Episode 040: Health Carelessness

Have you ever experienced “health carelessness”? It’s every human being’s right to have that which is necessary to sustain life–this includes access to health care. That’s why we’re dedicating this episode to the physical examination of our health care system, including the recent Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare (and the history of the law). The uninsured don’t want insurance–they want access to health care services without discrimination. Insurance and health care service access without discrimination ARE NOT one in the same!

Heit & Cheri also help you to tap into your inner physicist, with a discussion on the Higgs Boson discovery. Heit ushers in this 4th of July singing Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” on this episode of The Axiom Amnesia Theory with Heit & Cheri, as they quickly get down to the business of discussing these important topics. How’s that for an IN-Dependence Day message?

Call us at 202-446-1886 and let us know what you think about the show. Also, please consider donating your Facebook or Twitter account for an occasional post to help us get the word out! => http://bit.ly/LhEeiC

Segment 1

• So many Americans don’t know their history and what the 4th of July was really about. People think about firecrackers and waving flags on this holiday, but there’s much more to the story than that. Do some research. Start here!
• It is important to understand the origins of holidays and celebrations, even if the modern observance has little to do with the origins.
• There are basic fundamentals of life that everyone should have–food, water, shelter, clothing, AND access to health care.
• There are some serious issues with health care in America, which is why people are seeking help from the government in the form of legislation. Some of these issues include masses of uninsured people, high insurance prices and prescription drug costs, some people couldn’t get insurance due to preexisting conditions, preexisting conditions not covered for some who have insurance, and the disparity between coverage of different types of insurances (HMO vs PPO).
• A discussion of different types of health insurance, including high deductible, HMOS, and PPOs.
• A brief history of health care reform history, followed by a mention of Hilary Clinton’s attempt to reform health care in the 1990s. People have tried for years to get some type of reform going, but no success until now. Recall that Hilary Clinton was heavily involved in Bill Clinton’s first term in heading up a task force to reform health care, and that flopped. She was pushing universal health care back then.
• Heit & Cheri believe that Americans should have universal health care. People should be able to have their health needs met, and it should be health care for all regardless of social class or other stipulations.
• Many people think that “Obamacare” is the same as universal health care, but it’s not.
• An explanation of the key features of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). You can also read the entire law and check out how politicians voted on the bill as well.
• Mention of the details about the preexisting conditions coverage in Obamacare. States have the option to provide people with this coverage, or the Department of Health and Human Services will provide the insurance. This is for people who are uninsured for at least 6 months due to preexisting conditions.
• People who are below the poverty level will receive coverage at no cost, but what about the rest of the people who cannot afford to pay for health insurance premiums?
• Politicians and proponents of Obamacare tell us that it will lower the cost of health care.
• The government will check to see whether you have health insurance on your tax return form. If you indicate that you don’t have insurance, you will be charged a penalty. It will easily cost a few thousand dollars by 2014, when the plan is fully rolled out. Chief Justice Roberts said the following in his opinion:
  

  Beginning in 2014, those who do not comply with the mandate must make a “[s]hared responsibility payment” to the Federal Government. §5000A(b)(1). That payment, which the Act describes as a “penalty,” is calculated as a percentage of household income, subject to a floor based on a specified dollar amount and a ceiling based on the average annual premium the individual would have to pay for qualifying private health insurance.

• The law was signed in March 2010, and a lot of attorneys general sued the government, questioning the constitutionality of the law.
• Discussion of the SCOTUS opinion in the case. The states were saying that you cannot force people to buy health insurance, but the SCOTUS viewed it as a tax in order to tax people into purchasing health insurance.
• It is not right to force people to buy anything. What are the implications? Can the government force people to buy whatever they want if they can tie it to the commerce clause. They have the “right,” by law, to regulate the things that affect commerce. Somewhere down the line, could they say that you must “buy American” now that the SCOTUS has backed this move?
• The other part of the concern is the affordability. In this economy people may not be able to afford anything extra in their budget. They are not avoiding preventative care because they want to–they cannot afford that expense on an ongoing basis.
• How different will any of these insurance plans be, when they are all in it to make a profit? Health care should not be a for-profit business.
• This will be a boost to the health insurance industry, because everyone will be forced to buy their product, or else.
• When Obama was asked if this was a middle class tax increase, he said it wasn’t, but look at how the SCOTUS viewed it–as a tax!

