Watching Rachael Maddow talk about suffering the symptoms of oil fume inhalation, and listening to her expert guest saying that doctors would need to refer people to hospitals gave me a sudden thought - are health insurance companies already planning to try and exclude people for "pre-existing conditions" until that becomes illegal?
It's only when there's a major health disaster looming that the real benefit of socialized medicine becomes clear. And who wants to repeal it? The Republicans.
So figure this: If HCR had not past, how quickly do you think health insurers would create a new class of exemption for oil spill categories? Firstly and most obviously there are the respiratory illnesses that fisherman and other cleanup personnel are experiencing. Health insurers would probably look to exclude people on the grounds that they A) didn't have to be involved and did so on a voluntary basis and B) didn't make sure they protected themselves sufficiently. They wouldn't care if BPs lies about how the fumes aren't toxic were believed. Pre-existing condition. No insurance.
But then we have the difficulties to come. Oil, detergents and chemical dispersants may well be entering the food chain; we don't know the long term effects that might result, but it doesn't take much intuition to make the leap that if you introduce toxic chemicals to the food chain, the result will be toxic food. We just don't know how to recognize the symptoms yet because nothing like this has happened to this extent before. All we know is that if toxins enter the food chain - and they are doing - the result is going to be illnesses and symptoms of some sort. If a pattern forms, it could be classified a pre-existing condition - and result in no insurance.
Why am I bothering to share these thoughts? For two reasons. First of all, it proves that we need to continue with HCR, not just decided we've done enough and forget about it. What we are seeing in the gulf right now is the first stage to a horrendous outbreak of health problems. It's quite clear that if we hadn't passed any kind of HCR it would turn out to be a disaster - potentially a fatal disaster - to anyone caught between the fumes and the insurers.
And the second reason is - when the Republicans get back into power, they may still try and undo what good we've managed to do. They may try to dismantle HCR, and give their health insurer donors the power to once again exclude people suffering from one corporate catastrophe to boost their own profits.
Even when BP finally cap the well, even when the oil is cleaned up - we still have a two pronged fight ahead of us for the American people. To make sure we keep an eye on the health industry to stop insurers callously abandoning those who donated their time and efforts to clean up this mess, and to make sure that the voting population understands what a disaster the Republicans could make of this should they get into power again.