1.16.2007

get your fuel standards out of my uterus!

Tonight, I attended a panel discussion on Universal Health Care coverage on the Pitt campus. Many of the talks were overly PowerPoint-heavy and/or data-light, but I still learned a lot. For example, I learned what a single-payer system is, and some of the alternatives. I learned that the biggest two lobbying groups aren't oil or tobacco, but 1) pharmaceuticals and 2) insurance companies!

To get more health care coverage for people, most of the proposals fit into these two camps:

1) The government helps people get covered under private insurance, by requiring employers to provide it, or by providing vouchers that people can use to get insurance.

2) The goverment expands the services it currently has (Medicare and Medicaid) to cover more people, or reforms Medicare/Medicaid into something that covers more people.

There were many goals trying to be met at once: more coverage for more people, better care for people, more simplicity, cheaper health care... the whole thing is pretty complicated.

Afterwards, a bunch of us who were there went out for a drink to talk more about it. At some point, we were talking about the ability of pro-business right-wing groups to cooperate with Christian groups -- like those at the Wednesday morning meetings in DC. Somehow, Republicans can convince Christian groups to oppose fuel standards: "Don't you want the choice to drive what *you* want to drive?" While lefty groups can't get all their constituent groups to get together (hence, "Get your fuel standards out of my uterus!").

Currently reading: The Time Traveler's Wife (so good!)



Comments:
I loved the Time Traveler's Wife ... very captivating!

Oddly enough, your post was immediately under Moira's blog post about the panel in my RSS reader. Funny! You both had clever titles to boot!
 
I should credit my awesome title to Gabe! It was his quote.
 
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