Segment 2

• Discussion about the controversy of Chief Justice Roberts being the deciding vote in upholding Obamacare.
• Discussion about the fact that Obamacare upholds long held Republican ideals–capitalism at work! This should let you know what is important to Obama.
• Discussion about the case Justice Roberts mentioned in his opinion. There was a wheat farmer who was told that he could not grow wheat for his own consumption, because it would affect the price of wheat, and that’s something that the government can regulate.
• In terms of prices of goods, people become used to even things that are high in price–like gas. For instance, $3 is a good price for gas right now, but it wasn’t a good price when the average cost per gallon was $2. Incremental-ism…
• There will be a whole new breed of businesses that crop up to help advise and ensure compliance with Obamacare. This is part of the goal of passing the law–more ways for corporations to make money.
• Discussion about the move toward a dental care bill next.
• Insurance is a scam in most cases. You keep paying into it, but barely see the money you’ve paid in insurance premiums when there is a claim. Sure, there are people who have had catastrophic events, but that’s the exception, not the rule. This bill will not change the way that insurance companies do business. There will be a profit motive–that’s not changing!
• In countries that have universal health care, people are all on the same level. It’s not about how much money they make, class or economics.
• They need to place caps on how much health care facilities can charge for products and services.
• Obamacare is a bill on life. You have to pay for being in existence in this country. Obamacare allows people to profit from you simply because you are living and breathing. With car insurance, if you don’t have a car, you don’t pay. However, EVERYONE is subject to this health care bill just for being alive in the country.
• Use of Sarbanes-Oxley accounting laws as an example of what is to come with businesses that start up just to serve the enforcement and application of the health care laws.
• These types of bills are passed, with people saying that they will stop a particular thing, or promise to do this or that. However, the legislation does not stop the activity. Murder is against the law, yet people still kill one another.
• The news is selling Obamacare as if everyone will have coverage and all is well.
• However, Obama said all of the right things, like preventing health care bill bankruptcy and removing preexisitng clauses in health insurance policies.
• We encourage you to read the bill and the opinion for yourself.
• Discussion about the fact that the failure to carry health insurance is a tax, but it is noncriminal. However, if you don’t pay them, they will come after you for the money. There are plenty of examples where people have administrative fines and taxes, and wind up in jail. It happens all the time with “deadbeat” parents and child support.
• The entity that makes the profit in health care keeps that profit for themselves. There is no “trickle down” when it comes to profits. The person who goes to the ER because they don’t have health insurance is not profiting.
• Health care should not come down to dollars and cents. This is totally against the idea of humanity. To think of everything in terms of dollar signs, you have to be pretty demented. Human life is something that you cannot put a price on.
• Has anyone changed their mind about Obamacare after learning the truth? Will people who are die-hard supporters look at this law objectively, and in terms of their freedom and liberty to choose what products they will and won’t purchase.
• There is very little respect for human life, and it shows with how the law is being handled.
• Discuission about the revolutionary video that Axiom Amnesia released. The message is simple: Individuals don’t lead revolutions; you are the revolutionary! Check it out below and let us know what you think:

Segment 3

• Discussion about Axiom Amnesia’s most recent video, and a viewer who objected to the use of what he termed “hip hop” on the background track during the video.
• Axiom Amnesia does not follow a consistent political ideology. We assess things on a case-by-case basis.
• People need to open their minds…
• Discussion on the recent discovery of the Higgs Boson–the “god particle,” which is thought to be the building block of all matter. “Watch a Livestream of the Higgs Boson Announcement Tonight” – via Wired Science
• The question is how will this discovery change our world. “There is no space in between,” and the discovery of the Higgs Boson is a way to understand how it all–all matter and the world around us, fits together.
• Maybe we can teleport, or possibly do things we never imagined.
• Heit talks about wanting to buy and learn to play an instrument called a theremin. It produces music without physically touching the instrument.
• From health care to god particle, and back again, everything is connected.
• The amount of money it takes to make these discoveries is ridiculous. This is the same kind of investment it takes to produce advances in health care. If people were free to make and design as they pleased, with no financial constraints, we wouldn’t be arguing over health care.
• When you observe a thing it affects that thing. We are interwoven with our environment–inseparable. Be sure to check out “What the Bleep Do We Know,” in the documentaries section on the site.
• Things look different from different perspectives. We cannot limit ourselves to thinking about it in just those ways though–from the physical. Physical contact is not required for these “interactions.”
• Heit gives an example of how to move things with your mind. There is an explanation for all of the phenomena we observe. We are not operating with 100 percent knowledge of our environment and the world around us. There is an answer, but technology just hasn’t caught up yet.
• Discussion about Brian Green’s Ted Talk about the multiverse.
• It’s a sign of a great scientist–that you can take their ideas and apply them to different circumstances.
• There is no space between, whether you’re talking about socially or in physical. We are all connected, although we often fail to recognize our impact (good or bad) on others in our environment. For instance, there are people who go out and kill off humanity, but it affects them positively because they get cheap gas. People don’t realize it, in part, because they never get to see what that person who was killed would have been–perhaps a great scientist, or artist… The sky’s the limit. But, that’s a discussion for next week…

Audio Credits:

“J60-year road to ‘Obamacare’ [CNN 6-28-2012]” – via YouTube
“Understanding the Affordable Care Act” – via YouTube
“AP Reporter: Audience Sighed After SCOTUS Ruling” – via YouTube
“I’ma Tell Em” – Strag (Revolutionary Hip Hop)” – via YouTube
“Leaked Video Appears to Accidentally Announce Higgs Boson Discovery” – via Wired Science

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