Is it really the solution to Americas health care problem?
Universal Health Care
- Thread starter miraclefan
- Start date
As long as no one sees it s a get rich quick scheme (like your current system) it certainly is an improvement.
I can assure you no doctor is getting ''rich'' unless there plastic or brain surgeons. (my mom's a M.D. and my family aint livin in the lap ''O'' luxury)
I'm not talking about actual physicians, I'm talking about all those leeches living off the system!
The US has a unique chance here: making 'universal health care' a true product of our modern age, and showing the rest of us how it's done right. Here in DK we have it -but it's a product of the mid-nineteenhundreds and in serious need of an update.
The US has a unique chance here: making 'universal health care' a true product of our modern age, and showing the rest of us how it's done right. Here in DK we have it -but it's a product of the mid-nineteenhundreds and in serious need of an update.
Obviously.
No. But they're closing in on the solution, which, once they figure it out will allow us to afford universal health care. So they're related, but UHC is not the solution itself.
If you want to understand health care's problem in the U.S. you MUST read this article:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all
The reporter studied why different towns in Texas spent wildly different amounts of money on patients, but had very similar quality of care. He doesn't answer all the questions, but he at least comes up with the right questions, which is something we really haven't had until now.
Most of the stuff people argue over (ER visits, illegal immigrants, malpractice costs, etc.) are red herrings...just side issues that ignore the real problems.
Read the article and you'll at least understand the challenge a bit better, even if you don't understand the solution (since no one fully knows, yet).
And lest you think this is "just some dumb article," understand that this exact article is the one that Obama took to his aides and to capitol hill and challenged them all to read. This is what he's showing people in DC and asking "so what do we do about this?"
It's important for everyone to read it, I think.
TheLonelySquire
Vice Admiral
No. It is not. I shouldn't have to pay for crackheads to have medical care or for people to have government funded sex change operations.
However, healthcare options need to be made affordable. That much is certain.
In my family's case it would be.
We're going to be short every month now due to my wife's employer sponsored insurance bumping up the costs and reducing coverage; with another hit coming this fall when we get the 2nd half of the rate increase and reduction. To put it bluntly: Health insurance is going to force us into a Chapt. 13 or Chapt. 7, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it.
and yet while you're denying those people, you're punishing innocent men, women, and children whose only "crime" is being on the bottom of the totem pole for whatever reason. And by all means lets not provide medical care for drug addicts, after all there's no chance that they'll spread a disease that could have been contained or treated, into the wider populace.
And hypothetically, if it could be shown that the best way to reduce healthcare costs was for everybody's taxes to pay into a shared system by which everyone got "free" healthcare organised by the state doing away with insurance companies, would you still reject it on the grounds that you were incidentally paying for the healthcare of people you don't think deserve it?
UHC is one solution but reform is needed US, I'm going to lose my insurance next month so I'll have no coverage just as 50 million other Americans have nothing unless I get a new job or get into a university I'll have no coverage.
The reason reform is needed is because 60% of all bankruptcies are due to medical expenses! and the vast majority of those people roughly 78% had insurance! So even if you are insured you can have gaps in your coverage that can leave you just as screwed as someone with nothing!
A source for my statistics:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/05/bankruptcy.medical.bills/index.html
This is absolutely disgusting:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/19/begala.health.care/index.html
Who would have thought providing healthcare to sick children for free wasn't very profitable?:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/08/shriners.hospitals/index.html
If you think doing nothing is the best thing you have your head in the sand, I also wouldn't blame the government either.
The reason reform is needed is because 60% of all bankruptcies are due to medical expenses! and the vast majority of those people roughly 78% had insurance! So even if you are insured you can have gaps in your coverage that can leave you just as screwed as someone with nothing!
A source for my statistics:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/05/bankruptcy.medical.bills/index.html
This is absolutely disgusting:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/19/begala.health.care/index.html
Who would have thought providing healthcare to sick children for free wasn't very profitable?:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/08/shriners.hospitals/index.html
If you think doing nothing is the best thing you have your head in the sand, I also wouldn't blame the government either.
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Well that's why me and they wife filed out 1st bankruptcy: She lost her insurance, and the medical bills from my son's birth left us no choice. Example: We paid ahead and up front for most of the procedures, insurance got the rest. Jump to 60 days latter and the bills come flooding in for stuff the insurance refuses to pay: Emergency deliver fee cause my son was not born at his predicted time on his predicted date ($6,000+ just for the Dr alone), aspirin: $150 each, 6 meals in hospital $75 a meal, formula and diapers for our son $300 for 2 days. All in all it ended up being around $17,000 to $18,000 due within 30 days.
Ok why aren't you breast feeding the kid? You know how much you can save with that???
1) this was 6 going on 7 years ago 2) Medical issues that I won't get into a public board made that not an option.
Basically: We were fucked by the hospital, by the insurance company, and neither one was even willing to talk other than "Pay, Pay, pay", though the insurance company's "What it's only $17,000 dollars what's the problem" was a twist. Of course this is the same company that when I was diagnosed with my problem which requires around 600 to 1200 a month in medication and treatment promptly dumped me and said "Sorry, to high risk"
TheLonelySquire
Vice Admiral
For someone who is disabled through no fault of their own and can't work, it should be provided. Same for kids and the elderly.
Other than for these folks health care should not be a right. Having it made affordable should be.
But yet Police and Fire protection is a right that we all take for granted at this point along with Public Schools, the Post Office, and Libraries.
I just don't get this mindset that no we won't let your house burn down or let you get robbed or shot but yes we will let you die alone and penniless because you couldn't pay the insurance company.
I just don't get this mindset that no we won't let your house burn down or let you get robbed or shot but yes we will let you die alone and penniless because you couldn't pay the insurance company.
TheLonelySquire
Vice Admiral
No I would not. I don't believe effective state run healthcare is possible. It's been shown time and time again that people do not get the services they need in a timely manner, if at all.
And having no insurance and being unable to get any improves this situation how? For that matter, even people on insurance have died waiting for authorizations or being denied cause a bean counter decided that it wasn't medically necessary.
Yeah right, there are no rich doctors except for surgeons. Give me a break.
TheLonelySquire
Vice Admiral
well again, it SHOULD be made reasonably affordable. Moreso than it is now. But it's not a right. Nor should it be. It's a service.
Well my experience would beg to differ. Living in Ontario Canada my wife has had several sudden medical issues over the past 6 year. Once we were away on vacation and after getting her into the local hospital they decided she needed to be flown down to Toronto so they got a helecopter and took her down.
Other times she required a MRI and was able to get one within an hour of the decision being made.
All of this without being billed a single cent. Now that's what I call my tax dollars at work and a good system. Sure it has room for improvement but it's one hell of a good system even as it is.
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