Why We Need Socialized Healthcare

That's right, I said socialized healthcare. I'm not talking single payer, public option, or any of that half assed bullshit. We need genuine socialized healthcare. The kind where when you need medical attention you walk in, get treatment, and walk back out again without a hitch. Here is one timely example of why.

Recently a friend's brother had an accident involving falling off of an apartment complex balcony and hitting his head on a gas grill. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors had to remove a large portion of his skull to relieve pressure on the brain from swelling. They saved his life.

Now the swelling has gone down leaving a huge crater on the side of his head. It's time to start considering having the removed portion of the skull put back in place.

But the hospital will not perform the procedure until he pays them the $15k he wracked up by having to be in the intensive care unit for an extended period of time. One could say they are holding his skull hostage.

He's not too worried about it right now. He used to be in the armed services and is confident that the VA, the only form of socialized healthcare currently available in the United States, will take care of him. IF they can convince OHSU, the facility he was rushed to and that performed the emergency removal of the skull piece, to release his body part without him coughing up the $15k first.

This could be you. This guy thought he was covered by the VA. You might think that you're covered as well. Do you really want to find out how little you are covered for when the hospital is holding one of your body parts hostage? YOUR body parts.

And do we really want to deny veterans their benefits because they got rushed to the nearest hospital instead of the VA?

No insurance. No co-pays. No single-payer/public option bullshit. The last thing a person needs after narrowly surviving a near fatal accident is the worry of how they are going to pay for it. Let's all pay for it together so that nobody has to go through that. Like our best buddy Britain does for all of their people. Socialize healthcare.