Healthcare 2.0

I will start with a personal narrative about my health insurance. As some of you know, I am moving to Rwanda soon and living in Rwanda I have to take antimalarials. So I take my prescription for the malaria meds to the pharmacy who to my shock tell me that my health insurance will partially cover my malaria meds but will only cover them a month at a time. The pharmacist suggested that I call my insurance company and ask them to cover me in advance because I will be out of the country. I called them and told them my situation and they immediately told me that they will not advance coverage and wanted to take away the first month of antimalarial coverage because I was leaving the country. So they only cover you on malaria meds if you are staying in the US... where there is no malaria and obviously no need for antimalarials. USELESS.

Some major developments have occurred in the healthcare debate. First, the public option is dead. As compensation for the death of the public option, extensions of medicare eligibility to 55 and an extension of medicaid are making up for the loss of the public option. I have

mixed feeling about this. I think its great because its extending single-payer coverage to many more Americans. Maybe thats the new approach to healthcare reform, extend the programs in place until they take hold of the market. I would be ok with that. I am in favor of a single payer system. Secondly, the public option was so watered down, it wouldn't really do what it was meant to, cover more people and hold the insurance companies accountable.

On the other hand, this really isn't addressing the issues facing healthcare reform. Those who are being hurt the most aren't really being helped out. Middle class families who have some money and don't qualify for medicaid while being unable to afford the premiums of health insurance increasing 4x's faster than inflation. Characteristically this group waits till they cannot wait any longer to go the hospital and get reamed by their non-negotiated hospital bill.

I will leave you with a picture of a satire at its finest: Billionaires for Wealthcare