National Health Care

I did something I haven't done in a while: I went to hear a candidate speak.

I know that I announced my public divorce from the Democrats last year, but I moved to a small town, and the next thing I knew, I was asked to become politically active. I don't know if my doorbelling days are fast re-approaching, but at least I've met a candidate who I can believe in.



So I'd like to introduce you all to Michael A. Arcuri, who is running for the vacant 24th Congressional District seat in New York State, currently held by a Republican who's retiring.

Arcuri has been the District Attorney for Oneida County for 13 years.
Arcuri is charismatic. Not surprising for someone who was a football All-American, went to law school, and is a black belt in Tae Kwan Do. He carries himself with grace and ease, but when he speaks, his passion takes over. And I like passion.

Here are some of the highlights from his talk. I am paraphrasing from my notes, but you can check his positions on his Web site to confirm that I'm stating them accurately.

IRAQ:

Michael Bouldin's piece about healthcare reminded me of a piece I wrote in December for my newsletter. I think it makes a good followup to Michael's piece, so I reprint it here.

Health insurance. Joy and I were discussing health insurance after hearing a NewYork 1 report that uninsured people were more likely to be turned away from an emergency room and sent to a clinic than insured people. Now, hospitals who DO turn away patients based on insurance rather than severity of the injury are liable to law suits, but we all know that the chances of a law suit changing things are small since those who don’t have insurance are unlikely to have much legal counsel.

What is wrong with our insurance system? Too many people are uninsured and because of that do not have adequate health care available to them. But, that is only one part of the problem. What about those who ARE insured? There are long waiting times to get an appointment. Often you don’t get to choose your physician. You often don’t have a primary care physician who follows you through the years and knows you. Care is determined based on a business model where profit (or at least minimal cost) takes precedence over what the physician and patient want or the injury requires.