US Health Insurance for all

[fett]

well that does a lot to explain your low Cost of Living. your premiums would probably be around 700 to a grand a mo. Health insurance is my largest expense, and I'm in good health (I think)

I know.

[~K~]

National healthcare system = cookie cutter medicine. Yes the quality of medical care will decline. I bust my rear end to pay premiums for an HMO and I don't want to see this happen. If you think for a minute it is a good deal ask people in countries who have it.

My mother in laws fmaily is in the UK and they are under a national healthcare. My wifes uncle had a mini stroke and instead of sending him to the hospital they sent him home.

He had a heart attack and they gave him a car, does that sound a bit lopsided?

There has to be better ways to health care reform instead of punishing those of us who not only pay a heavy chunk of taxes but also pay for our own medical ins and health care ...

[fett]

I already said that. There can be a better way. Why look at all the failed programs and think a new one has to have the same shortcomings? Where is it cast in stone? Why is it that all you pups think it will always be what it was? We babyboomers will rock your world. And it will be a good thing.

[cookiemonster2]

I pay $44/month in health care premiums, family premiums are $88 (province of Alberta, don't know about the rest of the country) We have trailer parks here too Fett if you are interested but you would have to contend with snow and ice 5 months of the year.

Right now the biggest issue in health care isn't whether it is private or public. It is the availability of trained staff (doctors, nurses, etc) that is already and is going to have more of an impact on the quality and availability of care regardless of what you are paying in premiums. At least with a public system the government can ration the available services to ensure very sick people get treated before the wealthy have their hang-nails attended to.

[fett]

What's not to get? Look at the graph. Regardless, the cost of healthcare has to come down. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/bbecho00/figure1.html

[St.James]

So what. The Demos rule the roost in Congress. And guess which party will be the King or Queen above it all.:ROTF: :ROTF: :ROTF:

That's not the least bit funny... Fucking scary is what that is!

[St.James]

The insurance companies would be out of business if they nationalized healthcare. It's a great frikkin idea, but the greedy bastards will lobby like crazy to kill it.

You think $80 for 3 Tylenol is bad... try 1 does of Zofran (anit-nausea drug for cancer patients undergoing chemo). $500 per pill in the ER. Yet you can get a prescription for a 30 day supply for $50.
Talk about price gouging (sp?)!!!

I always bitched about the prices at the hospitals too, but when you consider the bills they have to pay it makes a little more sense. The utility bill alone exceeds $1M a month.

[Tashtego]

I already said that. There can be a better way. Why look at all the failed programs and think a new one has to have the same shortcomings? Where is it cast in stone? Why is it that all you pups think it will always be what it was? We babyboomers will rock your world. And it will be a good thing.

You baby boomers are going to break the bank for sure. You have the numbers to just keep voting yourselves more and more entitlements. That $ has to come from somewhere. I am half expecting to have to leave this country in the next 10 to 15 years if want to avoid the gov. confiscating half or more of what I earn. Where to go? Belize? I had one character tell me Montserrat was a better choice than Baja. Sure, if you prefer Land of the Lost to The Treasure of Sierra Madre.

There isn't anything new about socialized medicine. Full blown state controlled socialized medicine has significant drawbacks that are generally acknowledged. I'd rather work and pay for my own private health care than be told what to do about my family and my own health by Ted Kennedy and his troglodyte army of patronage drones with federal iron rice bowl jobs. Like the Registry of Motor vehicles? Wait until you fall into the clutches of the Federal Health Authority.

[danastas]

I agree that National healthcare doesn't work AS WELL in those countries.

But here's something that always gets left out of the argument. Those countries invest only 1/3rd of the money we put into health care. They also pay their doctors squat.

I'm sure that if we lowered our investment just a tad, and guaranteed good pay for doctors, our health care wouldn't suffer. Look at Canada. They do a decent job.

It's just like our education system. We spend a ton of money for an inferior product. We spend more than any other nation on life's essentials, and we are not getting what we paid for.

If people are worried about quality care, I would be open to supplemental coverage. Essenitally, a VIP card for those who could afford it. Trust me, the millions who are out of coverage right now would not complain. Afetr all, a Canadian health care system is better than have no coverage at all.

