FREE - Healthcare for All - Part 1

Topic: Healthcare

Part 1:

Welcome all, to the new series from The Basket of Fish entitled “Free!”

Free this – free that. Free healthcare, free college tuition….. etc, etc, etc.

“IF elected, I promise to provide as much free stuff as I can!” (The politicians appear to convey in the media these days.)

So, the topic for this and upcoming articles will be about Free Healthcare.

Before I even begin to type, (I know, I know…. I already have,) I want you to all know that I have this huge block of wood here that I can knock on because throughout my life – from what I’ve read and people I’ve talked with – I have been extremely fortunate in regards to my health. (Knock on wood.)

In my adult life l can probably count on one hand the times I’ve had to see a doctor. And every time I have had to go to a doctor, I already knew what was wrong with me. I went only because I needed a prescription. Which was usually for a bad case of bronchitis.

I was never the kind of man who would race to a doctor at the drop of a hat. I’ve always thought of seeing a doctor only as a last resort. When I knew I had done all I could do on a personal level – to no avail, then and only then would I consult a physician.

A little background…..

I had a “Leave it to Beaver“ childhood. Did many of the stupid things most teenagers did while growing up (in those days) and actually survived it pretty much unscathed (outside of a chipped front tooth at 16 that I finally had fixed at 18. To this day you’d never know it.) Again – knock on wood.

When it came to vaccines, there were only three that children received back then. Polio, DPT (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (aka whooping cough) and smallpox. That was it.

The only childhood disease I honestly remember getting was the mumps. Perhaps measles and chicken pox but I couldn’t swear on it. I’d have to look it up. However, seeing as this article is about free healthcare and not Vaccines, I’d rather not open up that can of worms. I mention it strictly for background.

So, when I read all these stories and everything I see and hear on the news, all this talk about medicare for all and free access to healthcare, my first thought is….. Is America really THAT sick?

[Now – before I go any further with my thoughts on this topic, the very last thing I want to do is disparage or make light of the medical situations I’m certain MANY American people and families are going through. This is NOT my intention. I do realize this.]

So again, I asked myself, is America as a whole really that sick? The media make it seem like everyone is seeing a doctor three times a week and everyone is taking some type of medication[s] on a daily basis. I know this can’t be true but you’d believe otherwise from what you see, hear and read from the good old media.

You see Politicians saying, “Everyone should have access to healthcare.”

I ask myself…. don’t people already have access to healthcare? I see urgent care centers, walk-in clinics, hospitals, free clinics (just to name a few), therefore, access to healthcare is obviously available to everyone…. right?

So, that can’t be it.

Then you see other Politicians promising, if elected… “Free Healthcare for all!” Whether they use those exact words or not – THIS is what they mean.

Sounds ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL…. doesn’t it? Well… doesn’t it?

But – is it, or will it be free? Of course not. People can’t be that stupid to believe that. It will have to be paid for. Either through higher taxes, another type of mandate or some other method. Most Politicians so far – have yet to explain how it would be paid for. And the one who did – [through higher taxes] – has yet to say exactly how MUCH higher.

This is just the tip of the mountainous iceberg called free healthcare and the US is the Titanic.

So, tune in next week for the following article in this series on Healthcare. Attention will be given to a possible – and most likely very plausible scenario and outcome should “Free Healthcare for all” ever gets passed.