Monday, May 17, 2010

To all those opposed to health care reform and affordable health care..what should we do?

what should we do with working families that do not make enough to afford good preventative health care and dental care? which as we know is even more important than emergency care...for it is good preventative care that reduces major health problems.





So the question is ....ok..you are opposed to health care reform, but what would we do with senior citizens who cant afford to pay for all the medicines that they are taking, or a family of six, whose employers do not offer health insurance and the family has to go buy health insurance at $500 per month on a salary of $40,000 per year? or any other endless examples that say clearly that health care and health insurance costs are out of control...I am speaking not of bums who are not working, but working americans who are in a crisis. Plus the bums as you call them..what should happen to them? no health care at all? just let them die off in some street corner?

To all those opposed to health care reform and affordable health care..what should we do?
drinking water is a human right.





air to breathe is a human right





privacy is a human right





peace and pursuit of happiness are human rights





Affordable good preventative health care is a human right.





WE should have a sliding scale similar to this: Any family earning less than $150,000 per year qualifies for a tax credit for any insurance premiums they have to personally pay for, all the way down to families making at least $70,000 per year. Families making less than $70,000 per year get a smaller tax break, but also get a discount of up to 50% of the cost of their insurance. So they would have to go out and get their insurance and the insurance company can bill the fed government for the part the customer did not pay. Families or households making less than $25,000 per year, get free healthcare if they can provide proof of citizenship.
Reply:It IS affordable - - - health insurance is a few hundred per month, and dental insurance is a fraction of that (yes, I noticed you threw in dental there - - is vision next? How about a pedicure while we're at it?). Of the 45 million "Americans without health insurance" 20 million are illegal immigrants. That leaves 25 million - - - which out of a population of 305 million is hardly a "crisis."





And please "families who make minimum wage" - - - - about 1.5% of the workforce makes minimum wage and 70% of them get at least a 30% raise within the first six months. It's an entry-level wage - - - immigrants, teens, housewives and elderly people working 3 hour shifts at the local grocery store just to have an excuse to get out of the house make up more than 2/3 of minimum wage earners. Throw in ex-cons and you're up to 3/4.
Reply:How about the families who make minimum wage--rent and food and water comes before health insurance. If they don't need it, they're going to spend the money on something else they need. 200 a month is not affordable for families living in those conditions.
Reply:Give me a hundred bucks and I'll tell you. That's basically what your asking everybody else to do....hand over money to complete strangers because they "can't afford it." No problem..I can't afford it either. Just send me some money directly from you checking account and then we'll talk. But until then, you're just another hypocrite in Democratic clothing expecting everybody else to give these people a handout.
Reply:Question the quality of life while taking enough chemicals to kill a horse.


Stop having sex and making kids when you can barely afford one.





Maybe have some low level government sponsored health care that is availble to low income folks, but have it in no way on par (coverage wise) with private insurance companies. If I pay more for my insurance (assuming I'm healthy and am not paying extravagant premiums already), I want better service/support.
Reply:Let's look at these working people who say they cannot afford health care. How many of them have two new cars, a nice large home, TV/DVD/VCR in every room, multiple computers, Internet access, Cell phones, Eat out more than 4 nights a week or take out more than once? Most people can afford Health Insurance, they just choose not to. So your over dramatization that they will die on a street corner is just ridiculous and wrong.
Reply:I just do not want the government in control of my health care and health insurance.
Reply:So you think that giving the Gov MORE control over it will fix the problem???? If you'd like to donate your own money to help the cause that is your freedom and right to do so, I refuse to accept a policy that demands taxes out of my pay check to pay for other people...they already take medicare and social security which I will never see...what more do you want????
Reply:I doubt anyone is opposed to affordable health care, however socializing the health care system is not an option, it would ruin the quality of health care in our country. Tax incentives are certainly an option, among various other things, increasing private competition with smaller clinics for miniscule problems, instead of paying to see a doctor.





Don't forget about tort reform. That would help.
Reply:Bogus medical malpractice suits are the primary cause of the high cost of medicine. It takes the form of astronomical malpractice insurance premiums and massive legal staff required to defend and pre-empt these suits. Let's fix it!
Reply:It's a matter of priorities for us. I'm 56 and married and we are self-insured. That's important to us so we don't have a new car, don't eat out as often as we would like, don't travel as much as we want because our insurance is $700 per month and that's a great big chunk out of our monthly living expenses.
Reply:First I am not opposed to Health Care reform. I am opposed to Health Care for All By the Government or Socialized Medicine.





Guess what everyone pays for health care. If you have an employer then health care is part of you benefits package. You are paying for it instead of receiving the money.





For reform maybe the allowable increase should be capped. Or maybe once you have a policy then it is yours to keep.





If your employer does not offer health insurance the get a new employer. You may have to make 6 grand less a year but you get your insurance.





Your description is more about greed. The employee wants as much cash as possible. None of this cash is put towards a policy so why must taxpayers spring for this?
Reply:One of the earliest Senate plans was aptly named,"COBRA"?


I actually checked to see how much it would cost to keep my coverage between jobs...$560 per month! Doesn't sound too bad in 2007 but when one is earning a whopping $150 per week take home...this leaves about $40 for the monthly rent, car note and food. That was the last time I checked on "The Snake".


So I stay away from bungee jumping, skiing, and motorcycles.


And I take care of myself...eat correctly...mostly and if I get in a serious car wreck..."no oble engles" and I have amnesia for the other words!
Reply:Working families can try to get high deductible catastrophic health plans. This will protect them from financial ruin should cancer or something else happen. Most hospitals and doctors will allow you to make monthly payments as long as they get the bulk of their money from the insurance company. These same families drive expensive cars, have designer clothes and etc so why not be responsible with that money?





Senior citizens could afford more prescriptions if pharmaceutical companies were as interested in helping people as they are in making profits. Prescription markups can be as much as 4000 percent. Also, all the TV advertisement costs are being pasted on to consumers.





