Should Americans be required to buy health insurance?

[Alpha_Geek]

The REAL question is:

Would government officials willingly take the same healthcare plan that they are pushing on their constituancy?

Call your House and Senate rep. Ask them, no, demand an answer. After all, if it's good enough for you, it's good enough for the schlep you put in office, yes?

 

[Galactus]

Maybe I missed it, but what was the Republican alternative. All I heard was a bunch of we need to wait cause now is not the time. I saw stalling the committees for compromise and then none of them voted for the compromise. So the Dems said screw you we will work it by ourselves. Then I saw the Republicans act like spoiled brats and try to filibuster instead of letting people have an honest vote.

Republicans submitted a couple health care reform bills this year. The Patients Choice Act of 2009 and the Empowering Patients First Act. Senator DeMint submitted something called the Health Care Freedom Plan. I don't think any of these proposals got much play since Republicans are in the minority.

You are joking right? Is this what you call a good idea. It is more of the same BS. This is absolutely worse than what we have now.

 

[The Castellan]

I'm for a government/public option, but NOT in it being mandatory.

 

[Mr. B]

You are joking right? Is this what you call a good idea. It is more of the same BS. This is absolutely worse than what we have now.

You asked what the republican alternative is. They submitted two bills and anyone is free to read them. I'm not asking you to like them... you don't need to have the slightest idea what's in them. Just abbreviate bullshit in an internet post and we'll pretend you know what you're talking about.

 

[bigdaddy]

I still don't get how government run health care is unconstitutional or the fact a bill makes you get it. You have to get car insurance, it's the same thing. Anyone here have medicare?

People who are against health care reform need it the most because something is wrong with their heads.

 

[Mr. B]

The US Constitution (give it a read if you haven't) specifically lays out the limited role of the federal government and health care for individuals isn't in there. Medicare has never withstood a constitutional challenge. FDR packed the supreme court to get Social Security past it's constitutional challenge, and even that was a 5-4 vote and the best endorsement the court could give was "It is too late today for the argument to be heard..."

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Mr. B, look up Wickard v. Fillburn. They'll use the Commerce Clause. And, under that precedent, it's not hard to justify.

 

[Galactus]

Until there is a Supreme Court case that says otherwise it is Constitutional. Period. Until then it is just speculation. And I did glance over the bill. I said healthcare reform, not tax credits. Exactly how would a tax credit help someone with no money? This is why I called the idea bs. As I stated before the issue should be about health care, not health insurance. You ever want to help people or you don't, it is as simple as that.

 

[RJDiogenes]

The underlying problem is still the cost of Health Care. Until that is solved, any plans or programs or reforms will just be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

People who are against health care reform need it the most because something is wrong with their heads.

Really, let's not go down that road.

 

[Hoser]

Exactly how would a tax credit help someone with no money?

People with no money get Medicaid.

Unless they're immigrants. :/

Still, it's all bla bla unless they fix the system. My health care costs jumped 20% just in the monthly fees, the other costs have more than tripled and I get a lot less covered. If I or my wife got seriously ill, I'd likely go bankrupt from the deductible and uncovered costs alone.

 

[Marc]

Exactly how would a tax credit help someone with no money?

People with no money get Medicaid.

Unless they're immigrants. :/

Still, it's all bla bla unless they fix the system. My health care costs jumped 20% just in the monthly fees, the other costs have more than tripled and I get a lot less covered. If I or my wife got seriously ill, I'd likely go bankrupt from the deductible and uncovered costs alone.

and yet certain people will continue to maintain that healthcare doesn't need reform because you get insurance. They seem to continually close their eyes to the fact that many people a) can't get it because they a declined and b) those that can get it frequently find that their coverage is barely worth it.

It's been one of the great ironies of the U.S health care debate that anti-UHC guy at a townhall meeting got injured after getting into a fight. They had to do a pass around to get the money to pay his hopsital bills as he'd recently lost his job and thus his health insurance.

 

[Trippy]

Canadian Health Care

Worth a read, especially the country comparison chart at the end, comparing life expectency (80 in Canada, 78 in U.S.) and cost per capita, in USD (3, 895 in Canada, 7, 290 in U.S.)

Our cost are lower, and our services are better.

I really hope the U.S. figures it out for the greater good.

 

[Mr. B]

If you're going to tout universal health care you might try picking a country that doesn't suck at it. Singapore has an intriguing health saving account based system.

 

[Arrqh]

If you're going to tout universal health care you might try picking a country that doesn't suck at it.

So, Canada is a good choice then!

 

[Roger Wilco]

So, Canada is a good choice then!

But but but, don't you remember that woman who had a tumor and the Canadian death panels wanted to let her die so she had to go the Land Of The Free to get treatment??!?!?

 

[Arrqh]

So, Canada is a good choice then!

But but but, don't you remember that woman who had a tumor and the Canadian death panels wanted to let her die so she had to go the Land Of The Free to get treatment??!?!?

Oops, you're right! I should have listened to people who have a political bone to pick instead of the millions of people who actually live in Canada and have first hand experience with their health care. My bad.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Of course. It's well established that people who know what they are talking about are inherently untrustworthy because having an opinion means you're biased. And the more "first hand experience" you have, the more biased you are.

 

[Trippy]

So, Canada is a good choice then!

But but but, don't you remember that woman who had a tumor and the Canadian death panels wanted to let her die so she had to go the Land Of The Free to get treatment??!?!?

Oops, you're right! I should have listened to people who have a political bone to pick instead of the millions of people who actually live in Canada and have first hand experience with their health care. My bad.

Canadian death panels? You've obviously never been here, hunh? I'm really hoping you were being sarcastic

 

[Marc]

But but but, don't you remember that woman who had a tumor and the Canadian death panels wanted to let her die so she had to go the Land Of The Free to get treatment??!?!?

Oops, you're right! I should have listened to people who have a political bone to pick instead of the millions of people who actually live in Canada and have first hand experience with their health care. My bad.

Canadian death panels? You've obviously never been here, hunh? I'm really hoping you were being sarcastic

yes he was very being sarcastic.

But the worrying thing is the people who refuse to see how utterly fucked the U.S health system in general but cause in their own little box everything is fine.

Though I'm sure they are quite as bad as the "fuck you I've got mine" proponents even when those proponents had actually had some-one else actually pick up the tab for their very expensive medical treatments.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

But but but, don't you remember that woman who had a tumor and the Canadian death panels wanted to let her die so she had to go the Land Of The Free to get treatment??!?!?

Oops, you're right! I should have listened to people who have a political bone to pick instead of the millions of people who actually live in Canada and have first hand experience with their health care. My bad.

Canadian death panels? You've obviously never been here, hunh? I'm really hoping you were being sarcastic

They kill you with pancakes and syrup...Damn Maple leafs