Would the good people of Puna put up w/ this

[oink]

Wow!, so much for Japan's great health care. There is no doubt that our health care system has problems. I have stayed out of this thread because I don't have any strong idea of what the solution could be. I think everyone who is able to work and does work should have access to decent care. Those who can't work should also, but then it seems they already do to a large extent. It's workers without decent insurance that are screwed and those with a catastrophic injury or illness for which the insurance in inadequate. I do believe a large part of the problem is litigation costs plus the insufficient self regulation of medical practictioners. The insurance industry could also use some serious streamlining. Locally (Hawaii) I think a large part of the problem is the state. We also need to get rid of the huge burden of those who drag down the system with heavy use (abuse) of it, and don't pay into it. If you truly are not capable of working, ok. But if you can work and don't seriously try to find work, I don't care if you rot. Child rearing should, in some cases, be consider work for the purposes of the above rant. However, the idiot in California who just made all of those babies is an example (admittedly extreme) of that slippery slope.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.