I am against Obamacare, I want universal healthcare. So while statistically I count as an anti I am not at all for continuing the current delivery system. And I am by no means alone in my thinking.
The cost will still be too high relative to international standards. The fault is in the conservative resistance to a healthcare system that is not an (excess) profit opportunity. Obama got what he could get, not what he wanted. Its a start but not a finish..Case in point: A maternity stay in the upscale St. Mary’s Hospital in London where the royal baby was born is typically about $15,000. In America according to Truven Health Analytics the typical birth runs $30,000..A coronary by-pass in India cost $1,583; Cleveland Clinic it is $106,385..A growth industry in America is arranging medical tourism for affordable treatment in other countries..Open up travel to Cuba and you will have available good healthcare treatments for a fraction of the cost.
Everyone should go back and read the Time Magazine special report “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us” from March 4th. Universal insurance is part of the solution, but only part — cost controls are needed as well.
“……You must drink from the same cool aid decanter that moron Matt Damon does! The main reason for the price disparity in those procedures is the quality of service you get….”.Speaking of cool aid, you are talking about a health care system: - that in nine countries studied, Americans diagnosed with asthma die sooner than their counterparts in seven other countries.- That Americans with diabetes die younger than in any other country.- That Americans with kidney transplants have the worst survival rates.- That of nine rich countries studied, the per capita rate of Deaths Due to Surgical Mishap was highest by far.- The healthy life expectancy at age 60 is the lowest of the industrialized countries. (Japan is the highest).- That neonatal deaths (die within one year), the U.S. ranks 23 out of 23 studied, and twice as high as the highest ranked Sweden and Japan.- That Death Before Age 75 from Conditions Modifiable with Effective Medical Care is the worst of the developed countries, and twice as high as the three top countries – France, Japan, and Spain.
By coincidence, I just read a good article about this a day or two ago: http://www.examiner.com/article/universal-health-care-americans-are-grossly-misinformed
“Forcing people to get insurance they can’t afford is not a solution!”
Nope. You weren’t alone, a lot of us found it offensive. I suspect Obama found it offensive, too, but it was becoming crystal clear Congress would NOT allow an actual reform to happen.
They are not required to listen to us. They quit listening decades ago, if they ever did listen.
It’ll get worse before it gets better – a change I don’t expect to live to see.
Which KoolAid decanter have YOU been drinking from?
Many third world countries have excellent medical (and dental and vision) services, and retirement consultants highly recommend those destinations to retirees who can’t afford to live in this economy.
Because a service is obscenely expensive does not guarantee high quality. We have terrible medical services in this country for just about everything but trauma. Women can count on at least one deadly mis-diagnosis over their lifetimes, if observation and experience means anything at all.
Our ‘health services’ are a joke which are good for no one but the insurers and medical industries.
“Yes, Americans should have everything given to them for free without ever having to pay for it.”
Silly me. I thought this ‘reform’ was supposed to give us AFFORDABLE health coverage.
Which is what the poster you replied to so snarkily was pointing out. If you don’t have enough income to be able to pay, it’s OK for you not only to have no medical coverage, you should be punished?
The point was affordable care. Nothing about this RomneyCare travesty meets that criteria.
“Those who are unable to pay will have financial help. There now you know.”
NG, usually I agree with you, but on this I don’t. What always happens in other areas where government ‘qualifies’ you for some benefit or another, the criteria for ‘qualification’ is always set too high. That is, there will still be a substantial chunk of the population which does NOT qualify for the vouchers, but truly can’t afford the premiums.
When they can’t pry $5k out of these people, what then? Criminalization? Or just dying of treatable diseases?
Sick people should NOT have to jump through hoops, and they should certainly not be punished.
In this country, the only crime which is reliably and severly punished isn’t even on the books.
“The difference is the insurance company works WITH the doctors and the government bureaucrat works AGAINST the doctors. Now you know.”
WHAT planet are you living on? Insurers work with doctors there?
They certainly don’t work with them here. They categorically denied my cancer team the right to make decisions for me! Not one doctor, FIVE doctors, all insisting I needed what they wanted to give me.
Oh, yes. The best doctors are quitting. And ducks are learning to drive cars. And paying for medical coverage in a large pool of everybody is more expensive than private coverage in a small group.
he folks who are complaining a out this are probably the ones who get “free” care at the ER every time they get a sniffle. Somebody pays for that, don’tcha know. That would be the rest of us.
rockngolfer over 10 years ago
We the People want health care.
Odon Premium Member over 10 years ago
I am against Obamacare, I want universal healthcare. So while statistically I count as an anti I am not at all for continuing the current delivery system. And I am by no means alone in my thinking.