Universal Health Care will simply cost more in the long run. Taxes will be ridiculous and the government being involved in my medical decisions is quite frankly....terrifying! To have to wait 3-6 months for a CAT scan is a scary thought.
Reply:Did I miss something? Is health care now a "right" guaranteed under the constitution? Is the taxpayer of this country responsible for ensuring the health of everyone in this country? Sure, adequate health care is a problem, but allowing the government control over who gets what when is just begging for even more problems.
Reply:I am not opposed to healthcare reform! I am a single mom with no healthcare, because I work for a republican, %26amp; they keep electing those who will keep it for themselves! I just don't think we need to cover all the illegals! (my son is covered thru his father, so at least it would only be me! I don't smoke, %26amp; can't have any more kids %26amp; ame generally healthy!)
Reply:I love it. You don't want 'affordable' health care or health care reform. You want FREE health care. You want other people to pay for their health care AND yours. Quit polishing it up with bleeding heart stories. You're standing there with your hand out wanting folks like me to not only pay my taxes and pay for my families insurance (Currently it's over $1,400 a month), but to pay for yours as well so that you can have FREE health care. And I bet you'd call me greedy. I work and provide EVERYTHING for my family. I ask nothing of you or of anyone. I pay my way in all things and always have....ALWAYS...because I made the right decisions in my life and didn't have a family until I could afford one. Children are NOT a right, they're a responsibility! You, on the other hand, want me to provide for you and your family. You know what Moonbeam? I have enough dependents. I am not terribly amenable to picking up a few million more. Amazing.





So, to answer your question, you need to recognize that we are not immortal. That the cost of medical care today is the result of extraordinary and complex medicines and equipment that cost vast sums of money to manufacture and use. What you want is an 'affordable Rolls Royce'. People are no different today than they were a hundred years ago. We have the same diseases. Basic care and basic dentistry is not that expensive. Pay for it yourself and deal with it. But stay the heck out of my pocket you greedy, irresponsible, leech!
Reply:How will they pay for it? France has a 20% income tax and the UK's is 15%. If we use your number of $40,000 then you would be paying $667 in taxes a month for it. That is $167 dollars more than the $500 they pay with insurance.





Everyone wants something for nothing and everyone has good intentions on how to spend other peoples money. In the end though there is never something for nothing. If the government takes it over they will have to pay for it. If they pay what the insurance companies pay, it will cost more the Defense Departments budget each year.
Reply:I'm not at all apposed to heath care reform and affordable health care at all. I truly believe there must be a way to go about providing health care for everyone without breaking the bank! I'd like to see a system in place that is NOT operated by our federal government, a government that is not trustworthy when it comes to running things, in particular situations of this magnitude.
Reply:First off, to reduce the cost of health care in this country, remove liberal judges who make outrageous awards to "victims". Insurance companies are overburdened with these extreme punitive damage awards and thus have to charge more for their insurance.





As for those families who do not make enough to afford health care, find better jobs or take more jobs. Don't blame education or lack of training. If a person wants to better themselves, there is ample opportunity to do so. Heck the government can pay for most of it anyway. Further, if you can't afford the kids, don't have them until you can.





Finally, preventive healthcare? Give me a break!!!! You can't do that yourself? You can't brush your teeth daily? You can't push away from the table? You can't bring a healthy lunch instead of going to McDonald's? You can't walk around the block once or twice? Give me a Break!





As for each of your examples, there are clear, well thought out actions that would eliminate those "problems". First a family of 6, offer vasectomies and such to prevent kids being born to people who can't and/or won't be able to afford them. The elderly, what the heck is medicare, medicaid, and social security? The bums you speak of want to be so. Where are their families?





Don't present your sob stories because there are answers for each and every one of them.
Reply:Who's OPPOSED to affordable health care?





Some people have to make sacrifices for health care, but it is affordable. Going without a vacation in the alps or a flat screen TV for medication is not a health care crisis. If I got sick tomorrow I would sell my car, move someplace cheaper and streamline my life. Nobody wants to sacrifice, they want to maintain their life style on the government's dime. And, they want somebody else to pay more taxes to do it.





Should we all be held responsible for an unwed mother who has had six kids with four men? That's a curable ill.





Should we all be held responsible for the sexually promiscuous who, surprise surprise, get aids? Aids is curable, just keep it in your pajamas.





Should we all be held responsible for chain smokers?





Should we all be held responsible for people who never go for a check up, a breast exam or a colonoscopy. Most cancers are curable with early detection.





It would be more affordable if everyone was required to be covered.





The biggest obstacle to the current system is people who just walk into the emergency room, get treated and refuse the coverage counseling the hospital is required to give them. If they're not cured they get an ambulance chaser to sue a system they never paid in to.





As far as the bums go....the ones who are not insane, have made a conscious decision not to participate. Most of them are in major cities that have mobile programs funded by taxes and private organizations that bring the care to them and they still refuse it.





You can't force it on people. What would you do?





Do you really think that will change if you reform something?





Don't kid yourself.
Reply:im not opposed to health care reform... i'm opposed to universal health care... there would be just as many people die off waiting for treatment as there would be in the current system.. or wait 5 months to be seen. look, i'm one of those people you speak of... i definitely do not make 40k, and the insurance my company offers is expensive, so i do not partake.. but, i'd rather be able to pay a private practice and be taken care of if need be than to have my goverment (essentially the taxpayer) pay for a healthcare system that has proven to not be effective. there's a reason people from Canada and the like, come to the US for treatment and pay for it themselves... we need to do something about stupid malpractice lawsuits first of all... many do not realize that the insurance for malpractice is in the MILLIONS. and in turn, they pass that expense on to the patients they serve. this would drastically help. we live in an age of sue happy people, and liberal judges who find that there's always someone to blame for someone's misfortunes. the second problem, and the worst, is the pharmaceutical companies and their outrageous profits. i'm all for people making money, that's capitalism, but not at the expense of people's health.... so, universal healthcare is not the answer... that's borderline socialism. not to mention people wanna complain about government spending... and then we wanna tack another HUGE program on the fiscal calendar. something else that could help... let's try a flat tax system. get rid of SS tax and Federal Taxes. that should free up money for low-income families to afford what they need and it also will essentially and eventually make prices on products and services go down.
Reply:Sigh, why don't people like you ever listen or pay attention? Nobody is opposed to health care reform, we only oppose GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED HEALTH CARE.





