"If You Save One Life, You Save the World"

[PopSixSquish]

Like many of you in the past couple of days, I have run a gauntlet of emotions regarding health care. Words cannot describe my disappointment with Joe Lieberman and Harry Reid. I am equally frustrated by the White House and the President but I keep coming back to this one basic principle that I have been taught since I was old enough to understand.

A few weeks ago, I watched Keith Olbermann report on the first Free Clinic held in New Orleans. During the broadcast, he reported that several patients were taken to the hospital directly from the clinic as they were determined to have life-threatening illnesses requiring immediate attention. I have not heard a follow-up on what happened to these patients but I am going to assume that each lived.

These people did not have insurance but if they did, perhaps their illnesses would have been earlier detected during routine medical exams.

If the health care bill or health insurance bill or whatever you choose to call it allows for even one more citizen to receive the care that will save their life, then it will have been worth it. One small candle will have been lit rather than us curse the darkness forever.

Call me crazy, irrational, naive, or even worse if you want. But it comes down to this simple fact, I cannot in good conscience support those who call for the defeat of this bill even though I respect their opinions greatly. I cannot watch even one more person die in this country due to lack of insurance.

If you save one life, you save the world...

[That Is Quite Enough]

1. Gladly rec'd.

I like your thinking.

[Cha]

2. Thank you.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. But Will This Bill Result In A Net Saving Of Lives?

It's not at all clear to me - some things will improve, but some will get worse. And if the Republicans take Congress again, it will do nothing other than siphon cash to the Predator Class from everyone else.

[Scarsdale Vibe]

9. Approximately 150k over 10 years.

Based on Ezra Klein's analysis of health care outcomes among the uninsured and CBO projections as to how many more people will have insurance. The insurance is shit argument doesn't fly either, as the bill contains guidelines for essential care.

If the current Senate bill had been passed in 1994 there would probably be something like 150-200k more people alive and health today.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/12/the_150000_life_health-care_pl.html

The support from the left for killing the Senate bill is literally sociopathic.

[Milo_Bloom]

15. Incorrect analysis. NO lives saved.

Have you looked at those "guidelines"?

Have you analyzed the cost controls?

You do understand that NO ONE dies from lack of insurance in this country, right? Hospitals legally can't turn away a dying patient b/c of lack of insurance. They can't let someone die on their doorstep.

People die from lack of health CARE. Insurance doesnt equal care. In fact, the affordable insurance plans still have high deductibles and out of pocket costs to the consumer. In short, people who are uninsured don't start running to the doctor when they get insurance, because they still can't afford to go.

Where is the evidence that a plan meeting these "guidelines" would save lives? There isn't one because it won't happen.

Unfortunately, there is another angle that is often overlooked. Those without insurance are most often people who can't afford it. Often these people have very unhealthy habits (many times because being unhealthy is much cheaper than being healthy). Cheap food tends to cause lots of health problems (obesity and obesity related problems such as diabetes, heart conditions, etc.)

Without an actual HEALTH CARE part of this bill, it is just a mandated gift to the insurance companies and will force people into crappy, expensive plans, in many cases, subsidized by the government and the same number of people will die b/c they still can't afford the out of pocket costs of seeing a doctor.

[Clio the Leo]

4. Yes but apparently the Democratic Messiah...

.... has turned out to be a liar. And we were all a victim to the greatest scam job in our nation's history. (Michelle is probably a robot.)

However, I question the validity of that theory. ;)

[Parker CA]

5. I have to agree. Many recent facts are incredibly disheartening, but there are real lives that will

be saved from this, as bad as parts of it are.

I also have a tough time ignoring the fact that a start to progress is necessary, even if that starting point is far from the ideal location.

[quakerboy]

6. If you snuff one life, what then?

There will be those who will pay for insurance(or the fine), then not have enough left over to pay a deductable, and won't use it. There will be those dumped out with the yearly cap. What for them that die because they lost what little they did have before this bill?

[hollowdweller]

7. Good Point Lets save a lot of lives and not send those 30,000 troops to Afghanistan

[PopSixSquish]

10. I Don't Agree With the Afghanistan Decision Either

[angee_is_mad]

8. Kick n Rec

and thank you.

[GeorgeGist]

11. Your title is just plain lame.

[rasputin1952]

12. I don't think so...

it goes back a couple of thousand years and is one of the tenets of the Jewish faith. It regained force during and after the Holocaust. To be sure, it idealistic and essentially, at least in today's world, hard to fathom what it means, but it comes down to, the individual who is saved may become a great individual that can do much good, (of course, it can work the other way as well). Somewhat deeper than that though, is that is a basic duty for people to help those who need help, defend the defenseless, take care of others...if you save one person, the feeling you get will motivate you to save others, even at the peril of your own life or property. It takes courage to move against the forces that destroy lives...save one, and you do indeed save the world, even if it is just a small corner of it, all those corners can be linked together and become a worldwide phenomenon.

[JVS]

13. That's exactly the kind of stupid sentiment that gets no votes or respect from the American public

[Milo_Bloom]

14. This bill will NOT save lives.

Period.

You are making the same mistake that so many else make in this debate, equating health INSURANCE with health CARE.

People don't go to doctors for routine checkups b/c they can't afford it. That doesn't change with this bill, as many of the more affordable plans will still have higher dectutibles and out of pocket costs.

It will not help people with pre-existing conditions, as there are no cost controls and other reasons they can reject you.

Without cost controls, all these provisions are smoke and mirrors.. pretending to give something while allowing the corporation to still get around ACTUALLY giving it.