Health Care in Crisis

I often wonder what it will take the politicians in this country to actually act on something that is in crisis before it is too late. Washington D.C. is so polarized right now with neither Democrat nor Republican doing much to help this country. I am disgusted with them. The revolution of change that the November 2006 election was suppose to bring fizzled out before it even started. The only thing lower than President Bush's approval rating is Congress' approval rating. The only thing lower than Congress' approval rating is Vice President Cheney's. Can we actually reach out across the aisle and work together to solve one of the three most important issues confronting the people of the United States?

Despite claims to the contrary neither party listens to the poor in this country. They only nominally listen to the middle class. This despite our huge majority in the populace. Health care is becoming such a huge issue in the life of the middle class that it won't be long before either, a) it is completely broken, or b) Congress and the President attempt a half-ass (sorry but I had to say it) fix of the system. As you can tell I don't hold out much hope of a workable system. All of this and I am actually one of the lucky people who has employer based health care. However, since starting in 2005 at MIT, I have seen my premiums increase by 33%. Premiums that were already 300% higher than I was used to. Health care now comprises around 7% of my annual salary despite the fact that I cost the system a grand total of about $300 in 2007 (admittedly my family cost more, but even with that we are one of the families insurance relies on thanks to our good health). I have no problem with the idea of pooling resources and risks across a broad swath of the populace, but things are getting out of control.

The reason that I bring this up is that yesterday we were notified of our new benefits package for next year. Working for MIT has been great. I have been willing to accept a lower salary in part because of the work environment, the "prestige" of the MIT name, and the generally good benefits. However, with the steady increase in health care costs, I have been asking myself what benefits do I have for working for MIT? I could easily be making more money in industry to cover any "lack" of retirement benefits. If I lose my edge in benefits, what is left, prestige? After working here for 3 years, the prestige has some foundation, but if other institutions received the same amount of research dollars as MIT, they would also have some of this prestige.

Anyway, when health care finally starts becoming an issue for the middle class will Congress finally act? And if Congress acts, what should it do? I have my theories for what has broken the health care system and I think there is plenty of blame to pass around, pharmaceuticals, insurance, physicians, nurses, lawyers, and even us. There is no easy fix and no easy answers. How do you tell a profession that they easily need to take a 50% pay cut. I would be upset if people told me that as well. But in reality, the amount of schooling they go to is no more than your English professor, your philosophy professor, or your average physicist/scientist. We have created the god myth among the populace about health care and we pay accordingly. If things go wrong we can't believe the MD (major deity) was human and we seek restitution (certainly not justice) in the courts. We drug ourselves into better health when we get too lazy to exercise, too lazy to eat right.

What is the answer? Can we actually have an affordable health care system in this country, and still maintain our edge in innovation? I recently listened to a NPR piece about Michael Moore's movie Sicko. While I believe he has some valid points, he painted a way too, "the grass in greener over there" scenario of other countries. In France for example, they have two health care systems, one for the common man, and one (much better) for those one can afford it. Is that what we are destined for? Can the common man really have uncommonly good health insurance? I hope so, but for now I will begrudgingly pay my premium each month while still grateful that I can actually afford health insurance. I don't now for how much longer, but at least for now.