Trinity Boxing Club

The problem with passing a health care bill of any significance rests in the two competing ideologies of the day, namely, Democrat and Republican. While both parties claim both moral and intellectual superiority over the other, let’s assume for the moment the unthinkable – they’re both right.

Although this statement clearly defies logic (how can I be morally inferior and superior at the same time), we do it all the time – how can Christians, Jews and Muslims coexist on any level when what they believe is so diametrically opposed to the other? If we want to figure out a solution to the problem, we have to first abandon conventional logic. Let’s think outside the box and step through the looking glass.

Politics, like three-legged races, requires teamwork. Running on common ground is better than skating on thin ice. The competition isn’t between Republicans and Democrats, it’s ‘US’ vs. ‘Fill In The Blank’. In this instance, the ‘Blank’ is healthcare.

The first thing we want to do is agree on a finish line. To paraphrase someone of consequence, if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know when you get there? In this case, the finish line would be health care for anyone who wants it, not who can afford it.

The next step would be how to get there. Instead of playing God, which Republicans accuse the Democrats are doing, with talk of “death panels” and euthanasia, let’s focus on acting human, which Democrats accuse the Republicans of not doing, with an adherence to the free market and aversion for free health care.

While we may not be able to please all of the people all of the time, why not give it our best shot at trying to please most of the people most of the time? As the Lord said to Isaiah, “come now, let us reason together.” Health care, like health, is not a God–given right. The reason we need health care in the first place is that people get sick, very often through no fault of their own. Do we shake an angry fist at God and demand to know why bad things happen to good people, or do we set out on a course to find the solution?

What about people who do get sick, very likely through some “fault” of their own? Do we castigate them for smoking, or drinking or some other behavior that puts their health at risk, or can we, like the victim of a congenital defect, offer a hand instead of pointing a finger?

Here’s my solution to the health care dilemma. In my old neighborhood in Brooklyn, there is an organic food market. No one is required by law to eat organic food. Part of what makes this country great is its protection of personal freedom. If I want organic food, I can buy it. I don’t need to be force-fed something, literally, because it’s good for me.

What keeps a lot of people from eating organic is the cost. If they can afford it, they’ll eat it. After all, why wouldn’t they? It’s better for you, tastes better and looks better than the stuff that gets genetically and chemically mutated. For many people, however, the bottom line is price.

The organic food market in Brooklyn has a pretty clever solution, one that more and more businesses seem to be employing. This market sells organic produce at drastically reduced prices, putting them on par with conventional supermarkets. The difference is, to shop there you must be a member, and to become a member requires that you volunteer a certain amount of hours every month working at the store. This allows the market to operate with minimal payroll, and in turn sell organic food at conventional prices.

Let’s draw an analogy to the health care situation in this country. Although God may supply the crops, they’re not God-given. If we don’t take an active role in the reaping process, we can’t take one in the eating process either.

We have to become actively involved in our own health care. I don’t need to spend my weekends on a farm if I want organic tomatoes, but I do need to contribute either my time or money to the process. The reason most people who don’t have health insurance don’t have health insurance is because they can’t afford it. If we use the model of the food co-op, I think we can find a solution that will keep most of the people happy most of the time.

Everyone has something they can contribute, whether it’s physically or intellectually. If we can bypass partisan politics and not focus on who’s right but what works, I think we’d be able make health care a reality for all Americans. On one hand, we’d be able to offer an option for the public without there being a public option. The U.S. Government would be in charge of a pretty sizeable volunteer work force, and as such would enjoy a greater amount of leverage when it came to insuring its “employees.” Instead of getting into the insurance business, they could deal directly with private insurance carriers, and, because of their size, negotiate the best deal for their “employees” by opening the market up to competitive bidding, making even the staunchest supporters of a free market economy blush.

On the other hand, even the most cynical liberal would have to agree that, in this world, you can’t, and shouldn’t, get something for nothing. Since the value of the dollar has become so unstable, I think we should start trading in a natural resource that will never lose its value – our time and energy. To become more active in the whole health care process, from eating right, exercising and making a positive contribution to society, we may be able to keep most of the people healthy most of the time.