Not so fast

Here's something about the Bishop's view on health care on the USCCB site.

Q: Why are the bishops so vocal about health care reform?

A: One out of three Americans under the age of 65 went without health insurance for some period of time during 2007 and 2008. Of these, four out of five were from working families. Sixty four percent of the uninsured are employed full time, year round. This state of affairs is unacceptable. In the Catholic tradition, health care is a basic human right not a privilege. It is a fundamental issue of human life and dignity.

Did you catch the switcheroo? Let's concede that health care is a right, although the meaning of that phrase in the context of insurance regulations is seemingly opaque by design. Because they didn't even mention people not having access to health care, they mentioned people without health insurance coverage. These are two different things altogether. This is not difficult to prove; I pay for health care out of pocket all the time from a bottle of Ibuprofen to chiropractic adjustments. Likewise I'm covered if I need certain treatments which I haven't needed. So coverage and care are two separate issues. It's an example of the two overlapping circles.

So I don't buy this idea that people can't get health care. My friend's father was in between policies when he had a heart-attack. He was not denied care. The other thing I hate is this anti-doctor sentiment that goes hand in hand with this push for Obamacare. I know so many doctors who do Pro Bono work and come up with payment plans for the poor. It's sick and wrong to suggest there is some kind of concerted effort in our country to deny people health care.

But just watch what happens to the number of people not receiving care if this government plan kicks in and the number of doctors willing to work under the brave new system begins heading in the other direction. Then we'll wish we could start over as we watch this "fundamental issue of human life and dignity" go from bad to worse to "good enough for government work".