The Industrial Medicine Conspiracy

If there is something that shouldn't be Industrialized, it's medicine. Sadly, this is not the case. The Drug Industry is just that, an industry, and it makes me sick (no pun intended). Profit Margins are looked at with more reverence and concern than people's health every day, and it is a crime, a travesty. This is particularly relevant to me now, while I sit here with my foot wrapped up due to a fucking EXCRUCIATING ankle roll I suffered at the concert that I mentioned in my last post. Medicine, especially private medicine, is a problem that is quite truly a detriment to you and me.

When you extend the Capitalist ideas of ruthless competition, self-centered greed and downright negligence in pursuit of the next paycheck into something like medicine, the results will not be good. Socialized Medicine (Especially in Canada as I will relate later) works very well in many countries because the people have come to realize that everyone is entitled to at least a baseline of medical care, regardless of their financial situation. Why haven't we done the same thing over here in the good old US? The same reason a lot of other things aren't socialized too--an adherence and devotion to Capitalism, and the ingraining of Capitalist ideas into our psyche by the media and authority figures from day one.

My father had nothing bad to say about Canada's Socialized Medicine system. In fact, he praised it for its efficiency, affordability, and the skill that the doctors had there. One of the biggest arguments against Socialized Medicine is that the lack of competition would decrease the skill that surgeons, specialists and doctors would have to be able to effectively treat people with. Canada, Australia and France all have working Socialized Medicinal Systems, and the life expectancy in those countries is well above ours in the US (check the wikipedia link for some great info, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada ).

On two occasions, while working up North, my father had to receive care from the Canadian system, once to have a tooth pulled, and again to have grinding dust removed from deep under the tissue of his eyelid. Obviously, the second time was of a more pressing nature and required more extensive care than the first. Still, on both occasions he was treated by doctors and nurses with a mastery of their craft, and he had absolutely nothing bad to say about his care. The cost? $10 for the tooth and $35 for his eye treatment. Yes this was back in 1978, but still, he had no insurance up there and he was not a citizen, so the price was very, very small.

The wait is another argument against Socialized Medicine. The Capitalists will have you believe that in a Socialized system, you'll be waiting in line forever to get treated, and that even people with life-threatening conditions are on an impossibly long wait-list. While this is true to an extent, one could not generalize and say that this is the case for every Socialized system, or indeed for everyone getting care from such a system. I gaurantee you that not everyone waits for treatment, and those who do are often seeking a specialist or surgeon with an obscure condition or problem. Also, bear in mind--How long do we have to wait for treatment over here in America?? It can amount to a lengthy wait as well.

Another plus to the Socialized side of medicine is the availability and affordability of RX drugs. Painkillers, insulin, blood-pressure controllers and anti-biotics, things that are frequently needed by the public, are all very, very cheap in Canada. When my Grandmother has to pay out the nose to get the medicine she needs to live (she's a diabetic among other numerous ailments), I just get frustrated. A lot of people in America actually buy their drugs from Canada, simply because of the reduced cost and quality.

In conclusion, moving to Socialized medicine is key, and not just because I want to see the Capitalist's hold on medicine broken, but moreso because it would better everyone in America who has needed health-care and couldn't afford it, for whatever reason. Hopefully Obama will take a few steps in moving us there. For how skeptical I am of him, some of the things he has been doing of late I really do approve of. His blowup on he CEO's and their bonuses was amusing, and it's nice to see a silver-tongued politician actually doing something, rather than spitballing and politicking away behind a desk.


Wrench