Where is the Health Insurance?

In a recently released report from the Kaiser Foundation, there are 50 million Americans now without health coverage. That number includes the 4 million people who lost coverage in 2009. According to the report, about 18% of the 265 non-elderly Americans in this country have no health insurance. And 16% only have it through Medicaid. These numbers are embarrassing to say the least. Other western powers spend have as much money per capita as the U.S. on heealth insurance and don't have 50 million people left out of the loop.

Another study by Rutgers says that six in ten Americans have been employed for longer than a year. Combine this with the fact that over half of unemployed people have no health care, rising to 60% of people who have gone without a job for over six months. So how do we fix this? Just bringing back the jobs might not do it. Part-timers and a lot of lower paying jobs offer no health coverage whatsoever.

This is why universal healthcare in 2014 is necessary. We have an employer-based system of obtaining health care. You work, your boss supplies you with a company health plan, maybe even some dental and shit if you're lucky, and everyone is happy. But, with unemployment hovering around 10%, we see the problem. Families that make as little as 4,000$ a month cannot afford to pay out of pocket for healthcare. In a recession the employer health system crumbles. No one can really afford to pay for their own. But there may still be backlash if the health care bill gets repealed by the next president.

As 2014 approaches, businesses are going to convert full-time positions into part-time ones. As of 2014 any business with over 30 employees will be legally obligated to provide it's employees with health care. Full time employees however. So a company might restructure to turn one full time position into two part-time gigs. Same amount of man-hours, no health care costs.

Okay, this is my political shtick. This is the reason we need to re-elect Obama. If a conservative wins the election in 2012, bye bye health care, hello public health crisis.

Recently I've been happier with the first vote I ever made. Obama passed the START treaty with the Russians, and got Don't Ask Don't Tell through.

Finally, he's out there grinding

For those who don't know, START is a strategic arms treaty between the US and Russia that in it's latest installment will cut down both countries nuclear arsenal from 2,200 warheads to 1,550. It's still enough to blow up the entire world like five times, but it is something. The important part is that with the new treaty in place, inspectors ensure both countries nuclear weapons are dismantled properly, and that both protect their nuclear material from getting into the wrong hands. Not a massive, heart-attack win for Obama, but at least he's getting something done.

Don't Ask Don't Tell being repealed was a moral victory more than a political one. The archaic law that persecutes gays who come out in the military is just plain bullshit, and now its gone. Cooler heads prevailed on that one.

But still no one can get health care unless you have a really secure, well-paying job for a company that isn't a bunch of scumbags like Walmart. Too bad scumbag companies run the world.