So I am thinking about health care and the latest rounds of bills. I probably shouldn't since I can't really do anything about it. I was listening to a conservative talk show host the other day talk about it like it is the end of the world and America is doomed. I guess they are trying to drum up support, but I wonder why it is so grave? This guy was like getting super mad. I suppose it is entertaining but I still wonder why? Now that I have become a man with no party I think it is interesting how the points of view by both sides are always skewed.

Now, as a software engineer I can tell you if a bill does get passed that could be a boon to the healthcare software industry. There are probably billions of dollars of health care systems that would need to be rewritten. Or what could happen if they do things right by making things easier is that some of the healthcare companies will fail. Back in the day I contracted out to a compancy called P2PLink. They did HCFA claim forms for hospitals. I wrote a 60 fillable fields web page and a 300 field stored procedure that looked like and acted like the actual form. I wonder about how claim forms will change. The thing is, when a bill gets passed people in government systems have to act quickly. Government is highly inefficient, but their systems are the most efficient in the world. Like if there a tax change from congress all of a sudden we have to work overtime to implement it. If a new plan gets passed there will be an even bigger demand for software engineers. It will take at least a year or two to get systems into place to support a new infrastructure.

Now what do I think about a new health care system? Do I think it is the end of the world? No. People seem to think that wrongs can't get righted. The fact is, if this thing costs too much money, cannot be implemented or is just plain wrong it is very possible it could be repealed. Just because we fear change does not mean we cannot change back once things get enacted. I say, why not? It could work without taking away our liberties. Look at prohibition. It was a mistake. It was an actual constitutional amendment that got passed in 1920. It sought to limit the freedom of people drinking alcohol. An actual conservative social agenda got put into the constitution. What happened was people disobeyed it and crime was made worse. In 1933 the amendment was repealed. A wrong was righted. It's not the end of the world if congress passes something bad. Our system of government is not being changed. Let just see what happens. Who knows, it just may work.