tBlog

It seemed very appropriate that on my second day of running a debilitating fever and hacking up phlegm we watched Michael Moore’s latest work, SiCKO. It made me go running to find my Overseas Student Health Care card, and got me wondering: “Is going back to the States after I’m done with school really the smartest thing to do?”

While my first real experience with health care and my Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan was relatively painless and worry-free, there’s no doubt that this isn’t the case for everyone. It’s important to realize that the movie focuses on all the bad experiences people have with the health care system (sometimes resulting in the death of their loved ones) and that no mention is given to the thousands of Americans whose insurance plans take good care of them and their families. However, like the man featured at the very beginning of the film, I spent a couple of years hoping that I wouldn’t injure myself or fall ill due to my lack of health insurance…let me tell you, it’s a little scary. What about all the people who don’t qualify for health insurance?

Had I become ill during my time without health insurance, who would have been there to come to my aid? If I had begun to have symptoms of a lifelong disease like diabetes, there’s a good chance that I’d never be approved for health insurance due to my preexisting condition - basically, I would be left to struggle with diabetes on my own or die trying.

Why hasn’t someone seriously questioned and challenged the US health care system before? If all the other nations of the western world are highly successful with running national health care plans, what’s stopping the US? The sad fact is that no matter how many people see SiCKO and are appalled at US health care, nothing will be done to change things. How many Americans do you know who’d be willing to march on Washington so that everyone who can’t afford health insurance would be able to get the care they need?

Maybe Obama will save the day, maybe Americans will realize how much better life could be for everyone, or maybe it’s just a better idea to stay in Australia.

I caught myself hating on all the things that are different about living Australia yesterday, so made a conscious decision to find a few things that are actually better than they are at home…

• Smith’s Thai Sweet Chili flavored Potato Chips. They come cut extra thin and are exploding with semi-Asian deliciousness that meets somewhere between sweet BBQ and spicy jalapeño. It’s very effectively the solution to the conundrum of having to eat two chips at once in order to get the right flavor combination. Despite the fact that they also have flavors like Roasted Chicken, Smith’s gets a big thumbs up.
• French Dressing. Very unlike the sickly sweet orangey-red stuff found in the States, French dressing on this side of the planet is a zesty vinaigrette with garlic and fresh parsley. It’s made by Praise foods, who remind you on the label that “Fresh Food Deserves Praise.” Hell yes it does.
• Roundabouts. Much like European road networks, Canberra has set up it’s road system to incorporate as few as possible signal controlled intersections. If your timing is right, you can zoom all the way across town without stopping. It’s a little frightening the first few times in a car, but makes our square-block structure feel like a total waste of time.