Is there a doctor in the house?

So, we're in the middle of another fight in America. Class and party lines have been drawn. All over who gets to see a doctor.

There's been much yelling and much misinformation thrown out from both sides. And it's getting old and tiresome. And it all smacks of sour grapes.

For six years the Bush administration pushed through just about every piece of legislation it wanted. Rip apart our freedoms? Sure. Go to war in Iraq to finish what Daddy started, when we probably should be in Afghanistan? Piece of cake. Open up laws that let Wall Street and major corporations run wild? Great!

So, now that the other side wants to make changes, why are they crying that the Democrats aren't listening?

Anyone who questioned the previous administration was labeled un-American. Un-patriotic. A Communist. And now as the White House asks for a quiet, civilized debate on health care, the other side is complaining that they're being stifled.

Really? Stifled? When everyone is letting you scream at the top of your lungs? After calling anyone who dared complain about the Bush administration a traitor? You really want to go there?

I don't think anyone's going to be able to stifle any of your arguments. All that was being asked was to know all the facts and to discuss your concerns in a civilized manner. Not to go out and spread misinformation about "death panels."

Is that really so much to ask?

MORE HEALTH CARE: One of the things that set me off on this rant was an image that flashed for all of a second during an opening montage on "Nightline" the other day.

Someone was holding a sign outside a town hall meeting that said "Health Care is NOT a right."

Um, OK? So, some person shows up at the hospital injured without insurance and the doctors can't treat them? A uninsured young woman with a baby on the way can't get pre-natal care which might help her or her child avoid costly treatments later (as long as she has it, that is)? And someone who isn't a doctor decides she can make that decision?

Sounds like someone's appointed themselves a one-person death panel.

EVEN MORE HEALTH CARE: I really don't know if what's been proposed is the right fit (I've only read what the White House spin masters have put out on the Web), but one thing is sure, we need some sort of reform

There are problems with the system. And I have what would be considered pretty good insurance.

But the argument I hear that drives me crazy is that they don't want to pay for any type of government insurance.

Again, um ... you already do. What do you think the tax money taken from your check goes to? And do you really think that plan will take more taxes away from people who are already struggling to pay their bills? No, I have a feeling it'll be those that are making the decision to lay off people to protect their bottom lines that will be hit the hardest.

Besides, it's not like most of us already don't pay for our own insurance (pre-tax, of course). I'm pretty sure I've never had an employer-sponsored health plan that was completely free to me in my adult life. I've always had to have money withdrawn each paycheck as part of the deal.

And the amount has steadily gone up year after year after year after ... To the point that I now have $214 per paycheck taken out to cover myself and my family for medical, dental and vision.

I can pretty much guarantee that it'll go up again this fall when we have open enrollment. And there's the chance that they may institute a rule that spouses who have insurance offered by their employers must use that, or pay an extra fee to continue on the current plan. Gina's former employer did that to us -- after my open enrollment ended. Luckily we were able to switch and not pay the fee.

More and more businesses are turning to their employees to help foot the health care bill. My mom has been at her job with ROP some 25 years now, and will have to pay for her insurance this fall for the first time (only $25 per month for an HMO that the family doctor won't accept or in the hundreds for a PPO).

EVEN MORE: The biggest problem with most of our health care decisions come down not to our health, but to our happiness and convenience.

Who really needs to have a four-hour erection thanks to a little blue pill? How many people knew that they "had to go" more than normal before they saw a commercial? And how many of our problems might just go away if we ate less and exercised more?

That's the key thing right there. Proper fitness, including diet. And I'm the perfect example.

A few years back, it was decided I had sleep apnea. This after the five-minute visit in the doctor's office and a sleep study where they hook you up with all kinds of wires and gadgets then tell you "Go to sleep, and try not to move too much, otherwise you'll knock the wires off." You're lucky you sleep at all.

Anyway, they made the determination and handed me the CPAP machine to help keep me breathing while I sleep. I remember showing up at the location to get the machine dreading having to get this thing. The person who was getting his at the same time ... well, not so much.

We sat down at this table, and the tech started pulling out our supplies. And for some reason, I got a humidifier with mine (my old HMO insurance paid for a lot of stuff). The other guy wasn't having that. He wanted to know where HIS extra pieces were, and WHY he wasn't getting them. I was kicking and screaming and he was diving in with both feet.

So, for some five years or so, I've had this machine. The insurance company paid for a new mask twice a year (until I moved to my current PPO, which counts it against my deductible ... grrr) and that was it.

Has it fixed the problem? Well, I don't snore or lose sleep any more. But if the mask is broken or was taken away from me, I would still toss and turn and snore my way through a restless night or two before it was replaced.

To fix it completely would include buy in from me. I need to lose weight. Stop eating junk food and exercise more and all that.

But wouldn't it be nice if we were able to take our insurance and use it in ways that would make us healthier. A stipend to pay for a gym. Easier access to nutritionists. A focus on preventative care that wasn't just a five minute physical and a pat on the back.

But that won't make insurance companies money. And that's why many of us would like some sort of reform. Turn the bottom lines from obscene profits that go to pay for executives to more coverage for more people.

WRAPPING IT UP: I know the idea of universal health care is still a pipe dream in this country. It's an almost unreachable ideal.

But why can't we? What's stopping us? I keep hearing we're the greatest country in the world with the greatest economy in the world (a local representative said as much recently). But we haven't figure out a way to take care for every citizen yet? There are still women who can't get pre-natal care? There are still senior citizens who cut their medication in half to make it last? Or the people who have jobs who can't even afford basic dental care?

I think we should be able to figure it out somehow. Shouldn't we all find a way to help our fellow human beings? Because no matter how much money or fame you have, it's not going with you.