[The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind] You Lose, You Die?

Now, I suppose I can understand the thinking behind this. Granted, it strikes me as somewhat barbaric, and it's a pretty shitty way to go about treating citizens, but something clearly needs to be done.

Oregon holds health insurance lottery
By SARAH SKIDMORE
Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon is conducting a one-of-a-kind lottery, and the prize is health insurance.

The state will start drawing names this week for the chance to enroll in a health care program designed for people not poor enough for Medicaid but too cash-strapped to buy their own insurance.

More than 80,000 people have signed up since registration for the lottery opened in January. Only a few thousand will be chosen for the program.

"It's better than nothing, it's at least a hope," said Shirley Krueger, 61, who signed up the first day.

It's been more than six months since she could afford to take insulin regularly for her diabetes. That puts her at higher risk for a number of complications, such as kidney failure, heart disease and blindness.

Her part-time job leaves her ineligible for her employer's insurance plan and with too little income to buy her own.

"I'm worried about it. I know it's a death sentence," Krueger said.
(Full Story)

Isn't it sad that this is what we've come to in this country? We've turned health-care into something that borders on a game show, almost. In fact, it's no longer a question of who needs it most, it's now a statement that insurance is only available to those who can afford its ridiculous prices and those who are lucky enough to win some sort of public drawing for health coverage.

I hope this is only temporary, and that Oregon can come up with a system to provide coverage to all without having to resort to a lottery.

Also,I'd like to think that those who are fortunate enough to "win" yet don't have a pressing or immediate life-threatening health crisis would be willing to give their coverage to someone who does. For example, I know that if I were granted coverage in this system, since my illness is not life-threatening, I would do what I could to see that my insurance goes to someone for whom it is a matter of life and death.

I suppose this will, in the end, create even more problems than it will solve, and that's why I truly hope this will be nothing more than a temporary fix on the path toward making things better for everyone.

Still... I see a lot of problems with this, and though I am sure the intentions behind this are good and coming from the right place, this is obviously not the way health care should be handled. It's dehumanizing to say the least.

-DP

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Posted By Dan to The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind at 3/04/2008 02:19:00 PM