Universal Health Care

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Theophil

Ferd, I never had a problem getting my mail. While we're on this subject...what about people, like myself, who've had a heart attack, uninsured. Pre-existing condition prevents me from buying health insurance!
I've been preaching and pastoring over 30 years...No company will even sell me insurance!

Yes. As long as this current system prevails you and others like you are essentially unprofitable to cover, therefore you're left to die. While you might decry many things on the left, some of what's coming from the left will indeed help you and millions of other Americans. The liberals are not all bad and the conservatives aren't all bad either. It's going to take a balanced centrist approach to get things done. The ideologues on both sides are, in my opinion, the greatest part of the problem and are hindering progress...while people die.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by citizen

Health Insurance is very expensive.

What are the cons of free or very low health insurance for everyone?

Shouldnt everyone get the same kind of medical wether they can afford it or not?

Exactly why would anyone be against it?

It seems like the Christian thing to do.

Well if Universal Health Care in America is anything like Medical or Medicare....it stinks

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Ferd

Theophil, Im not suggesting by any means that we dont have issues with healthcare. but really your willing to trust our government to create a workable solution by creating a Universal Healthcare system?

and while we may get our mail from the post office, please read any of a whole slew of recent news articles about the post office.

they are sinking fast. Its a messed up system.

For every negative story about the postal system you can find those in the system and for the system who point out few tweaks that can be made to make the system a lot better. Part of it is the need to upgrade technology...but let me guess...you wouldn't want to pay the taxes to upgrade their technology...but you're more than willing to whine about the system. lol

Also, the media is only trumping up the postal system's problems for a story. Trust me, my bill collectors aren't having any trouble sending things through the United State Postal Service.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by *AQuietPlace*

What solution do you suggest?

That's the point. The right offers no solution. Frankly, there isn't a better solution. That's why every industrialized nation in the free world has gone to a nationalized system but us.

We are Americans. We can do what other nations have done (nationalize health insurance) and do it better. But so many are afraid and paranoid that they'd rather keep things status quo...or try health care account schemes with the private industry that have proven not to work for people, but rather pad the pockets of the industry.

Many seem to hate the government, government is just the "target of hate" from the right needed to galvanize a political base. They aren't happy unless they're hating or slamming something, namely government in this case. But here's the deal, if politicians and everyone else were part of this system you'd bet your bottom dollar they'd be concerned with running it right because their families would be insured by it too.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

A high deductible catastrophic policy combined with health savings accounts. Tort reform would also help -maybe not as high of a % as some may think, but not chump change either.
This would ensure the absolutely largest percentage of people the best health care.

Yes, tort reform would help. Did you know that in France you can't sue doctors like you can here in the US? Tort reform has already taken place in most nations with nationalized health insurance. Cases are typically reviewed by medical peers and professionals in regional health care courts where it's decided if there was indeed negligence. It's low cost and is essentially built into the system. There are also realistic caps on lawsuits.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by pelathais

That's because the biller is insulated from the consumer. Introduce regular market forces and costs could be contained. Also, we have a plethora of empty hospital beds in many urban areas but a dearth of them in many rural areas.

It probably all comes down to some bean counting bureaucrat in Ohio gumming up the works. Paint that guy's office a soothing color with some of the "stimulus" money and the whole system will clear itself out in a few days.

You can't do that with health care. "Regular market forces" would require a denial of services for those without insurance or that didn't have the cash to pay. Again, it goes back to the example I gave about the auto sales industry. If you don't have the credit to get a car loan or the cash to pay for a car they turn you away. Imagine with me that the auto sales industry was ran like the health care industry. Imagine that if someone showed up at a dealership without the credit to qualify for a loan or money in hand and the dealer still gave them a car. They drive off and the dealer bills them. They are delinquent on the bill and the bills go unpaid. The dealer is going to have to offset this loss somehow, so they will pass it down to you and me in hire costs. As fewer people can afford cars more people show up and just take them...driving the cost hire and hire. As you can see...this is insane. That's our health care system. The only way to truly introduce regular market forces would be to turn away anyone who is uninsured or doesn't have cash in hand. That would immediately start lowering costs overnight because that loss would be eliminated. But then the question is....how moral is that? Can you imagine poor people showing up at the hospital ER only to be removed by security and left to die on the sidewalk? That isn't going to fly. So we have to find a way to see to it that the vast majority of all Americans pay something into a system that will cover us all.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Well if Universal Health Care in America is anything like Medical or Medicare....it stinks

Medical and Medicare are terribly underfunded. A universal system in America would reflect that held by members of congress.

[Jaxon]

Why woulld anyone be against national health care?

How about supply and demand?

Dump over 40 million additional people into a government run system (demand)

with maybe the same posssibly less health care providers ,Dr's, specialists, PT's, etc (supply)

demand dwarfs supply by an enormous magnitude

simple economics says..............the system can't handle it

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Medical and Medicare are terribly underfunded. A universal system in America would reflect that held by members of congress.

Who pays for it?

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Who pays for it?

We all do.

Here's an example...

My cousin's a dead beat. She's a shack up honey who is uninsured and her boyfriend is uninsured. They don't live health lifestyles and they go to the ER for any of their medical needs. They get billed but do they pay the bill? NO. Do they plan on it? They say they do but they can't afford it. They owe tens of thousands in medical bills and aren't paying the bill. They are paying NOTHING. Guess who's paying for it? You and me. There are tens of millions of them among the 50 million or so uninsured Americans in our country. We are paying for the loss the industry is taking by treating them.

With the proposed system the government would offer plans like those held by members of congress. You choose your doctor. The government only subsidizes your insurance premium, bringing it to about $80 a month. Your taxes will increase maybe $100 a month. That means for the family plans held by members of Congress you'd be paying about $180 to $200. Most Americans are paying more than $400 a month for a family plan...and that's considered a GOOD price. Those paying $400 a month now would essentially save $200 of their own money a month! Right now only members of Congress get the benefits of this group bargaining power. They only pay $35 a month!

So, let's look at my cousin and her boyfriend again. She works as a secretary for a temp agency. She'd be forced to buy insurance at the reduced rate. So would her boyfriend who works as an assembler in a factory. They'd each only have to buy into the single plan because they're not married and that wouldn't be near the $80 a month, but they would be paying tax money into the system! Essentially they'd be forced to pay for their health care, no more free rides! When the vast majority of the 50 million uninsured Americans are paying for affordable plans and contributing with every paycheck providers are finally being paid and insurance companies can lower premiums, that will reduce cost.

Your question was "Who pays for it?"
Answer...we all pay into the program for our health insurance.