So I was searching the NBC Nightly News website for inspiration for a blog post, and I ran across the segment about Grand Junction that aired last Wednesday. It was all about health care and how we make it work here in Happy Valley. One of the doctors from St. Mary's said that we can't just "pick up what works here and stamp it somewhere else." I had been thinking about this for some time, and I was happy such a knowledgeable man shared my thinking. Although I support the idea of health care reform, I'm not a fan of a national blanket approach. Here in Grand Junction, we've found a method that works for us. So why can't we stick with it? What if, instead of a national health care policy, lawmakers delegate the power to the states? Because I do think that quality health care should be available for everyone, I like the idea of it being available on a national basis. But I don't like the uniformity involved. What if instead lawmakers issued a mandate, like they did for the drinking age? If the states want money, they need to supply affordable health care for everyone. The states can choose to provide the public option or not. They can require a certain amount of coverage required, or not. That way, health care can be readily available for everyone, but places like Grand Junction can keep the system that works for them? Come on, Washington. Let's compromise on this.
See for yourself. Here's the link to the NBC Nightly News Video:
Grand Junction, CO
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Yay, Kate! I agree! It's hard to have a blanket approach to ANYTHING, and we shouldn't try to force everyone to fit.
ReplyDeleteOn an interesting but related tangent... I think that education would be better handled if left up to the states as well. Even within one school, we can see how each group of kids needs a different standard, and different learning cues.
That's an interesting idea. I think there should still be a national standard to live up to, but that standard should be raised, and we should leave it up to the states to decide how to reach that standard. If there was no standard, I'm afraid education may not be on the top of some states' list of priorities...
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