by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2009/08/31 10:01 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2009/08/31/9888894.aspx
Nothing technical, you know the drill....
This blog is not going to be about politics.
Well, not really.
I'll mention politics a bit but hopefully not enough to rile up the kind of people who get riled by such things.
If I'm wrong, I'm gonna ignore the commentary anyway. So probably best not to dig in about it, if you know what I mean....
Anyway, I have a friend who is a secular republican who really believes in the need to keep government off our backs.
In other words, more of a libertarian. :-)
The other day she was telling me she felt really awful about what Obama's plans for health care would mean for me.
You know, since I have multiple sclerosis and all.
I pointed out that there is not a whole lot that health insurance or really medical science outside of experimental/research work can do for me, at this point.
Since I am kinda secondary progressive now, that is. No more relapsing/remitting, no more drugs that really work on me, etc.
So even if she is right and health care gets flushed down the crapper in the USA, it won't mean much of a difference for me.
She was confused -- was there really nothing left I can do?
Well, there is one thing, but it way too primitive and no insurance covers it nor will it for the foreseeable future.
Of course she waited for me to explain what I was talking about.
Well there is some promise in the area of stem cells, the stuff that research was forced to stagnate on because of the other republicans (the non-secular ones) and their feelings about such things.
The old plans won't be covering it any time soon and I doubt any new plan would, either.
Kind of ironic that my libertarian friend is wrong that I might be screwed in the future due to the fact that some of her fellow travelers she doesn't see eye to eye with might have made sure I was screwed in the past....
In case we needed further proof that government in general is the best way to make sure everyone gets screwed with their pants on....
Now I know I am very fortunate to have the employer that I do -- most wouldn't have approved the iBot. And at its price it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that most proposed future plans would cover either (not their fault if even a fully covered person might not have gotten it before, of course).
It has been a game changer, a life changer, a world changer for me.
But it probably still wouldn't be medically necessary....
I know I had a point when I started writing this blog, but I can't remember what it was now -- maybe it was that point which seemed so ironic to me about how even if the Democrats were gonna screw me over the fact that the Republicans did first made it kind of a non-issue.
But in retrospect I hope that wasn't the only point since it seems kind of weak now that I am looking at it.
Oh well...
I was at a party this last weekend, maybe I'll talk about it some time. It's definitely a party I'd never have gone to if not for the iBot being there. And that goes triple for the Halloween party I was invited to while I was there. So the iBot is doing something for my quality of life, at least! :-)
Steve Syfuhs on 31 Aug 2009 6:27 PM:
Err...isn't this post all about politics? :)
For what it's worth, you are welcome in Canada... home of the free (healthcare).
Michael S. Kaplan on 1 Sep 2009 11:20 AM:
Well, maybe. But I slam everyone since they all seem to be aginst me getting medical help.
Canada isn't against it per se, but in effect they are since they won't pay big $$$ either. TANSTAAFL, after all....