By Carl Sampson
So, who did you vote for? Was it Barack Obiden or John McPalin?
I have to say, I was tempted to withhold my vote this year. Either that, or I should have voted for my cat, Eddy. At least I expect him to ignore me.
I didn’t expect everyone else to ignore me, too.
In my January column, I mentioned an idea I had for universal health care that would take the financial burden off the backs of individuals and businesses and save the federal government billions of dollars in the process.
Here’s how it would work.
First, the federal government would provide full health coverage for everything up to a maximum of $5,000 per person per year. There would be no deductibles and no co-pays. The money could go for physicals, maternity costs, dental care — anything health-related.
Second, everyone in the U.S. would be required to buy health insurance with a $5,000 deductible. That way, any expenses higher than $5,000 would be fully covered. With a pool of 305 million customers, the cost of that mandatory insurance would be nominal.
I’ve talked to many people about it, and though some were skeptical — when you take on the powerful insurance and pharmaceutical industries and the medical profession you’re bound to catch a certain amount of flak — most agreed that I “may be onto something.”
You wouldn’t know it from the response I got elsewhere.
I sent it to lots of politicians — no response. I sent it to The Oregonian as a letter to the editor — no response.
I didn’t even get a “Thank you” or a “Drop dead,” either would have been nice. A doctor’s wife did mention to my wife that I was full of beans, something she already knew.
And so it goes in the world of public opinion, which, it seems to me, is controlled in a way to prevent the free flow of ideas.
For a guy who has worked in the “media” 30-some years, I was saddened by this.
There is a myth in the U.S. that we have a “free” press. It’s only free, it seems, if you can buy one. These days, many publishers and editors are interested in tailoring what is printed on their pages to their personal points of view that they exclude other ideas.
Politicians say they “listen” to what the people have to say. That is partially true. They listen to the people who are pressing checks into their palms. The rest of us, well, we just get in the way.
Some folks have said I should put my idea on the Internet. Oh, please. Google “health care plans,” and you get 24.7 million “hits.” Do you honestly think that one guy’s idea would ever see the light of day?
I don’t want to sound negative, just realistic. During the recent campaign, both major-party candidates talked at length about “change” and what they will do for the American public.
In the meantime, they want to shovel hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to Wall Street to bail out folks who are expecting summonses any moment in return for their wildly irresponsible behavior in betting the company on “liar loans” and other uncollateralized “securities.”
But when it comes to helping every man, woman, child and business to afford health care, they, with only slight variation, offer only the same old, same old.
Why am I not surprised?
