9 out of 10

9 out of 10, that’s a pretty good percentage, don’t you think? I would be happy with that percentage, if lets say it represented the percentage of Catholics who attended Mass  every week, or lets say it was the percentage of the population who donated to end poverty or what if it represented the amount of people with healthcare. The possibilities of what that number could and can represent is endless.

9 out of 10…That’s 90%, only 10% less than 100%, so for every 100 people only 10 would be left out. Not a perfect number, but a respectable one. What parent would not be pleased if their child never went below a 90% in school. Every test, homework assignment and exam was 90% or better. What if we got to keep 90% of our money, and the government only took 10%, who would not be pleased with that?

Sure there would be some parents who would puss there child to get 100% and sure there would be some who would say that 10% was way to much taxation, but over all I think the average person would be pleased with a 90% average, I know I would be.

Yesterday I was doing a little research for this blog posting and typed in 9 out of 10 Americans as my search, I received over  163,000,000 hits. That’s a lot of 9 out of tens to go through, but it did tell me that we love this stuff, we love to know were we stand on an issue or on what side of that percentage we are on.

In truth I was looking for a fact, I have not yet found it, but I will, but it basically stated that the claim that many Americans do not have health coverage is a bogus statement. That in reality most Americans (9 out of 10) do, and of that 10 percent, a good portion of them choose not to be covered. They are young people who could afford coverage, but choose not to. It’s the “I’m immortal” attitude of youth. I had it, I was an uninsured American in my youth. I was to old to be on my parents, and chose not to pay for coverage for myself, I was young and would live forever.

Removing the people who choose not to be covered would than place us at a better than 90% coverage here in America, really that’s not to bad an average, don’t you think?

The funny thing about facts, they can be manipulated to fit our own needs, so it it really 9 out of 10, or 8 out of 10, or what about 9.8 out of 10, i would imagine it all depends on how you mix the data up, what point you want to make and who is paying you to come up with the facts.

My point is, we need to look deeper in to the question of health care, we need to understand the facts, and not just listen to the talking heads. We need to know who chooses to have no coverage and who can not get coverage. We need to understand the difference between the uninsured and no health coverage. All Americans have health coverage, no one can be refused treatment at any hospital. Any American can walk in to any emergency or urgent care center and receive treatment. So it is a lie to state that there are any Americans who do not have health coverage. The fact is that we all have coverage, and most have insurance (9 out of 10) and some choose not to have insurance, for what ever reason.

So is universal heath insurance needed? Or are better facts needed? Do we need the government to force those who choose not to receive health insurance to take the universal plan or do we force them to pay for it, because they can afford it?

The moral questions of a universal plan have yet to be raised, but will a universal plan cover sex change operations, or abortion or how about fertility options? Will the elderly be told they are just to old to care for and the youth be told they have not lived a life as of yet worth saving? Will we become a selective society determining who is worthy of treatment? Will I be forced to take coverage that is in direct opposition to my faith? Will Doctors be forced to perform procedures that are morally wrong for them? Will they be forced to prescribe medication that is sinful for them to do so? Will my rights and freedoms be compromised in the name of universal health care? I would have to say yes, based on how it works in other parts of the world, yes, I would be compromised, my rights would be tossed under the bus, all in the name of universal health care.

9 out of 10 Americans ore covered, and a good percentage of the uninsured choose not to be. Or some numbers are 15% uninsured, but the fact remains that a good number choose not to be, they have decided that the money spent is not a wise investment for them, at this time in there lives, is it really the governments responsibility to force them to choose other wise?

What is the answer to the Health Care Crisis”, the free market, open up the market place, remove the state and federal restrictions to coverage and allow the market place to work.

Example: States require any insurance company to follow state guide lines as to what needs to be covered, in some states all insurers must cover birth control, this adds to everyone’s monthly premiums, other states may require that all insurance cover the little blue pill for men, once again adding to my premium. As a Catholic, I should not have to pay for birth control or abortions or other procedures that fly in the face of my faith. I would be able to lower my monthly premiums if I was not forced to cover and pay for the procedures that my faith deemed evil and/or sinful. But state laws and federal regulations require that all insurance cover certain things.

The free market would work to allow all to be covered, even if the federal government required that all insurers have 1 of there total insurance base be free to the truly poor. Give them the freedom to offer the coverage they choose to offer, and let the free market wash out the good from the bad. Create a system that allows for the faith of the insured to be honored. Allow the consumer the ability to choose the policy that fits there current needs and allows the company the ability to cater to there costumer base.

9 out of 10, not bad… All things considered.

 

Paul