Yes, there are problems with our current system, but those problems CAN NOT be solved by government, since government is the problem in most cases.





Nobody wants people to die in the street. But there is a better solution than becoming SLAVES in a government controlled system.





To be blunt, how stupid are you that the ONLY solution you can come up with is the government? There are millions of private companies and charities in the U.S. that can come up with a solution, but you're so dumb that the only thing you can think of is to create a monopoly run by professional liars (politicians). Don't you know anything about basic math or economics? MONOPOLIES ARE BAD!!!!





God help us all that people as ignorant as you are allowed to vote.
Reply:First, if you have a family of six on an annual income of 40K you must be pretty stupid. You should not have a jillion kids if you can't afford to support them. On 40K you could probably manage one kid so you would be a family of 3.


The first step in controlling health care costs is to control lawyers and their frivolous lawsuits. Next control juries who award outlandish sums of money to punish doctors who make honest mistakes. Punitive awards should be capped. Monetary awards should compensate victims for their loss and their pain and suffering. Lawyers should get no more than 10% of that. Incompetent doctors should lose their licence to practice. That's a start.
Reply:I would suggest that you have a certain income, then there are necessary expenses and health care should be one of those, and then there are the fun things, the non-necessary things. You have to live within a budget, everyone does, and that means you may not go out to dinner or movies, or go to sporting events or parties with your buds because you have to pay you necessary expenses first. To do otherwise simply means you are irresponsible and you intend on others paying them for you, which of course is WRONG.
Reply:The conservatives say screw em - let the families go broke trying to keep their loved ones alive or at least comfortable, let the seniors die, screw the homeless and incapable. I got mine - you get yours.





As I said before: Selfishness. %26lt;grin%26gt;





In other words the republican plan is: Don't get sick.


Should there be the opportunity in the US to allow illegal immigrants into our armed forces to become legal?

While I believe most illegal immigrants are working hard and doing their job in America, I'm wondering if anti-immigration folks would think it's alright to have illegals serve in the military, and after their service become legal citizens? You can't deny the need for soldiers, and the white yuppies wont be sending their college students to war, so why not send unemployed illegal immigrants? This is also a great way of keeping tabs of illegals and their families (through the military) and shows that if they are serious about coming to this country, they are willing to serve it. Not to mention, by joining the military these illegals can have the medical, dental all the stuff for their families. It seems like the best of both worlds to me - allowing the U.S.'s diversity to grow, having more people serve the country for good personal reasons, and possibly even creating a larger mass of patriotic Americans of foreign descent.

Should there be the opportunity in the US to allow illegal immigrants into our armed forces to become legal?
Actually there is a law that allows foreigners to serve in the military to gain thier citizenship..................... it happens all of the time. I know about 10 men who have done this personally. (I'm in the Navy.)





The problem is, this oportunity is out there and no one wants to take it. Most of the illegals in America have no desire to become citizens. They don't want to bear the true faith and allegiance to this country that is required to be in our military. (I also grew up in Texas and learned of this first hand as a child.)





There are ways to come to this country legally........ and get paid to do it. And anyone who has a natural desire to become part of and honestly contribute to this society needs only ask for it to become available to them.
Reply:I like the idea.
Reply:nahh..se how easy that was
Reply:That's not a bad idea. What better way to prove their dedication to our country and its f-ed up system? OK, I'll go fight your war for you to prove I'm here for more than just the social programs and welfare benefits. Yeah, why not?
Reply:many illegals do infact join the army and fight in wars because they get their documents when they return.
Reply:I say no way! What are the standards of letting people join the military if they don't even have to be citizens? What if imigrants united and formed a terrorist group within the military? I think it's a terrible idea. People that are in the military are generally very patriotic and we need it to stay that way.
Reply:I don't think I would mind too much if they joined and had to pull a 4 year duty. At least then I would know they had skills and language. And I am really against illegal immigrants I have to work around them every day. It's not fair I have to support them because they are illegal. So this would help by giving them skills.
Reply:AGAIN SAME QUESTION! WHERE IS BARNEEEEEEEEY?
Reply:no they don't want to be AMERICANS so why should we trust them to defend this country ?
Reply:Think it is a good solution.....To earn residency, if you can't buy your status, why not earn it?
Reply:Illegals can and do go to the armed forces.Legal immigrants can also go and at the end of their term they recieve citizenship.
Reply:Most anti aliens figure your average illegal couldn't find his a$$ with both hands and a flashlight...i don't think they're gonna sign off on putting an M-16 into the same hands.
Reply:NO....


ILLEGAL ALIENS Should NOT Be Given MILITARY Options For Citizenship





American Citizenship


Is NOT FOR SALE


At ANY PRICE


Not For Slingin Sod And Mowing Lawns


Not For Good Housekeeping And Dishwashing


Not For Cash Money


And Not For SERVICE's Of Any Kind





ESPECIALLY Military Service





Whats Next??


Rewarding The Coyotes


For Filling The Ranks Of The Military??


We Can Change Their Names


From " COYOTE's "


To " US MILITARY RECRUITER's "





What A Joke


Funny Thing Is


I'm Not LAUGHIN





What you describe is NOT


how illegal aliens are selected to stay in the U.S.


All illegal aliens should be deported


regardless of any value of worth or non worth


as an asset to the U.S.


They came here illegally.


They can return to their home country -


apply for U.S. citizenship -


show their worth to the U.S. in their application.








In Response To The " dumb b*tch " As You Called Her





bj Is 100 Percent Correct





I Guess That Makes YOU The " ignorant white trash "


sorry had to say it.





Heres The PROOF Of Your Ignorance


And Her Correct Assessment





http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-...





Military and civilian police investigators


familiar with three major Army bases in the United States -


- Fort Lewis, Fort Hood and Fort Bragg --


said they have been focusing recently


on soldiers with gang affiliations.


These bases ship out many of the soldiers fighting in Iraq.





Of paramount concern


is whether gang-affiliated soldiers' training


will make them deadly urban warriors


when they return to civilian life


and if some are using their access to military equipment


to supply gangs at home, said Barfield and other experts.





"They're not here for the red, white and blue.


They're here for the black and gold,"


he said, referring to the gang colors of the Latin Kings.





They Are Learning urban warfare





Barfield said gangs are encouraging their members


to join the military to learn urban warfare techniques


they can teach when they go back to their neighborhoods.





"Gang members are telling us in the interviews


that their gang is putting them in," he said.





Barfield said a big concern


is what such gang members trained in urban warfare


will do when they return home.





A law enforcement source in Chicago said police see


some evidence of soldiers working with gangs here.


Police recently stopped a vehicle


and found 10 military flak jackets inside.


A gang member in the vehicle told investigators


his brother was a Marine and sent the jackets home,


the source said.





Barfield said he knows of civilian gang members


in the Seattle area who also have been caught


with flak jackets that he suspects were stolen


from Fort Lewis.











Any Other STUPID Ideas??


Or Questions From You Today???
Reply:yes, i think that's a great way for them to show they want to be American, if they are willing to join the armed forces (say serve a minimum of four years, then i think we should be proud to have them as citizens


British bad teeth?!!!!?

Why do so many americans say that us British have bd teeth?! It is SOO not true! Please I cannot see why you say this. We get NHS dental so we don't have to pay for health care whereas you do so why should we?

British bad teeth?!!!!?
It is true, My sister-in-law is from England and she was the one that told me . The US is ahead in teeth straightening,Her other complaint(not mine) every time a baby fusses they shove a "sweet" in their mouth
Reply:I didn't say it.
Reply:There are far too few NHS dentists, and far too many bad dentists practising in the UK.
Reply:British people get free health care, and the free health care system in Brittian is a lesser quality than our paid dental program in the United States.





I do see where you are quite offended here, because this is definitely considered a steretype. I will not say that all Brittish people have bad teeth, however I have seen some with bad teeth!





Not to mention, most people in the UK smoke. Despite the fact that people in the US smoke, people in the UK smoke much more!





JL
Reply:I've never heard that before. I don't think they have bad teeth at all. That's a bit judgmental.
Reply:Altho thats like saying americans live in mcdonalds because they cant fit through the door and they are so dumb they dont even know where england it.
Reply:When I see a lot of British people on TV, they tend to have bad teeth. One I remember seeing recently is Chef Gordon Ramsey. Jamie Oliver also has bad teeth. I wish I could think of more.
Reply:am I missing something here?, Im British, and I have to pay for my dental treatment,never heard about us having bad teeth
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Reply:There are alot of ignorant people around the world. Just ignore them.
Reply:Sorry but it is true. Their teeth are way better than ours. I don't think that the NHS inspires people to take care of their teeth.





I'm British BTW.
Reply:I have dual nationality and lived in the UK for a couple of years recently. I had an NHS dentist during that time. Now that I'm back in Australia, I've had to have most of the work he did redone - very poor quality. I don't trust NHS dentists.
Reply:It's just a stereotype. Most people know that.


Think of all the untrue and nasty stereotypes we have about us!
Reply:I would say both Americans %26amp; British have bad teeth.
Reply:I think it is true. Majority of the British people I met have either yellow teeth or crooked teeth or both. Yet, they make fun of our children here in the US for looking funny with their braces on. What's up with that? I'd rather look like a nerd wearing braces as a young person to set my teeth correctly rather than having crooked teeth as grown man. Yes you do have NHS dental, why the yellow teeth? Ever considered teeth whitening? I'm not saying this to have it super white, but post-it-notes-colored teeth doesn't look good. It's natural, but looks as if they were neglected.

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This is probably naive, but can US citizens buy land in China?

How would they go about buying land and building a home there? (Or is that wholly unrealistic?) Are they permitted to own/operate cars? Can they receive routine health/dental care? Receive treatment in hospitals when necessary? Are there jobs for non-Chinese speaking Americans in China?

This is probably naive, but can US citizens buy land in China?
Nearly 47 million hectares were redistributed between 1950 and 1953, affecting 497 million people.Now the situation changed to accept land transactions from upcountry investors.


Foreigners and locals now receive much more equal treatment. All land in China is currently owned by the government by default so what you're actually buying is a leasehold. In the past there have been problems with the authorities moving people out of their property because they want the land for something else. But these problems were there before and now new legislation has been introduced to protect residents' and investors' rights since Feb. 2004.It is safer to own property in China than ever before. New legislation protects the rights of private owners and investors. China is desperately keen to maintain the phenomenal growth that it has experienced over the last few years. This growth is largely domestic but also thanks to the huge inflow of 'foreign direct investment'. The authorities know that if they do not look after investors' interests, a large part of which is respect of personal property rights, then the flow of FDI will dry up and economic growth will be damaged. They have every incentive to look after foreign investors as looking after your interests is very much in their interest.





The other risks associated with owning property in China are no different to the risks associated with owning property anywhere: loss of tenants, unruly tenants, unforeseen maintenance requirements, etc. The best way to deal with these problems before they happen is to buy the right property, appoint the right managing/letting agent and find the right tenants.


If you want some latest information on the chinese property rights for foreigners please contact:





send email to FPRI@fpri.org. Include your name, address, and affiliation. For further information, contact Alan Luxenberg at (215) 732-3774 x105
Reply:Maybe.
Reply:I just got back from Beijing PRC and the place sucked. Pollution was so bad when we landed I couldn't see the runway till we touched down, no sh*t! The water is undrinkable, the food tasted like crap and toooooo many people.





Try Japan it has all the qualities you are seeking in that part of world otherwise stay home.
Reply:nrgounder is right. It is safer for foreigners to own land in China than ever before. Which doesn't make it terribly safe. I personally will keep my investments in countries somewhat less prone to nationalization of private property.





