As your political columnist, I have not, over the past week, been fulfilling my civic duty. Instead of watching CNN, C-Span and Al-Jazeera or listening to NPR Podcasts, I have been drinking rum in the Bahamas. I had the opportunity to brush up on current events, however, on JetBlue. There were 36 channels, but somehow I couldn’t draw myself away from Man vs. Wild and the National Geographic Channel.
I’m sure you have seen the commercials, and I bet you’re wondering, “What is a Bahama-vention?” Well, when I crashed a rented moped into a curb, I began to wonder the same thing. [Disclaimer: I was not drunk or drinking.]
Naturally, I wasn’t to blame. My first instinct was to blame New Jersey, which I do rather often. I blamed Jersey for its weird auto procedures like jughandles and full-service gas stations. Then I realized it wasn’t Jersey (sorry, Jersey) but the United Kingdom with its backwards roadways. Honestly, how am I supposed to turn a moped around a rotary at 30 mph?
Slowly is the answer. Unfortunately, video-game logic taught me to drive faster and lean into the turn. After all, it almost worked on that last rotary when I off-roaded awhile after jumping a stone curb and hopping onto the grass.
I’m not that great at video games, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when I plowed into a two-foot concrete curb. But it did. Actually, surprised doesn’t even explain it. Just ask my friend Anna, who was along for the ride (sorry, Anna).
The rest of my Spring Break in the Bahamas came with its share of pain and pleasure. Rum only numbed the pain so much and made the morning feel similar to coming out of a coma. It wasn’t until my last night in Nassau that I noticed my red swollen “cankle,” or the fusion of my calf and ankle.
What was my Bahama-vention? It involved sitting in a hospital waiting room with about fifteen Bahamians who were not waiting for family or for medical attention. Instead, they were watching the Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets on a grainy TV Screen. And why not? The public healthcare system is open 24 hours a day.
A Bahama-vention involves waiting three hours for antibiotics the next morning, but not arguing because medication costs $11.50. I don’t mean to suggest the Bahamas have superior healthcare to the United States, but the ability to contain certain costs, especially prescriptions, seems incredible.
When it comes to healthcare, the United States is lagging behind like a fat kid in gym class. Literally. Obesity is one of the top killers of Americans. But a larger issue is coverage and costs. Far too many are forced to choose between disposable income and health insurance.
In about three months, I will have to make that decision, too. Maybe it’s a good reason to go to grad school. Maybe it’s a good reason to wear a bike helmet. Or maybe it’s a good reason to work for the insurance company.
Nevertheless, healthcare costs are swelling like my leg did in the Bahamas. One source is medical malpractice lawsuits which force doctors to seek insurance from massive jury awards. Capping these awards might make a dent in heath care costs, but cannot resolve the problem alone.
I predict nearly every candidate in the 2008 presidential race will make public healthcare a campaign issue. If not for Americans, then for international business. Truth is, investing in American industry is less attractive when corporations have to front the medical bill.
In a recent commercial pushing healthcare reform, the American Association of Retired Persons shows little kids pretending to be interested in the subject. Can their bright smiles and tiny heads win over America? It worked for Welch’s fruit juice. Or is public healthcare a target for welfare backlash? Perhaps a better question is do you hate children?
Until something is done, I plan to fly back to the Bahamas when I need cheap prescriptions or dental surgery. And I’m not alone on this one. A phenomenon called “medical tourism” has been growing in recent years. Google search “surgery and safari” and you can learn all about the highly capable plastic surgeons of South Africa.
Remember when everyone migrated to America? I think it’s about time we all immigrated to Phuket or anywhere with a good exchange rate and reasonable healthcare costs. First multinationals outsource our jobs, now our medical services. Once this road rash subsides, I’m gone.
I’ve spent the last few days with my leg elevated, watching the Addiction documentary series from HBO OnDemand. It seems even the cost of rehabilitative programs forces addicts to rely on prison time to get sober.
How we are supposed to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when we can’t afford basic health insurance? What if health was a social right? Until I can stop confusing Mario Kart with the Mass Pike, and even after, I suspect public healthcare could play an important role in the U.S. economy.