Health Insurance

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billuscher Posted: Sat, Aug 8 2009 3:27 PM

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How do you all feel about Universal Health Insurance?

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Ron AKA replied on Sat, Aug 8 2009 4:30 PM

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The Republican strategy to discredit the Canadian system isn't going over very well in Canada. They are taking liberties with the facts. Very few go to the US for health care due to he high cost. Pretty much everything is covered here, except for elective/cosmetic surgery. My wife has osteoarthritis and needs both hips replaced. While she initially got a bit of a run around (not needed yet, you're too young), she got past the GP's and those who wanted to just treat the symptoms. Once she got into the knee and hip clinic, she had surgery scheduled in less than two months. She is also getting the longest lasting and most expensive hip joints (ceramic on ceramic), and essentially all at no cost to us or to our extended health care plan. The basic government health care is covering it all.

The US has two problems to overcome. First it seems embedded in the culture that you have to sue for anything that does not go just right. I believe that malpractice insurance is one of the major drivers to the high cost of health care in the US. This has to be solved or an overall universal plan may be just too expensive to afford.

Second the other expectation which seems part of the culture is freedom to pay extra to get ahead in the queue -- in front of those who can't afford to pay extra. In other words health care is more available to the rich and less available to the poor. Or as we would call it -- a two tier system. Universal health care can't work, unless you set priorities based on need rather than based on how rich the person is.

The result of these two issues is that the US has a second rate heath care system that is clearly evidenced by the rank of the US in life expectancy by country. The US which has all the best technology and doctors, ranks 45th in life expectancy in the world, while Canada, that has become the butt of Republican smear campaigns, is 14th. In simple terms there are a lot of lower income people that simply cannot afford reasonable health care in the US, and they are dragging down the average.

So I hope the US does make some improvements and moves towards a universal affordable health care system. It is only the rich that will prevent you from doing it.

Just my thoughts,

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tylersydney replied on Sat, Aug 8 2009 5:05 PM

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Unreal that the RightWing  lobbbyists are ASKING and encouraging folks to disrupt Town Hall meeting....They published a National list of Dem Town Halls and NONE for Repubs....It is an organized, sickeningly disgusting plan to discredit and disrupt and..NOT  allow a dialogue or..get honest info.

I think the MEDICAL community needs to step up and set things straight.To take part and not just sit back and watch the debacle.

The lies and mis-information seem to be taking hold.

Like Palin and her euthanasia lies. 

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Julie_ replied on Tue, Aug 11 2009 12:50 PM

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I favor Single Payer health insurance.

According to my Congressman, there is no chance at all that this will happen in the near future in the US.  We'll get some minor fix that doesn't do much of anything, and the insurance companies will contnue to get rich at the expense of all of us.  As long as the rich companies fund political campaigns, nothing will change. 

Many people who have good insurance are afraid of change.  They see the poor people taking away from their pot.  I have good health insurance, but I don't see it that way.  I favor universal health care.

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donw replied on Wed, Aug 12 2009 7:21 PM

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If Congress moves on this like they do most everything else (except their annual pay raise) nothing substantial will happen for the forseeable future.  The only one who may be able to bring all sides together with a workable plan, Ted Kennedy, is not doing well at all.  He is fighting brain cancer and dealing with the loss of his sister.  Without him the plan has all the earmarks of a rudderless ship in an Atlantic hurricane. 

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Jorgie replied on Fri, Aug 14 2009 8:32 AM

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I question whether or not this is an appropriate thread for this forum. It's supposed to be about Diabetes and it's problems, not national politics.

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kat replied on Fri, Aug 14 2009 10:42 AM

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I'd consider managing diabetes without health insurance a rather major problem.  If you need an example, try purchasing test strips out of pocket.

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whalen replied on Fri, Aug 14 2009 2:38 PM

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I think this is most appropriate for a diabetes message board.  For those with no or limited insurance it becomes a HUGE issue.  Diabetes is expensive!

I think in the long run a single-payor health insurance would be best although it would sure take a lot of getting used to.

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tylersydney replied on Tue, Aug 18 2009 10:19 PM

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Rachel on MSNBC had  a great piece tonight to illustrate that Repubs will never do anything on health care..too in bed with big pharma and ins companies...

It was a "pizza buying" illustration..find it if you can on the website...

The HAVES simply do not CARE about the have nots...

Take away Congress's health care and see them squirm.