March 23, 2010

But might the US have become sicker now?

Sir the more divided a nation is, the sicker. I as a Venezuelan should know. That is why I cannot join you in such unchecked felicitation for the US having passed their health bill, “Obama secures his place in history” March 23.

Since the only thing that a nation can truly unite around is something which can easily be understood, a more than 900 pages long bill unfortunately evidences that those involved did not care sufficiently about the health of the nation. That, for us foreigners who are convinced that so much of our descendants’ wellbeing is much dependent on the health of the US, does not make this truly a day to celebrate… and this even if we agree with the reform.

But there are some glimmers for hope though. Having lived in the US for more than seven years now, the only aspect related to health sector reform on which I felt there was almost total consensus about was tort-reform. That according to the bill is now to be studied by individual states, receiving quite modest grants of up to $500.000, with the idea of providing Congress a report on the issue in December 2016 and so, hopefully, then some source of unity could be provided for, but, why the wait?