Buffalo Boy's Blog

I haven't been posting much lately, looking for a house, potentially changing jobs, working extra hours and being a little under the weather will do that.

Speaking of a little under the weather, I am a big fan of the Ed Schultz Show on AM 1520. Unlike some right wing talk show hosts who kiss their respective former president's ass no matter what he did, Ed Schultz tells it like it is.

Lately he has been all over Barack Obama and the administration for not have single payor, universal healthcare on the table. Senator Baucus who is heading this reform up in the senate is not even making it an option.

Despite the majority of Americans and 60% of healthcare workers and doctors being in support of single payor, universal healthcare, the reform that is on the table doesn't even suggest it as an option to discuss. I find that to be very sad.

We already have the infrastructure for it in place with medicare and medicaid. Congress, Senate and government workers already get a form of universal healthcare. If you are lucky enough to have a job that covers a substantial portion of your healthcare you are okay. Its the millions of Americans who do not have jobs with healthcare, who may be self employed or "too well off" to get medicaid and not disabled or old enough to qualify for medicare.

I just got our premiums for my companies open enrollment last week, $966 per month for the cheapest option. WHAT!? Im not going to name names or tell who. Those of you who know me know who and its not worth listing it. My wife makes $20,000 a year, hers is about $160 per check out of the $650 or so that she brings home. Thats about a quarter of her salary.

Meanwhile, health insurance executives pay keeps going up while they raise their rates on all of us. I work in the healthcare field and I can't stand the field for the simple fact that I believe that healthcare under no circumstances should be "for profit" No healthcare business should be for profit. They should be out to care for the sick first and make their money second. The last several years you get the feeling that its the other way around, its how much money can we get first, hows the patient second.

Heres Ed Schultz talking about it on his MSNBC show: