Since these ramblings are actually time-sensitive, I'll resist the urge to let simmer. I think I've watched most of tonight's debate by now, albeit in clips and bits from CNN's website, and had a couple of thoughts to get off my chest:

1. I've thought Obama was the better option throughout this entire primary season. I've donated to his campaign. And now I reluctantly conclude that Hillary Clinton really shone in tonight's debate. She showed real passion and hands-on knowledge (proper nouns, dates, figures) with all of the different policy points that were debated. Obama seemed to speak only in generalitied and themes. I think he cares about people at the community and philosophical levels; Clinton seems to care at the personal, practical, and policy levels. Who to vote for? Call me undecided!

2. Both candidates are ignoring the primary piece of the US healthcare condundrum. Whether or not they can pay the bill afterwards, people first need to know where to turn for medical professionals they can trust.

The scariest, darkest, most hopeless feeling doesn't come when you don't know how to handle a situation. It comes when you don't know where to turn for help, care, or expertise. I'm young and relatively healthy, with great insurance -- so healthy, in fact, that I'd never established a regular relationship with a GP doctor in this town. When I received a mild concussion from a skiing accident, I didn't have a GP to call and wound up in the emergency room. When a friend in similar circumstances developed a stomachache, he didn't have a regular doctor to phone either, and delayed seeking care until he had a badly ruptured appendix and 9 days of hospitalization.

What to do? America has many of the best medical specialists in the world, but we're abysmally bad at the next 98%. Promote routine care in the form of nurse practitioners, urgent care centers and clinics. Not only does this relieve the burden on our emergency medical system and its high expenses, it gives patients the chance to build a relationship with healthcare professionals. Clinics should be like Apple Genius Bars: you can walk in off the street or make an appointment on short notice, you meet with professionals who are knowledgeable and passionate, and they work with you to find solutions that are in your best interest, sometimes sacrificing immediate profit for the system but gaining in long-term loyalty and fluency.