Universal Healthcare

theotherguy • May 29, 2007 2:46 pm
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070529obama-healthcare,1,1454657.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Agree? Disagree?
rkzenrage • May 29, 2007 3:37 pm
This all sounds very familiar... they never mean it.
Flint • May 29, 2007 3:39 pm
My response.
theotherguy • May 29, 2007 5:06 pm
Did you intend for that to be a link?
Happy Monkey • May 29, 2007 5:23 pm
That plan actually sounds like it could pass. Leaving private insurers in place leaves the capitalist pressures in place for lower prices. Unfortunately, it also seems to leave the capitalist pressures in place that have people "covered", but don't cover the specific things that the "covered" people need. It's not perfect, but politicians who understand the need and the public desire for universal coverage, but don't want to be labeled socailist, could probably support it.
rkzenrage • May 29, 2007 5:29 pm
Agree, if I get to pick my Dr, always... and if my Dr says I need something I get it, no questions asked.
theotherguy • May 29, 2007 5:37 pm
I don't think there will every be a perfect system. However, as one who has dealt with a tremendous amount of health care red tape, I know there is a better system out there. Most plans seems to go to far the the socialist side for my taste. I am a big fan of the free market system, but this is not like selling cars or houses or widgets. There are real life or death circumstances involved.
Happy Monkey • May 29, 2007 6:03 pm
rkzenrage;348263 wrote:
Agree, if I get to pick my Dr, always... and if my Dr says I need something I get it, no questions asked.
I don't think that that could pass. Too many politicians are in insurance's pocket. As long as health insurance companies exist, they will want to choose your treatments for you. Their argument, which is a valid one, would be doctors going wild prescribing unneccessary stuff.
xoxoxoBruce • May 29, 2007 7:27 pm
If you think the government can run a health care system, take a closer look at the V.A.
TheMercenary • May 29, 2007 10:20 pm
Socialized medicine will bankrupt this nation. You think Social Security is expensive? and it is still not completely funded. All the feel good political posturing by the up-and-coming canidates is an attempt to get elected. President's can't pass universal health care, only Congress can, a President only puts a pen to what comes out of Congress. Choices in your health care with these systems? forget it. There will be none. People get pissed off when they sit in a doctors office or ER for a few hours, you ain't seen anything yet. As it was with HMO's and Hitlery's grand scheme for healthcare reform in the 90's the American public may get just what they ask for, and there will be no turning back.
rkzenrage • May 30, 2007 11:41 am
Happy Monkey;348281 wrote:
I don't think that that could pass. Too many politicians are in insurance's pocket. As long as health insurance companies exist, they will want to choose your treatments for you. Their argument, which is a valid one, would be doctors going wild prescribing unneccessary stuff.


They have no reason to do that once you take the pharmaceuticals out of the picture.
piercehawkeye45 • May 30, 2007 12:09 pm
The best healthcares in the world are single payer government runned. It is stupid to think otherwise. But, communism did look good on paper...
TheMercenary • May 30, 2007 12:46 pm
piercehawkeye45;348603 wrote:
The best healthcares in the world are single payer government runned.


Based on what facts?
Happy Monkey • May 30, 2007 12:51 pm
rkzenrage;348572 wrote:
They have no reason to do that once you take the pharmaceuticals out of the picture.

How would that happen?
piercehawkeye45 • May 30, 2007 7:44 pm
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html

This just touches the surface but we are not even close to the top in lowest infant mortality rates and life expentancy. The ones close to the top, Japan, Sweden, etc, all have socialized health care.

Everyone is given health care in those countries too. No one will die in the streets because they are poor and can't pay for the treatment or go bankrupt from having to pay the fees.
xoxoxoBruce • May 30, 2007 8:05 pm
Waiting 6 or 8 months for a Doctors appointment, and years for surgery, isn't healthy. Neither is the blood pressure spike when the Doctor says, "You should have seen me sooner".
busterb • May 30, 2007 8:22 pm
xoxoxoBruce;348313 wrote:
If you think the government can run a health care system, take a closer look at the V.A.

I well know, but sometimes it seems better than a few years back.
Take a guess where the people off welfare went to work. For the Gov.
piercehawkeye45 • May 30, 2007 8:52 pm
If we did have a socialized health care I'm sure it would be corrupted so the rich would get appointments earlier.

You have more doctor appointments when you are on socialized healthcare and they are usually for prevention, not treatment, so it is hard to compare the two.
TheMercenary • May 30, 2007 8:59 pm
piercehawkeye45;348868 wrote:
If we did have a socialized health care I'm sure it would be corrupted so the rich would get appointments earlier.

You have more doctor appointments when you are on socialized healthcare and they are usually for prevention, not treatment, so it is hard to compare the two.


Actually it would be more like a dual system similar to the British system. The doctors would go to work at the welfare hospital in the morning and to their private practice where the rich can pay in the afternoon.
piercehawkeye45 • May 30, 2007 9:01 pm
Either way, it would work out for the people with the dinero.
TheMercenary • May 30, 2007 9:03 pm
piercehawkeye45;348877 wrote:
Either way, it would work out for the people with the dinero.

Yes.