Gypsy8 over 10 years ago
The cost will still be too high relative to international standards. The fault is in the conservative resistance to a healthcare system that is not an (excess) profit opportunity. Obama got what he could get, not what he wanted. Its a start but not a finish..Case in point: A maternity stay in the upscale St. Mary’s Hospital in London where the royal baby was born is typically about $15,000. In America according to Truven Health Analytics the typical birth runs $30,000..A coronary by-pass in India cost $1,583; Cleveland Clinic it is $106,385..A growth industry in America is arranging medical tourism for affordable treatment in other countries..Open up travel to Cuba and you will have available good healthcare treatments for a fraction of the cost.
lonecat over 10 years ago
Everyone should go back and read the Time Magazine special report “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us” from March 4th. Universal insurance is part of the solution, but only part — cost controls are needed as well.
Gypsy8 over 10 years ago
“……You must drink from the same cool aid decanter that moron Matt Damon does! The main reason for the price disparity in those procedures is the quality of service you get….”.Speaking of cool aid, you are talking about a health care system: - that in nine countries studied, Americans diagnosed with asthma die sooner than their counterparts in seven other countries.- That Americans with diabetes die younger than in any other country.- That Americans with kidney transplants have the worst survival rates.- That of nine rich countries studied, the per capita rate of Deaths Due to Surgical Mishap was highest by far.- The healthy life expectancy at age 60 is the lowest of the industrialized countries. (Japan is the highest).- That neonatal deaths (die within one year), the U.S. ranks 23 out of 23 studied, and twice as high as the highest ranked Sweden and Japan.- That Death Before Age 75 from Conditions Modifiable with Effective Medical Care is the worst of the developed countries, and twice as high as the three top countries – France, Japan, and Spain.
Alan Rees over 10 years ago
By coincidence, I just read a good article about this a day or two ago: http://www.examiner.com/article/universal-health-care-americans-are-grossly-misinformed
rockngolfer over 10 years ago
I like this David Horsey cartoon.http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/124720/
edclectic over 10 years ago
bravo, nuf sed…
rhfcubs over 10 years ago
Do you ever miss reality?
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“Forcing people to get insurance they can’t afford is not a solution!”
Nope. You weren’t alone, a lot of us found it offensive. I suspect Obama found it offensive, too, but it was becoming crystal clear Congress would NOT allow an actual reform to happen.
They are not required to listen to us. They quit listening decades ago, if they ever did listen.
It’ll get worse before it gets better – a change I don’t expect to live to see.
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
Which KoolAid decanter have YOU been drinking from?
Many third world countries have excellent medical (and dental and vision) services, and retirement consultants highly recommend those destinations to retirees who can’t afford to live in this economy.
Because a service is obscenely expensive does not guarantee high quality. We have terrible medical services in this country for just about everything but trauma. Women can count on at least one deadly mis-diagnosis over their lifetimes, if observation and experience means anything at all.
Our ‘health services’ are a joke which are good for no one but the insurers and medical industries.
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“Of course you and your ilk would never read that because it contains actual facts.”
My reason for not reading it is that a site titled that way is probably just more propaganda, no facts, no information.
I don’t have enough time to waste on that kind of cr*p.
wcssharpe over 10 years ago
The best doctors are quitting because of the government paperwork.
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“Yes, Americans should have everything given to them for free without ever having to pay for it.”
Silly me. I thought this ‘reform’ was supposed to give us AFFORDABLE health coverage.
Which is what the poster you replied to so snarkily was pointing out. If you don’t have enough income to be able to pay, it’s OK for you not only to have no medical coverage, you should be punished?
The point was affordable care. Nothing about this RomneyCare travesty meets that criteria.
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“Those who are unable to pay will have financial help. There now you know.”
NG, usually I agree with you, but on this I don’t. What always happens in other areas where government ‘qualifies’ you for some benefit or another, the criteria for ‘qualification’ is always set too high. That is, there will still be a substantial chunk of the population which does NOT qualify for the vouchers, but truly can’t afford the premiums.
When they can’t pry $5k out of these people, what then? Criminalization? Or just dying of treatable diseases?
Sick people should NOT have to jump through hoops, and they should certainly not be punished.
In this country, the only crime which is reliably and severly punished isn’t even on the books.
It’s poverty.
Hawthorne over 10 years ago
“The difference is the insurance company works WITH the doctors and the government bureaucrat works AGAINST the doctors. Now you know.”
WHAT planet are you living on? Insurers work with doctors there?
They certainly don’t work with them here. They categorically denied my cancer team the right to make decisions for me! Not one doctor, FIVE doctors, all insisting I needed what they wanted to give me.
The insurers prevailed.
Michael Peterson Premium Member over 10 years ago
Oh, yes. The best doctors are quitting. And ducks are learning to drive cars. And paying for medical coverage in a large pool of everybody is more expensive than private coverage in a small group.
magicwalnut Premium Member over 10 years ago
he folks who are complaining a out this are probably the ones who get “free” care at the ER every time they get a sniffle. Somebody pays for that, don’tcha know. That would be the rest of us.
Michael Peterson Premium Member over 10 years ago
Yeah, we should make people wait until they have full-blown pneumonia and require hospitalization and pay for that instead.