Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The effect of TennCare cuts hits home

Thank you Dana for posting a link to this article on Nashville is Talking. It's a story about people struggling with their health in Lawrence County, following the TennCare cuts. It made me so sad. It's so different from what happens here in the UK.

It also made me sad, because Lawrence County is where I went to high school (I'm a triple legacy of Law-Co-Hi and UT) My mom and quite a few of my kin live in Lawrenceburg, the county seat.

Before the cuts were made, VolMom attended a lecture where a local doctor told a local audience that TennCare would kill some number of Lawrence Countians each month. I can't remember what the number was - but it was staggering. Meet a few of those who will die and whose family members have died in that Nashville Scene article.

In the UK, we have socialised healthcare and it's not a dirty word. Poor people, small business owners, fledgling entrepreneurs, people with chronic conditions and fatal illnesses don't have to worry about being uninsurable or not being able to afford insurance. We are all covered. Rich people, healthy people, people who want a bit more of a cadillac service can pay to go private. And they are still covered by the National Health Service, too, when they need it.

Yes, it has its problems, particularly in London. A lot of people have their horror stories, and I do too. But at least it's there. People don't kill themselves because they think they're going to get cut off insurance. And I want to stress that there are much better models of universal health care coverage than that of the UK.

I understand that there are all kind of fiscal constraints and that there were management problems with TennCare. But a caring society doesn't treat people the way these people are being treated.

UPDATE: and now I am a "liar"

3 comments:

melusina said...

Lol, well, I think all of us former Tennesseans who are now benefitting from socialized healthcare in other countries will admit the system isn't perfect. But it sure as hell IS better than nothing. Like you said, people who want icing can pay extra for private care. The simple fact of covering medications alone is enough to make socialized healthcare worthwhile for Americans. And socialized healthcare would be possible in America if the government could find a way to restrict exorbitant healthcare and medicine costs.

To say that you are lying, though, is a bit ignorant, and reeks of someone who simply had an unpleasant experience or felt the system was too "dowdy" for his high brow American sensibilities.

Rob Huddleston said...

Melusina -

Yes, I do suppose that watching people die of illnesses that would never claim their lives in America due to an ineptly run socialist system that taxes people into forced government dependence would classify as "an unpleasant experience."

Cheers,

Rob

Rob Huddleston said...

Melusina -

Yes, I do suppose that watching people die of illnesses that would never claim their lives in America due to an ineptly run socialist system that taxes people into forced government dependence would classify as "an unpleasant experience."

Cheers,

Rob