But then you know they are socialists when you invest there. It is sort of a worldwide warning label on investments in China. That does not stop companies from investing, they just require a greater return for the risk.
Reply:why in the hell would you wanna do that? there is no value, or natual resources there, why do you think america is what we are? OUR RESOURCES, so buy what everyone else wants, a piece of America.


What is the hole in our health care system that needs fixing?

I hear there are millions of working americans and their families that have no health insurance..due to employers not offering it.....which sounds like a very bad situation. But I also often hear that everyone in this country has access to free health care if they need it. I also know that in politics people will exaggerate things to make their case so they can have their way. Which is it, are millions of americans not getting health care? Are millions of elderly gettting healthcare but its not really adequate, and their prescriptions unaffordable? Is health care too expensive? Maybe we dont have a problem at all as others say.. Which is it? If your positions is that everyone has access to good free preventative health and dental care, then please be kind enough to explain how it works...does it vary from state to state? Are some states not providing adequate free health care for those who need it? So many questions....but I think you get the idea, please give good information

What is the hole in our health care system that needs fixing?
A record 47 million Americans did not have health insurance last year, while the percentage of children without insurance rose for a second consecutive year, according to US Census Bureau data released yesterday, leading Democrats to charge that the Bush administration has ignored a growing, more vulnerable population.





The census data found that, compared with 2005, the number of uninsured Americans rose 5 percent last year to 47 million, due in large part to cutbacks in employer-sponsored health coverage. It also found that 11.7 percent of US children under 18 lacked health insurance, compared with 10.9 percent in 2005.





In a CNN poll this spring, 64 percent of respondents said the government should “provide a national insurance program for all Americans, even if this would require higher taxes,” and 73 percent approve of higher taxes to insure children under 18. Those results track New York Times and Gallup polls last year, in which about two-thirds of respondents said it is the federal government’s responsibility to guarantee health coverage to all Americans.





Such polls allow Kucinich to joke that, far from being in the loony left, “I’m in the center. Everyone else is to the right of me.” More seriously, in a recent visit to the Globe, he accused the other Democratic candidates of faking it on healthcare reform.





“One of the greatest hoaxes of this campaign — everyone’s for universal healthcare,” Kucinich said. “It’s like a mantra. But when you get into the details, you find out that all the other candidates are talking about maintaining the existing for-profit system.”





Kucinich quoted the 2003 study published by the New England Journal of Medicine that found that 31 percent of healthcare expenditures pay not for actual care but for administrative costs. That compares with only 16.7 percent in Canada. Administrative and clerical employees make up 27 percent of the healthcare workforce in the United States, compared with 19 percent in Canada.





“With 46 million Americans without any health insurance at all and another 50 million underinsured,” Kucinich said, “isn’t it really time to look at the other models that exist that are workable for all the other industrialized nations in the world? When you think about it, the only thing that’s stopping us is the hold that the private insurers have on our political system . . . corporate profits, stock options, executive salaries, advertising, marketing, the cost of paperwork. . .”





The hold of the healthcare industry on the top candidates is already apparent. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the top recipient of campaign contributions so far from the pharmaceutical and health products industry is Republican Mitt Romney ($228,260). But the next two are Democrats Barack Obama ($161,124) and Hillary Clinton ($146,000).
Reply:The medical industrial complex is run by lawyers, who make 300 bucks every time they blink. If we got rid of the lawyers, medical costs would go down by 90%.
Reply:I can give you an example of my situation. I have 2 jobs.





I can get health insurance for $300 a month. I would have a $5,000 deductible a year before coverage sets in.





I would then be responsible for $100 emergency room visits, $50 if admitted.





No maternity benefits, not that I need that.





I would then be responsible for 30% of everything after that. I woud have to get pre-approval for almost everything.





There are 47 million people uninsured. You can get life threatening emergency care, but that's it unless you can get Medicaid (welfare). I make too much to qualify for it.





When I did have medical insurance under my mom's policy (COBRA) it was $324 a month. After several back surgeries, 2 the insurance refused to cover, I had to file bankruptcy. This was 16 years ago.





This is normal in California, the main reason for filing that here is now over 40%.





Yes, there is a crisis in this country, it is not exaggerated.
Reply:i have what is considered a very good insurance policy. i have bluecross of cali. i have paid for it since 1989 at $400 a month. i went to the hospital in 2005 for an emergency appendectomy. my appendix burst and was poisoning my blood. the hospital wouldnt take me if i hadnt had insurance. im still paying the hospital bills and my credit is kaput because of the bills that the insurance company was supposed to pay. i still pay for insurance cuz it will get you help and then you pay thru the nose later. and its not free if you work for a living they soak you for every penny u have its a hole in the health care system


and in case youre thinking i used it too much prior to the appendectomy, i didnt. i think i used it 2 times for very minor things like a couple stitches or a minor infection. im quite healthy and not a risk to the insurance co.
Reply:The glaring hole in the Health Care system is the privatization of our personal health to self-serving profit centers such as Insurance, HMO's, and Pharmaceutical companies.





This has lead to profits taking center stage and our health becomes secondary. Minor broken bones, stiches, and a few pain pills are one thing, but let something serious happen and scores upon scores of people's lives are ruined ... people either become very ill or they die because they cannot access the proper healthcare ... or people become financially ruined from the medical bills.





In an propaganda assault to preserve their gravy train, the Insurance, HMOs and Pharma paints the concept of socialized healthcare as some type of voodoo practice ... when in essence it works well in other countries.





"Sicko" is not a bad movie to watch ... No matter what your political affiliation, you can easily weed out the obvious political jabs, and you are left with a very revealing look at where the holes are in our healthcare system.


What is the hole in our health care system that needs fixing?

I hear there are millions of working americans and their families that have no health insurance..due to employers not offering it.....which sounds like a very bad situation. But I also often hear that everyone in this country has access to free health care if they need it. I also know that in politics people will exaggerate things to make their case so they can have their way. Which is it, are millions of americans not getting health care? Are millions of elderly gettting healthcare but its not really adequate, and their prescriptions unaffordable? Is health care too expensive? Maybe we dont have a problem at all as others say.. Which is it? If your positions is that everyone has access to good free preventative health and dental care, then please be kind enough to explain how it works...does it vary from state to state? Are some states not providing adequate free health care for those who need it? So many questions....but I think you get the idea, please give good information

What is the hole in our health care system that needs fixing?
WOW, get ready for a can of worms.





No, everyone does not have access to free health care if they need it. There are Emergency Rooms for health emergencies if you don't have health insurance. They have to treat you for life threatening emergencies by law. If you go to the ER with strep throat because you don't have any insurance, they might hem and haw but they'll still treat you. If you have a chronic condition, they'll do the least possible for you to get you out of the ER. Hospitals have clinics based on a sliding scale for those who don't have insurance, you often have to wait a long time for appointments. The doctors in the clinic are often overworked, or newly trained. Again, people with chronic conditions do not get the best treatment possible, and frequently, even if they work hard or worked hard all their lives, are treated like dirt because they dont' have insurance. Quality care is not available for those who do not have insurance. Preventive care is non existant, the working poor often to not have enough money to spare for preventive care.





The elderly have medicare which gets cut further year after year, leaving many people to have to choose between buying medication or groceries. If the elderly don't eat well, they are prone to strokes or heart attacks. Often they have to live with other relatives to make ends meet.





I feel that the problem is the insurance and pharmaceutical companies lobbyists. They have far too much power. People say they don't want the gov't in our health care, well, it already is because of the power we have allowed them to have. We also have third party insurance which is through our employers...why do we need that? Why can't we get affordable health insurance on our own, like car insurance? Employer insurance came about during WW2 to attract workers to the unions. It's an outdated way of handling insurance, we need to look at that as well.





A really good book on this subject is "Uninsured in American-Life and Death in the Land of Opportunity" by Susan Starr Stared that really covers this problem in depth and shows that it's not a problem of the poor but crosses many cultures and classes. Great question, a star for you!





EDIT- thank YOU, Bert T for the compliment, I always enjoy your answers and you did it again this time. Let's hope we get somewhere with the new administration.
Reply:There is no hole in the system since there are hardly any uninsured in America. When lobbyists count the number of uninsured they are including the estimated 32 million undocumented foreigners in the U.S.. ( 32 million is the most accurate estimate.) There are hundreds of billions of dollars to be made off of the government by providing free health care to everyone.





Also, don't look to other countries for answers. Canada sends their patients to America when they need diagnostic PET scans (http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/geno... ), 64 slice CT scans (http://www.winchesterimaging.com/images/... , http://www.medgadget.com/archives/img/RS... , http://www.radiologyregional.com/imagesf... , http://bgh.kaleidahealth.org/images/64Sl... ), etc.. Those same scanners are available at HMO hospitals all across the U.S.. For some reason, they are not widely available in Canada.





Canadian cancer survivor: "There’s no question that going to the United States saved my life"


Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada - CCAC


http://www.ccac-accc.ca/news.php?id=53


"In Canada the average wait for procedures such as neurosurgery is more than four months; for cancer radiation treatment, over two months. The average wait for treatment after consulting a specialist for coronary bypass clocks in at up to 52 weeks, with four to 12 weeks for angioplasty. That’s the reality in our backlogged public health system, according to a recent survey by The Fraser Institute, a think tank based in Vancouver. In the United States, you can often be on an operating table within a week or two of referral to a surgeon."





Canadian government:


"Four years ago when Suzanne Aucoin was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, she had to travel every week to the United States to buy life-saving cancer drugs " Medical Tourism Boosted by Long Wait Times - Embassy - Newspaper


http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?...
Reply:Greed.





Some states like Illinois offers some help for the uninsured. I live in Ohio. We basically have nothing for someone in my position. I am a 26 y/o male, I have a full time job, but my company is small and does not offer health insurance and I cannot afford my own policy.





At one time, I had a personal health insurance policy through SummaCare, a local hospital/health insurance provider. It cost me about $96 dollars per month. That's a little more than what I would cost an employer on a group plan. To make a long story short, individual plans suck. The insurance company knows that I am not backed by any government regulations because I'm not on a group plan, so they gave a crap about me. They would constantly deny my doctors visits knowing I couldn't do anything except pay the bill...





..which brings me to my next point. My doctor was nothing more than a disguised con-artist. He knew every way to bilk money from my insurance company. He knew what tests they probably would and wouldn't cover, and took every test he knew he would get paid on. Well, he didn't know I wasn't on a group plan. Every test I was given was denied, and an hour at the doctors office turned into a $659 bill in my mailbox. I had to fight and fight with them to pay it. It took 7 months, and they paid $580 and I still had to pay the rest. I canceled the policy thereafter.





When I stepped back to look at everything, I saw a money hungry machine whose primary focus wasn't to help people..it was to make money.. a lot of it.
Reply:A star fro me.











You can get free care but it is a long drawn out process.


And sometimes the care is minimal and many times even though Drs Take the Hipocratic oath - they do not do their best for the "Freebies people"





Every state has programs offering free care but you must file endless forms and that for most indigents is the problem.





On the most part they are the least educated and illiterate of our society and the least able to do such tasks





Medicare sucks and needs to be reformed and so does the SS system -- most poeple get under $1200.00 per month to live on - that is nearly impossible.....





But what do I know I am just a Bird





My nest mate and I are on SS and she just had a hip replaced, it costs us $990.00 for the two day stay in the hospital and the home care --- that is not bad. She gets her meds for $2.15 each from AARP. We live off of $1700.00 per month ( we got screwed by my companys pension plan ) we were living off my excellent salary of over $4500.00 per month - that is a culture shock )
Reply:Government doesn't have the balls to clean up the insurance industry.





edit:


Or the pharmaceutical industry.
Reply:Get more unions an make the compines pay 90% an you pay 10 an better pay these people have been makeing money hand over fist since reagan an the dumb *** bushes wake up get the unions rolling an you will see a more productive us an stop shipping the jobs to mexico an over seas
Reply:Doctors over-charging patients for treatment. Doctors not willing to accept whatever the health insurance is willing to cover. Those who have health insurance still have to pay for medical services simply because some doctors who treat a patient say in the emergency room are tier 2 of some insurance companies.





All doctors should accept whatever the health insurance covers for treatment as well as no one should be denied treatment.
Reply:There are MANY answers to that…





Mistakes on behalf of providers submitting and insurances processing claims costs A LOT of money,





Frivolous lawsuits instigated by people like Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards drives medical costs up.





People who never pay for ER visits drive up the cost for those of us who do. These are typically inner city poor (being poor is THEIR fault %26amp; no-one else’s), illegal aliens etc.





Bassackwards socialist governmental programs that pay very little to providers so, they have to recoup by charging those who can afford health insurance even more which causes the insurance company to charge more for premiums and the cycle continues.





Basically… except for the first answer liberalism is to blame.
Reply:Everybody's a "working family......"





Out of supposedly 47 million "Americans" 20 million are illegal immigrants, many of the rest are the children of same. As with minimum wage earners there are students, ex-cons and the like, and then on the other end it's possible that the Bill Gateses and Oprah Winfreys of the world, and the next strata under them, self-insure. And keep in mind ALL of these people get free emergency care.





You can whittle it down to probably about 15-18 million actual "Americans without health insurance" if you exclude these groups, and that's 5% of the population.....





There is no "decline in American healthcare availability" just like there is no "increase in American poverty" - - we just keep importing poor people who legally cannot get health insurance.





Pink "do the least possible" - - - right, they'll solve the present problem - - what do you expect, get your fever back to normal, get the infection under control and THEN a lapdance?
Reply:The decline in health care availability can be traced to the Medicare program. The more involved that the Federal and State governments have gotten in health care, the bigger the problem has gotten.





Since the 1960's, the constant tinkering with health care and health insurance by the government has increased the cost drastically for everyone.





If you understand that Medicare only pays about 50% of what doctors and hospitals charge, you begin to see that not only has that forced the health care providers to DOUBLE their prices in order to get paid what they need, but it has doubled the cost for those who are covered by insurance too. In addition, when Medicare pays half and big groups pay 75% of what the hospital charges, that has to be made up elsewhere. That has driven the cost for health insurance through the roof.





The number one problem is that at the same time you have a large number of people without coverage, you have the government forcing increased benefits down the throat of employers. That raises the cost even more and causes more employers to cut back or eliminate health insurance.





We are getting the cart ahead of the horse in thinking that getting everyone covered will solved the problem. The truth is that unless we get the cost of health care under control, we will not have any chance of increasing the number who are insured.





There are plenty of bad guys behind this problem. It starts with out of control government who lets big medicine and big insurance do what they want and pass the problem on employers. We are very near a complete collapse of our current system as many employers are close to the max of what they can pay to cover employees. Of course that has not happened in industries (or schools or governement) where those costs are just passed on in the form of higher taxes. The cost of health care is what is preventing our schools from having enough to operate....the lions' share of tax dollars to to teacher health care and retirement programs.
Reply:Alright, I work in a hospital in the US so I hope I can answer your question.





The problem isn't a lack of access, there are plenty of doctors and other providers, the problem is cost. So although by law anyone can go to an emergency room and get treatment for their problems, the ER will charge you an outrageous amount for the care provided. A recent visit for strep throat was over 500 USD and no tests were run and no meds given, this was just to look and do a 30 second exam.





The hospitals know that the majority of patients will not pay this, the ones who pay out of pocket are a rarity. The people with insurance will only pay a small portion of the charge and their insurance company will dictate to the hospital how much they will pay.





I know you don't wan't to hear this but yes lawyers are largely to blame for this. insurance rates have skyrocketed over the last 15 years resulting in not only much higher direct medical costs but more unneccesary tests (all very costly) ordered by physicians in order to cover their own liabilities.





Also, it is important to remember that health insurance is simply a way of sharing the cost of medical treaatment among many people, the majority of whom do not use as much as they pay for. Insurance companies are in the business of making money! If they have to pay for frivolous tests, proceedures and lawsuits, they will simply raise the rates of all their subscribers to make up the difference. Have no fear, the insurance companies will not loss out in this situation. I have seen patients cost their insurance companies upwards of a million dollars (the average 25 week preemie baby who has a better than 50/50 chance at survival for instance). How many of these can we, as a society, support?





In a slighty long winded nutshell, that is the problem with health care in the US today.
Reply:1. When a business is "FOR PROFIT", PROFIT is what they are interested in, not cures, not affordable healthcare, not the welfare of their customers. As long as the Healthcare Industry is profit-motivated, having a sick customer base is in their best interest. Therefore, our Healthcare System can NOT be in the business of curing illness or repairing broken organs and limbs. This is why the LAST disease cured in the world was Polio, over 40 years ago. There's no profit in cures.


2. Any employer with more than 12 (or 20 in some states) employees MUST offer some form of Healthcare plan to its employees. The CATCH is, it can be a plan which would cost the employee so much to participate (one such plan I personally saw would cost 115% of the employees' post-tax salary, to cover himself, his wife and 1 child, all nonsmokers and in fine health), no one WILL participate, and the employer still gets to say he has one available. This is why the kids this next 2 or 3 generations coming will have no option than to either go into buisness for themselves, or work for some huge corporation, with so many employees they can offer reasonable co-payments and higher benefits with lower premiums. Or, Nationalize the damn industry and make US anti Monopoly Laws MEAN something again. And of course hospitals and clinics and such are running monopolies. They are the hospital you HAVE to go to; go ahead and switch doctors and you gamble on whether your insurance carrier will honor payments for treatment from them. If they don't it's not THEIR problem, it's YOURS and the hospital or whatever will contact YOU, not the insurance co. for payment.