Finally, a switch to national health would boost our economy bigtime. Recently, Toyota was looking to build a plant in my area (Buffalo). This area was competing against a site in Alabama, and Ontario. Alabama offered a low tax, low cost option for Toyota, but the company would have to sink a ton of money into training because of low quality of education there. And they'd have to pay health care. Buffalo offered a highly educated populace, but also it had high taxes and high energy costs. And Toyota would have to cover health care. Then Toyota looked at Ontario. Highly educated populace, with tax costs and other costs through the roof, and no bonus return on the Canadian dollar, not to mention export taxes. But they wouldn't have to pay health care. Guess what? Toyota went with Ontario. I think that speaks volumes since health care was even more important a consideration than super high taxes and an illtrained workforce.

The cost of health care is causing college tuitions to rise, property taxes to skyrocket, businesses to cut back on employes and raises. It's madness, and it has to stop. Not with a crazy Hillary Clinton plan, but with a simple plan that pays doctors for tests that are needed, not for them to pop their heads in the doorway of a hospital room, nor to order an unnecessary colonoscopy.

[St.James]

Katie Couric nails Hillary on her health care distaster... How many times does that douche really want to fail?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq25kxQrvhg

[~K~]

The cost of health care is causing college tuitions to rise, property taxes to skyrocket, businesses to cut back on employes and raises. It's madness, and it has to stop. Not with a crazy Hillary Clinton plan, but with a simple plan that pays doctors for tests that are needed, not for them to pop their heads in the doorway of a hospital room, nor to order an unnecessary colonoscopy.

No, you can thank things like NAFTA for that or the tax cuts that were put into place to stimulate the economy the our CEO's decided to pocket instead of using it the way it should have been. Our middle class is shrinking and who do you think keeps the burdon of the taxes on their back? Less middle class means tax revenues need to be increased ...

[Tashtego]

Many Canadians come to the States for care because of unacceptably long wait times for care among other reasons. Of course, it is only the wealthy since they have to pay cash on the barrel. I wonder if here we have another example of the US providing a safety valve for otherwise unworkable socialist / statist policies. Would Canadians put up their system if they were not allowed to come here for health care? I'll revise my earlier charaterization, I think a Federal system of socialized medicine would be like creating a nighmarish Dr. Frankinstein's beast combination of the IRS and the VA.

[cookiemonster2]

Many Canadians come to the States for care because of unacceptably long wait times for care among other reasons. Of course, it is only the wealthy since they have to pay cash on the barrel. I wonder if here we have another example of the US providing a safety valve for otherwise unworkable socialist / statist policies. Would Canadians put up their system if they were not allowed to come here for health care? I'll revise my earlier charaterization, I think a Federal system of socialized medicine would be like creating a nighmarish Dr. Frankinstein's beast combination of the IRS and the VA.

I think those surgeries are for things like hip and knee replacements. If you have something with an immediate need you get attended to. My mom had cancer a year ago. When they found it there was no waiting, she was in for radiation therapy. My dad had an odd but severe illness a couple years ago too. He did spend almost 12 hours in emergency but once they figured out what was going on he was hospitalized and had several specialists treating him. In the US that could bankrupt some people. I'm not saying our system is perfect but I'm glad we have it.

[QuantumRider]

Here's how the system works in Japan, at least for me.

$200/month gets deducted from my paycheck towards "working people's health insurance" which covers me and the wife (who is a housewife).

When I go to the doctor/dentist/pharmacy, I am responsible for 30% of the fees, and the rest gets billed to the Ministry of Social Welfare.

If you're unemployed, you have to pay into "National Health Insurance". I'm not sure what the monthly premium is, but I believe that "out of pocket" expenses for health care is 20% of the fees on this system.

There are some municipalities that cover all medical costs for children under a certain age here, too.

[buzzsaww]

Pretty much the same for me. I am covered under the wife's plan. She pays about $180 a month and we cover 25% of the fees.

One thing you forgot to mention is services are cheap. I had a bunch of dental work done in november/december over several visits and the whole thing cost me around $100 out of pocket. That's for all xrays, drugs, office fees etc...

The unemployed people insurance is stupidly cheap. For us it was roughly $250 each for the entire year. Pro rated because we started in June. You are required to convert of course once someone in the household becomes employed.

So far the quality of the service has been great. Have an appointment tomorrow because I may have to have surgery.

Here's how the system works in Japan, at least for me.

$200/month gets deducted from my paycheck towards "working people's health insurance" which covers me and the wife (who is a housewife).

When I go to the doctor/dentist/pharmacy, I am responsible for 30% of the fees, and the rest gets billed to the Ministry of Social Welfare.

If you're unemployed, you have to pay into "National Health Insurance". I'm not sure what the monthly premium is, but I believe that "out of pocket" expenses for health care is 20% of the fees on this system.

There are some municipalities that cover all medical costs for children under a certain age here, too.