Obama Care

[evolution]

I say no. Why? We have the best healthcare system in the world. There's a reason everybody in the world wants to come here. Sure it's expensive, but that's about the only problem. Like anything, you delete the private sector, you delete what this country was founded on, individual entrepaneurism. Wasn't this country founded to GET AWAY FROM THE GOVERNMENT??? WHY THE HECK IS EVERYBODY WANTING GOVERNMENT TO RUN EVERYTHING?

Socialized healthcare = worst idea ever.

85% of the population of the US has health insurance (people under 65). Only the really poor do not. Well, generally speaking. So why are we wanting to get all this healthcare for free when the majority of the population has it? Oh, that's right, people want something for free if they can get it, even if it means it's WAAAAAAYYYYY worse than what they currently have if they don't have to pay for it.

I hate insurance agencies. Here's why-we will not meet our deductible this year and have not for the last 3 years. So, we're going to end up giving the insurance money about $5200 this year while still having to pay over $1500 to the doctors. So we're giving the insurance agency money for nothing. We barely made our deductible 4 years ago so that insurance would kick in. So in the last 4 years, we've given the insurance companies over $20,000 for nothing.

Doctors offices offer huge discounts if you don't have insurance. We would've paid for less not having insurance than having insurance. This goes for the past four years, and really, for the few years before that also. Of the friends I have that don't have insurance, not one owes any medical bills. However, just about everyone I know that has insurance owes quite a bit in medical bills.

At this point, we've decided to just go with hospitalization and keep our prescription insurance along with our flex card.

 

[Typhon]

Like anything, you delete the private sector, you delete what this country was founded on, individual entrepaneurism.

Socialized healthcare = worst idea ever.

I think you might be over dramatizing a little. For a start, IMO bombing Perl Harbour was a worse idea, so was invading Russia in winter, just two examples there for you.
At worst, socialized healthcare will result in a drop in service standards for some, at best it will save the lives of the less fortunate Americans. Either way you look at it, saying it will delete what your country was founded on is a little OTT

 

[Charlie Golf]

The worst thing is that the politicians who vote on this have no clue. But they will vote on it. Tell us it is a good thing for us. We will go on our clueless, merry way. They will stay in office. And the cycle will continue.

I like tjl alternate poll questions.

I vote #2.

 

[oicdn]

It's not that they have no clue, it's the fact they won't read the bill, just like this whole bail-out thing, nobody read it and so much garbage was stuffed into it and voted on to get it through.

As far as having insurance and not meeting deductible, seems like you need a better insurance plan, at the very least, a better agency. My insurance has a $20 co-pay for non specialists and a $50 co-pay for specialists. Unlimited visits per year for preventive and/or check-ups. i.e. I goto the chiro every month, as well as see a dermatologist, and my GF sees her lady parts doc every month. $1500 deductible for anything else. Crap part is, I have a 1 million dollar cap on emergency care, such as a car accident, or something of the like.

I don't understand how people can have CRAP insurance policies. There's so many options out there where companies are fighting to have you as their customers you can pretty much set your own terms.

It's not really too over the top. This country was founded to get away from the horrible government ruling everything and having their noses in everything. The point of our founders were to have THE PEOPLE run this country and the government for security and welfare of it's people. Not for it to own the automotive industry, or the healthcare industry, or set regulations on everything from privately run business' to how you should take of your child. Anybody who does not see that we're getting closer and closer to being what we originally set to get away from is blind.

V for Vendetta said it perfectly: "People should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of the people."

I'm no political savvy person, as I absolutely HATE politics and the left or right parties. It's all non-sense fanboy-ism to the extreme on "we're better than you" and pointing fingers. Who really cares? As long as I'm not infringing on anybody else's rights and I'm just left alone, I'm happy. As everybody else should be. Not wanting a handout, and not thinking they deserve or are entitled to anything other than what they worked for.

 

[tjl]

At worst, socialized healthcare will result in a drop in service standards for some, at best it will save the lives of the less fortunate Americans. Either way you look at it, saying it will delete what your country was founded on is a little OTT

One of the big problems is the American attitude that "more treatment is always better" when it comes to medical care. However, that is not true in many cases; unnecessary treatment can merely be a waste of money, or it can even have harmful side effects (e.g. unnecessary surgery, unnecessary drug treatment, unnecessary x-rays (radiation)). Indeed, cutting out some of the unnecessary treatments is likely to improve overall levels of health while saving money.

The result is that the US government spends as much per person as other rich country governments spend on medical care. But the US government spending only directly covers about a quarter of the US population (Medicare, Medicaid, military servicemembers, veterans), while the other rich country governments cover all of their populations to an overall similar or better level of health with similar per person spending. The private sector (mainly employers) in the US has to come up with a similar amount to cover the rest of those covered (although with considerable tax incentives from the US government).

Of course, you can find some of the best treatment in the world in the US, if you are willing to pay for it (of course, your insurance company might not want to pay for you to get it). But that does not mean that the overall system of medical care and medical insurance in the US is the best in the world.

 

[tjl]

I don't understand how people can have CRAP insurance policies. There's so many options out there where companies are fighting to have you as their customers you can pretty much set your own terms.

