I actually think this is a perfect time for addressing health care. So many people are without employment (and therefore insurance) there are likely to be more people it affects.

From a practical sense, I think it's a good time, from a political sense, I think it's a bad time.

from a political sense, I think it's a bad time.

I honestly don't think it will ever be a good time politically. It's possible that there could be gradations of less-bad, but honestly, it might as well happen now, because it's never going to get any easier while Obama's in office.

The one thing that concerns me about any healthcare reform that leads to coverage for everyone (which I 100% believe should be a basic right all people have) is that, right now, there are not enough doctors to start treating an influx of newly covered people.

That's something that can be dealt with, but assuming some form of coverage for everyone gets passed, it's going to be a huge traffic-jam clusterfuck for a while.

Don't forget, with all the ERs unjammed, there should be some spare doctors around. Plus a whole lot of preventative/minor care can be shifted to physician's assistants. Which reminds me that I have to do something about switching my health insurance coverage around today....

There was a scene in Kings, where the princess had gotten healthcare reform passed, and they were in a hospital, and it was insanely over-crowded, and she asked a staff member why, and they said it was because so many more people could get care, so it made a lot more work for them. And then added that it was a good thing.

PCPs, especially, are already in short supply. But I'd rather live with that issue to deal with.

The one thing this timing does is demonstrate the President's seriousness about the issue, that it was the first big thing after putting out the fire that is/was the economy.

I honestly don't think it will ever be a good time politically. It's possible that there could be gradations of less-bad, but honestly, it might as well happen now, because it's never going to get any easier while Obama's in office.

Oh, I think it will always be hard, but an expensive program in the middle of a horrific deficit situation is a hard sale for conservative dems.

PCPs, especially, are already in short supply.

I saw a documentary on Bill Moyers a few weeks back that mentioned the big shortage of primary care providers. It's mostly due to the fact that doctors get more money the more procedures that they recommend/schedule, so an orthopedic doctor who's always getting his patients in for an MRI will make money on each scan performed. However, a PCP who is just providing basic checkups 85% of the time and only occasionally getting further scans/tests for his/her patients will make significantly less.

Aw, man. Maybe I should get over my personal boycott of American Airlines for one shitty-ass traveling experience almost a decade ago. I have done well avoiding them on principle, but now they are the only airline offering cheap, convenient, non-stop flights to Dallas for my conference next month.

This morning I stepped out of my apartment to see a body in a cardboard box being loaded into a hearse.

There's a way to start the day.

American is about your only good choice in and out of DFW. I'm not overly fond, but they are Dallas based.