As Congress is currently negotiating major health care reform legislation, I felt obligated to weigh in on this contentious political topic. Although there is wide consensus that reform is needed, the details of that reform are fiercely debated. How drastic should this change be? Should health coverage be federally mandated? What role should employers pay in providing coverage? How would public health care be funded?
Of course for all the discussion of the different ideas being considered, attention should also be paid to the ideas and proposals left out of the debate. The following are three of these proposals.
- Each American is required to spend three years studying a specific area of medicine. In this time, each person is able to cultivate a tiny amount of medical expertise, which they can offer to their friends or family. Because each person is knowledgeable in a different area, an informal barter system develops as people trade their services. For future reference, I would study dentistry.
- Health care funding is transferred to the Department of Defense, supporting programs focused on helping people slowly develop immunities to all manner of diseases. These diseases are then weaponized and stored in top-secret facilities, where they can be used to defend the Earth from the hordes of extraterrestrial invaders we inevitably face.
- The Department of Health and Human Services undertakes a $245 million media campaign convincing Americans that “if it hurts when you do it, don’t do it.” This is followed up by federal funding specifically allocated for the purchase and distribution of chicken soup to the ill and an Executive Order establishing the President’s Task Force on Making Sure You Get Some Rest.
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