question

If you see this and are not someone I "know", how did you find me? Not at all asked out of anger but just curiosity since I don't think I know a few people who've commented in the past....

health care

I confess...I don't know nearly enough about the healthcare debate to make an informed post. But I'm rambling anyway.

I get a bit quiet when the debate comes up because I know I'm a bit uninformed. And because my mind just isn't financially focused and there are financial realities that are really important to the debate. I don't have any answer....I don't know which plan is best...but I do know some of my own values.

• I believe health care is generally a right.
• I believe there is a better way to deliver health care than having people rely on ERs.
• I believe we need a stronger focus on preventative care. This will require some sort of incentives. I see why companies wouldn't focus on it b/c there is no guarantee that they will see the benefit...the 30 year old you invest in may not be a member when he's 70 and the results "pay off". I think that may mean there needs to be some sort of mandate...not that I can really formulate what I mean by that.
• I believe we need a better way to address pre-existing conditions. The tricky area seems to me to be that we can't allow people to game the system (i.e. get a cheap plan and then switch to a better one the day after a diagnosis).

And then I have a few other beliefs that I'm more nervous to share...

• I think we spend too much on end-of-life care. I certainly want to make people comfortable but I think eventually there is a value analysis that needs to be done and I think that it makes more sense to spend the money on someone who may recover than on extending a terminal case for a month or two. I think I may get struck by lightning now. In all fairness, I do apply this to myself too...it is part of the reason I signed a living will before surgery....
• I don't know that I really place a ton of value on the right to keep your favorite doctor. I don't mind charging people more to pick a certain MD...assuming, of course, other qualified folks exist. You should have the right to a specialist where appropriate and to a second opinion, but I would sacrifice choice for savings.
• I don't know how to work it, but I think that there should be price benefits for people who make healthy choices. Don't punish people for what they can't control (cancer in the family, etc). But healthy choices deserve a reward. That said, I think it needs to be done fairly. A program that gave a benefit for losing 20lbs would anger me since I'd be less healthy if I lost weight and would be punished for starting in a healthy range.

I'm sure there's more...but I'll stop. Now, someone important read this and make all the money stuff work :)

etc.

I confess...I've probably said some of this before....

• I feel bad complaining about it but am frustrated in my search for a dress to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding. Aside from the most expensive ones, there are almost none in my size in most stores I try. I am small but I am not THAT small. Plenty of women are my size and need clothes too.
• A file drawer, big and full, fell on my knee this morning. I am hoping the pain goes away. I'd hate THAT to be the cause of an injury requiring a gym break.
• One mentally slow man that I sometimes see on the train tries to talk to people. I do get that he can scare people and he can be impossible to understand. But it broke my heart the other day when a woman moved away from him and he said "That's okay. I understand."
• I am looking forward to my chicken shwarma (sp?) plate tonight. I have switched from the kabob plate, though they really end up quite similar....the shwarma has more crispy outside pieces :)
• Happy almost birthday, boy.
• A friend commented on FB that people talk about angry, man-hating feminists btu we don't hear about them going on shooting rampages. Just made me think.
• I am reading a book about an OCD criminal. Not sure that I like it, but I think Monk should have an episode with the character. I like Monk.
• Random issue that keeps popping in my head....I would like to add sexual orientation to the list of groups protected from employment discrimination. But should there be an exception for some religious group-related positions? I believe the state should sanction gay marriage (and judicial officers should not be able to refuse to perform them) but that churches shouldn't be forced to perform them if they disagree. Does that carry to discrimination in something like hiring a teacher at a Catholic school?
• I am worried that Obama will be a one-termer. I think the reality is that it is really tough to evaluate someone in realtime when financial issues are the most pressing.
• The train has sucked lately, in part b/c it has been more crowded on the way home. It had been much better this year...I suppose as a result of layoffs etc. I would expect it to be even lighter right now since I think it is peak vacation time. But my rides home have been sardine-like.
• Work has been stressful already. Now it is just plain crazy since one colleague has left and it has added a lot to my plate. I don't see much upside (in either $$ or development) to the additional work.
• It is Friday.