Dealing

I am hearing that the "public option" is being dealt away from health care reform / health insurance reform. This is probably very bad news.

It concerns me that when the cost of health insurance goes up because no one can be denied coverage anymore or worse dropped because they learn they've got a tough medical diagnosis (like ms or cancer...), that supporters of reform will be blamed for the health insurance price increase. Making the system universal and more efficient would have helped control costs and it concerns me that people won't be hearing that, just the blame.

I am also hearing that there is a possible compromise in the dealing that would lower the age ability to "buy into" medicare coverage. That could be an exciting development, depending upon how low the age is lowered.

I am hoping that House Speaker Rep. Pelosi will be bold in the dealing and fight for expanding medicare access, create a pathway for FDA approval of generic biological drugs and eliminate the donut hole in medicare part D.

Friends are dealing with the third death from cancer of female friends in their 30s this year. 2009 has been a difficult year.

I guess we have much to be thankful for. Thanks to government action, no one is losing their savings when banks are failing. Thanks to government action, Abbey and I have very high quality water (we had it tested). Thanks to government action, I am not worried about the safety of the food I just purchased (and if there was a reason to be concerned, it was because there wasn't enough government regulation). Thanks to government action, there will be new research funding the search for cures (including for multiple sclerosis). Thanks to government action, the price of a pack of cigarettes went up and fewer people will be smoking as a result helping to keep us healthier. Thanks to government action, I could write all a letter and tell you about it via "snail mail" for less than fifty cents (unlike the more than $10 I pay to send the same news via FedX or UPS).