An Alarming Argument Against Healthcare Reform

The healthcare debate in America has become increasingly heated. It is wrapped up in a host of misinformation, obfuscation, red herrings and illogical statements. Fear of illness and worry about not receiving care are powerful spectacles that color what one hears. Whether those concerns are grounded in facts or not is not as powerful as the emotions attached to the issue. These are the similar to the emotions that stand in the background that cause young couples and families to spend tens of thousands more than they can afford on weddings. These feelings are similar to what has led families to pay ten thousand or more for a casket for a loved one, and for costly options to funeral services.

Well educated who often are logical people can readily act irrationally when emotions are raging. Today I heard a statement on FOX News against healthcare reform that stunned me. The statement was that if the middle class was concerned about waiting an hour or more in a doctor’s office or in an emergency room, if healthcare is passed just think how much more the wait will be when all those who are uninsured have health insurance.

I was stunned, I thought I misheard him but he said something a few seconds later that confirmed I had heard correctly. He was implying that people should resist healthcare reform because it will mean that those who currently have insurance will have more people demanding the attention of their doctor and hospital which means that they will get less. In other words, I should keep others out of the system, leave them on the sidelines of receiving care so that I can receive care more swiftly.

This argument reminds me of the kid’s game king of the mountain of pushing others down so I can remain on top. I do not accept this self centered perspective and it is most unbecoming for it to be on the lips of Mike Huckabee, a minister of the Gospel.