I am finding more and more people with strong opinions about health reform, and but fewer willing to talk on tape. My kind chiropractor, who can’t afford to buy insurance and is among those not willing to go on the record, nevertheless talked to many of her self-employed friends who are in the same bind. She asked if THEY’d be willing to be interviewed, and they all said….. No. The reason? They are worried they’ll get in bigger trouble than they already expect to be in (i.e. getting penalized at tax time.) I pointed out to her that, unless people explain what’s not working, the policy makers will assume it IS all working. And she agreed, but added (and I can understand this) that these days, very few people are willing to sacrifice their own security for the greater good. (We actually got so caught up in this argument….that I was too tense for her to crack to my neck.)

Meanwhile, three people I have interviewed who ARE getting the state’s health insurance…..have refused to have their photo taken. Granted, this is a tangential issue, but I still think it’s interesting. One person didn’t think she looked very pretty these days. Another two people said they simply don’t like the idea of their photos being on the web (even though their voices are fair game.) I have a feeling that this comes down to how personal people consider their health…..and how exposed they feel in general, especially when, to some extent, their care is being paid for by the government for the first time in their lives.