Most people have one to three options offered by their employer. If they happen to be poor options, then that is what they are stuck with, unless they simply forego a major employee benefit to buy their own.

But the individual market does not have that many companies competing, due to mergers and acquisitions. And people whose health is not completely perfect may find that most or all companies do not want them as a customer. Asthma and diabetes are two common conditions which will cause rejection of individual policies. The percentage of people who have disqualifying pre-existing conditions is variously estimated to be between 1 in 5 and 1 in 3.

And some insurance companies, when faced with a large claim, will redo medical underwriting, trying to find any possible undisclosed previous condition, no matter how minor or irrelevant to the current claim, in order to claim that the customer lied to get the insurance and rescind the policy to avoid paying the claim. Do you remember every single medical diagnosis or treatment that you ever had since birth? If not, you could find your insurance company rescinding your policy when you need it most.

 

[Typhon]

This country was founded to get away from the horrible government ruling everything and having their noses in everything. The point of our founders were to have THE PEOPLE run this country and the government for security and welfare of it's people.

1) Healthcare comes under looking after the welfare of the people so it is your governments responsibility.
2) Why do you think that private financial organisations are the same thing as 'the people'? THE PEOPLE as you put it, do not run your health insurance markets, more often than not the insurance you hold will be underwritten by foreign financial giants like Lloyds of London or Swiss RE.

Insurance companies really don't give a damn whether you live or die, remember that when you consider who you want watching your back.

The last 2 posts from tjl are both very true as well

 

[oicdn]

1) Healthcare comes under looking after the welfare of the people so it is your governments responsibility.
2) Why do you think that private financial organisations are the same thing as 'the people'? THE PEOPLE as you put it, do not run your health insurance markets, more often than not the insurance you hold will be underwritten by foreign financial giants like Lloyds of London or Swiss RE.

Insurance companies really don't give a damn whether you live or die, remember that when you consider who you want watching your back.

The last 2 posts from tjl are both very true as well

No, there is nothing in the constitution about healthcare. People seem to stray so far away from what this country was BUILT upon. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Nowhere does it say anything about "paying for your healthcare and wellbeing."

If that were the case, we should be forced to other nonsense things mandated by the government, as it's under the "best interests and welfare" of the people.

The government should keep their noses out of anything and everything. Name me ONE THING the government has stuck it's nose into and has IMPROVED. There isn't one.

Nobody is entitled to anything. If you want it, WORK FOR IT, don't expect a hand-out and sure as hell don't expect the government to provide it for you. That's part of the problem, people aren't having to work for their money, the government gives it to them (and they believe they are rightly entitled to it!). If there is to be a welfare sort of system, drug-test for it. I have to take a drug test to earn my money, make those people take drug tests to get theirs, and see how much it whittles down.

I was listening to talk radio today and Sean Hannity was talking to JUNIOR IN COLLEGE who was saying "the government should pay for college, healthcare, blah blah blah." When he asked her who the VICE PRESIDENT was, she didn't know, but she know "obama" was president. Talk about people wanting something for nothing just because they hear a TIDBIT of something possibly being "free".

As for what companies offer for health insurance, most people should know they are able to contact the "broker" who offers their policies and see what else is available. It's the reason I have insurance that fits my needs rather than what was just presented to me at the time of hiring. I proactively asked if I could speak to our agent and see what other policies are available, and guess what, there were SEVERAL other options that were shown to me. Amazing what happens when you ask questions rather than just "accept" what is shown to you. And it turned out, my policy is CHEAPER per paycheck and better suited to my needs than most others.

I "abuse" the hell out of my insurance. Dermatologist visits, chiro visits. I'm paying for it, may as well use it. Problem with most people is, they just have it to have it, and when a problem arises, lookey there, "you had this issue all along and are just now bringing it to our attention? Dropped". Establish a history, and it's called watching over your own back and making sure things like that don't happen, well, as much to your control as you can. Insurance is only as useless as you make it.

Blah...i hate politics for this very reason.

 

[sexanoe]

Im all for public health care option for everyone
just like education, health care should be a fundamental right for citizens

but on the other side I also think way too many Americans live very unhealthy lives and its unfair for me to have to pay for their bad decisions
plus what the bill they have now seems very rushed

 

[Jason Salamone]

Im all for public health care option for everyone
just like education, health care should be a fundamental right for citizens

but on the other side I also think way too many Americans live very unhealthy lives and its unfair for me to have to pay for their bad decisions
plus what the bill they have now seems very rushed

Unfortunately, there are always going to be a certain amount of our population (probably around 10%) that we're going to have to take care of. Out of all the people in this country, it's always going to include people who just don't have the genetics, mentality, and/or physical well-being to get a good education, hold down a good job, and/or be able to take good care of themselves.

What we need is a balance between capitalism and socialism, because both can be either right or wrong depending on the circumstance or the situation involved. So having public health care AS AN OPTION can't be such a bad thing in my opinion.

Jason Salamone

 

[tjl]

Name me ONE THING the government has stuck it's nose into and has IMPROVED. There isn't one.

(Assuming you mean the US government...)

Japan and Germany, 1941-1950s.