will be very grateful if we have a safety net. Right now, the system is a mess. Works for some people and is horrible for others. What we need is a reform of the system. What we should all be doing is supporting healthcare REFORM (not the abortion the republicans keep trying to impose on us)--a reform that takes care of the elderly or permanently disabled/indigent but makes it difficult if not impossible for the lazy to scam the system, and makes it possible for people to work their way out. Instead of complaining that you're entitled to keep the money you make, how about working for a healthcare reform movement--a REAL one--not just one that saves money by kicking people off so that the Koch brothers can get huge tax breaks?

tbunni said...

I have excellent healthcare coverage. I work for a group of medical clinics, and contribute to my insurance, but my employer pays most of the cost. I have had a significant amount of time loss from work due to an ongoing medical condition, nothing life threatening, but debilitating. I've used up my FMLA time. Now I've been diagnosed with cancer and am facing surgery. That's going to require time off work to heal, even if I don't need chemo or radiation. This may cost me my job, and with it, my insurance. Without my job, I will not have a place to live. Without insurance I cannot get treatment for my cancer. I've worked my entire life, and never thought I could end up homeless (or worse, dead) out of the blue. I am actually more afraid of losing my job than I am of my cancer. And somehow that just seems wrong.

technorantia said...

saw this today: http://i.magaimg.net/img/1w34.jpg