Understanding: Health Insurance IS NOT Health Care

Virtually all problems are the result of poor communication. Whether intentional or unintentional.

Today, we have virtually violent clashes in society. Much of it the result of intentional mis-communication, some of it the result of misplaced trust of poor sources. Some of it simply because the person receiving the information has little capacity to really understand - that's not their shortcoming, but the shortcoming of the rest of us, and clear evidence in many cases of a source seeking to take convenient advantage of the recipient, usually for the source's gain.

Much mis-communication comes from our lack of paying attention to how what we say is actually heard.

Earlier today I had a disgusting and frustrating series of debates with people who are absolutely convinced it's appropriate to compare apples to oranges and arrive at avocados as the end result of the equation. I suppose with the information we provide, that may be the appropriate conclusion.

My bad.

For thirty years I've encouraged others to clearly communicate. So that's what I want to do, right here, right now.

Consider this as your definitive argument regarding health care, health insurance and health insurance reform:

Health Insurance is NOT health care. Health insurance at its core, relies on risk versus reward, which equates to one thing: profit on human suffering.

It was forcefully posed to me that I must also be against car insurance, fire insurance and life insurance. Those who know me would absolutely laugh at this. I come from a long line of life insurance agents, and was one myself. I consider it one of the most important purchases for any family, or any business. Everyone WILL die. Life Insurance allows survivors to carry on without financial tragedy, etc. Car insurance is based upon any individual's ability to maintain their PRIVILEGE to drive a car. Some fail that test, and there are always alternatives to driving, and not having coverage or not being able to drive does not create a moral dilemma. Fire insurance for your home or business, same thing basically as car insurance. No one lives or dies based on an insurance company's decision to cover or not to cover.

Health Insurance, by it's very nature, the same as car insurance or fire insurance, can exist based only upon a healthy and robust business model that can attract investors, or others to be mutually insured (as in mutual insurers, not stock insurers).

By the very nature of the business model, someone, somewhere, will make a decision about a human life. Actually, about millions of human lives.

An insurer will make the decision as to who lives and who dies. That decision is for God, the Universe, or how or whatever you believe - not a pencil pusher in a cubicle.

We must permanently unlink "Health Care" and "Insurance". The two cannot co-exist in a moral model.

To accept otherwise, is simply immoral. I'm sorry if you believe otherwise, because I've just called you immoral. I don't do those things often, in fact I usually refrain from such declarations. It doesn't make you bad, just wrong, and not "there" yet. That's okay, but you need to hurry up.

I'm not certain that what's on the table now is "right". It's probably not - but it's what we've got right now, and we simply MUST move forward and correct the single most immoral issue we could possible deal with as humans.

Health Insurance is NOT Health Care. It is profit taking based on who lives and who dies. That, my friends, is immoral.

There is no other argument here. And your failure to understand that argument is now in your hands. No longer my bad.