Let’s just put it out there. I am a bit of an enigma where politics are concerned. To some people, I am a mirror. They simply assume I agree with them. To others I seem to project a reverse image. For those, my more conservative friends see me as liberal, and my liberal friends see me as conservative. In truth, I am largely a contrarian with a strong libertarian streak. I don’t like to be told what to do and, often, will instinctively react as might the loyal opposition. But I am also basically conservative, which is not a surprise given my Texas roots. However, I also live in the heart of a large urban center (not being coy, it is commonly known as H-Town) that routinely votes Democrat.
I have had the good fortune of being gainfully employed for most of my adult life and (knock on wood) free from any catastrophic injury or illness. As a result, I have always had heath insurance and have never had particular reason to concern myself with the intricacies of the US healthcare system. I reacted instinctively negatively to the passage of “Obamacare” (more correctly the PPACA) not so much because of its substance – after all nobody really knew what it contained when it was passed – but because of the way it was passed. To be completely frank, the cult of personality that surrounded Obama always offended me as well. People in general were for more supportive of him than any of his policies. But pass it did and, initially, it it had no discernible effect on me and receded in my mind. Not much later, though, I received shocking news. My doctor had had enough. She was quitting the traditional medical system to establish a concierge practice. I know from discussions with her over the years that this directly resulted from her frustrations with the US healthcare finance system. So, thank you very much, Mr. President, I liked my doctor, and I did not get to keep my doctor.
Fast forward to 2016. “We’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare” was the GOP mantra during the election. It was a good one. While I am not going to get bogged down in #WhyTrumpWon, it is hard to argue that perceived dissatisfaction was at least some part of it. “Good,” I said, muttering to myself about not getting to keep my doctor. (As an aside, you might assume from this that I voted for Trump. I will just say this. I have voted in eight presidential elections. My candidate has won only twice.)
But the truth was that I really had no idea about the policy issues behind Obamacare. As I became more curious, I also became more frustrated. As with many complex issues, it is hard to find unbiased analysis in a sea of partisan rhetoric. After some effort, I managed to find what appeared to be a reasonable place to start, the book The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, by T.R. Reid. It was a good choice. See the link for my brief review and more about the book on Goodreads. In addition to being a good overview of US healthcare issues, it put the US in the context of other developed countries all of which provide some form of universal healthcare. And it suggested further reading, which is now in a stack on my desk.
Which gets me to the point of this post and this blog. I started out like most of us: personally satisfied with my experience in the healthcare system and instinctively disliking any change to it. My views have already evolved, as I will explain in a later post. This blog is a sort of long-form live-tweet of this process. It will reflect on what I am thinking along the way or even just something interesting that I learned. If you are following along, please say hello and don’t be shy about schooling me where I need it. You will find no flaming rhetoric here, just a desire for honest and respectful discussion of the issues.
Happy Reading,
Patrick Waites
February 15, 2017