3. Many other countries have realized many of these trends BEFORE they became facts of life in their countries and this is why their nationalized, NON-PROFIT Health systems cost their GNP about 4 to 7%, (depending on country), while Healthcare costs in the US take up almost 14%, and both Health Insurance Companies and Drug Companies are posting huge profits each quarter, while millions of American citizens have no hope at all of ever finding an employer who can offer a reasonably priced healthcare plan, AS LONG AS THE US HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY IS FOR PROFIT. And just because a family can't afford employer-subsidized health insurance doesn't mean they can just walk into a hospital and demand treatment. First, the hospital ER WILL secure a promise of payment from you, whether you have insurance or not. And there are NO discounts for paying cash anymore either. They don't care, they're GOING to get their money. If you have a mailing address they will assault you DAILY with demands of payment, your credit will suffer for non-payment, etc. If you have a family and a residence, they will NOT consider you indigent and unable to pay.


Universal health care. Common sense or communisim? Check with the Aussies.?

Australia spends about 10% of GDP (60 billion USD) on health, private %26amp; public, with Medicare %26amp; Private Health Insurance Rebate Scheme. A two tiered payment system ensures a combination of ‘user pays’ with ‘tax payers pay’.


USA spends 15% of GDP on health with no universal health.


The Australian health pie is divided up:


public hospitals = $20.4b (25%) (17.34 Billion USD)


medical services = $13.0b (11.05b USD)


pharmaceuticals = $10.9b (9.2b USD)


private hospitals = $6.1b (5.1b USD)


residential aged care %26amp; dental = $5.0b (4.25b USD)


admin/research = $3.6 b AUD (6%) (3b USD)





America is 15 X Australia's pop. (21 mill) and has similar demographics, lifestyle, age etc. Americans fork out 5% more on GDP to keep healthcare companies rich and ordinary Americans sick. Australian ‘outpatients’ see doctors privately and choose who they see. ‘Inpatients’ in public hospitals may see an appointed doctor but it is free. Reciprocal health agreements with other countries are also a benefit.

Universal health care. Common sense or communisim? Check with the Aussies.?
As you can tell, the medical industry in the USA does a good job convincing Americans that all other healthcare systems in the world suck.


The fact of the matter is, Australia has the best healthcare system in the world followed by Germany then Canada. The US medical industry points to countries like Australia and say patients are lined up to get MRIs.


Big deal. People have been cure of illnesses long before expensive hi-tech testing like MRIs.


Just taking the profit and unusually high admin cost out of the US health insurance industry would drop insurance cost by over 40%. That's insurance cost, not medical cost. There is no reason in the world why the health insurance business in the USA must be a for profit industry. The medical industry can operate just dandy as a for profit industry with a non profit insurance industry.


Making the health insurance industry not-for-profit would have no effect on health care availabilty. As a matter of fact, a single payer system would cut down hospital's and Doctor's adminstrative cost, which would lower healthcare cost even further.


The insurance industry keeps throwing out the term socialized medicine. That term does not apply to a single payer healthcare system. It is not socialized medicine when the aim is insurance coverage only. Single payer systems do not put doctors on a federal payroll. Single payer systems do not make hospitals federal institutes. Single payer systems only provide affordable insurance in the event of illness.
Reply:"Single payer systems do not make hospitals federal institutes." If it's administered by the federal government, yes, they do. Report It

Reply:Actually, you didn't choose the answer with the most thumbs up. You chose the answer that fits your agenda. Report It

Reply:I don't get why this is such a huge issue for us in the USA, it just makes us look really realy greedy and shortsighted.





Is it a way I wonder to keep us Americans in jobs we hate, working ten to twelve hours a day while being paid for eight and constantly in fear of being fired just because we can't afford private pay health insurance and one hospital stay would put us in bankruptcy now that the bankruptcy laws for private people have been changed in favor of the creditors including medical?





EDIT - I'm past being scared, just trying to make the point - apparently very poorly - that the status quo is slanted against workers and if you lose your insurance, with our system you're screwed. System needs fixing and like I said I just don't get why it is such a problem here in the US; if you bring up universal health care you get called a pinko commie leftist whatever who "hates American way of life" and "is trying to destroy the free market" and so on. And someone says its okay because we have such great heathcare here -- but what good is the greatest procedures if you cannot pay for them? What if you can't even pay for the simplest life preserving things like your blood pressure medicine while you are in the "donut hole" of Medicare drug coverage? We need to look at the whole of our population not just me myself and I.
Reply:When was the last time you heard of people flying from all corners of the globe to Australia for medical care, like they do to the United States? Are the patients in Australia: on waiting lists to be treated?, being exported to other countries for treatment because of a shortage of doctors? Are the Doctors in Australia leaving the country for more lucrative practice elsewhere?


All one has to do to see the fallacy of government run health care is to look at the mess Canada is in. Don't listen to the leftist media reports who glorify anything and everything socialist, but look at the hard cold numbers. Look and see how many Canadians have died because of the waiting period for treatment. Why has the Canadian Government now come up with a health care option that allows you to receive better treatment if you PAY FOR IT YOURSELF, rather than wait months for the government to pay for it. Canada has sent thousands of it's citizens to the United States for treatment. I live in NY and can tell you this first hand.


TAXES!!!!!!!! Ask any Canadian how much they pay in taxes for their vaunted health care program, and then ask them if it is worth it.


The bottom line people is this, while our health care system is expensive, you ultimately get what you pay for. If you feel you life isn't worth it, then by all means please move to Australia or Canada.
Reply:That's great that you are happy with your country's health care. We (Americans) are discussing what we might do with our health care currently. What I don't understand is why Australians would really care enough to ask about it or much less get so angry like the one that answered. That's just weird. Is this a 'my father could beat your father up' thing?
Reply:Australia used the private sector to reform its public healthcare system. Almost 50% of Australians have private health insurance. Though the wait times are a little greater for surgery in Australia as compared with the United States, it's still much better than most other countries with universal healthcare. The big danger, of course, is that pure universal health coverage means that the government will have more control over its people. That's a major roadblock for people living in a free society.

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