Single Payer Health Care - The Only Way To Go

Our savior from the Bush Regime, president Obama, now has before him the first step toward national health-care coverage and it's about time. Of course he will sign it, even thought it falls short of what really needs to be done, it is a first step. People of the conservative ilk point out that single-payer, government run health care will result in rationing of health care like European Nations currently practice. I say "so what".

Why should we spend thousands of dollars to save the life of an 87 year old diabetic, smoker with high blood-pressure and cholesterol levels, and a history of broken hips, when she develops lung cancer and needs quadruple bypass surgery? Am I the only one brave enough to ask the question? If my dog were in the same shape, it would be called humane to put him to sleep would it not? It would be a simple enough task to create a formula for determining when and how much health-care is warranted. We voted for change and this a step in the "left" direction.

I would say that the way to solve the issue and keep it fair and non-discriminatory is to pick the age that most people start requiring the most from the medical system and begin rationing there. This would keep the cost down and prevent the hospitals from being overburdened with patients. As people age, the amount of care they require rises, and the amount that they contribute to the collective diminishes. Therefore, at retirement age, we should begin yearly health testing and when a non-contributing retiree falls below a certain level, the amount of care should also begin to drop. Think of the savings.

It is a brave new world we live in and it calls for brave new policies.