Universal health/dental care and why we need it — Page 3

Improving healthcare has been something Hillary has attempted to do for a long time, not since running for president. She can't make the change all alone and there has always been strong opposition on the republican side. As a healthcare professional and someone who has some medial issues I strongly hope that there is a dramatic reform in US healthcare. Socialized medicine works well in many countries. There are a lot of misconceptions about it. If you need immediate care you can get it. Preventative care is a big part of socialized helathcare in many countries and it works. Even if you have insurance in US now, it often doesn' t adress prevention. As far as living paycheck to paycheck and having more money taken out for healthcare- I am all for it if it means everyone can get healthcare and my costs when I see a doctor will go down. I am sure that there will be some type of exceptions based on income as far as cost.
Tazber you are correct stating that malpractice is one reason that healthcare costs have skyrocketed, and something needs to be done about petty lawsuits. Another reason for increases in costs is because there are so many people without insurance, when they must get care- we are paying for it. Again, we need to look more at preventative care, especially for children. As far as medicaid and medicare, the reimbursement rate is lower than most insurance companies, and there is a ton of paperwork the provider must complete. This is the main reason providers limit the number of patients they accept with Medicaid/Medicare or refuse to take any.

The doctors probably walked away cause they want our money

I think that the people that need to be adressed are the head of the HMO's. They are the ones who are taking all the money...

What ever did happen to HD?

Obviously I do or I woudn't have asked the question.

Just curious, are there any champions of "tort reform" onboard?

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There are pros and cons to universal health care, but I think the lack of availability of healthcare for Americans is a huge failing, especially given the trillions of dollars spent on a war that benefits two people. Americans are shouldering the expenses of things beyond their control while tens of millions of them can't even afford a visit to the dentist.

America isn't like other countries that practice uhc. It's large, spread out and relatively diverse. Regional needs would differ with population density and whatever pollution, stress levels, etc. that that implies. It's like car insurance--not everyone drives or needs a car, some rely on a car or several cars.

Someone ask Tanny what we should do...

"Who do you think is going to pay for the "universal healthcare"? The WORKING PEOPLE!!! We will be taxed to death.. just look at Canadians. And if the Canadians want good health care in a timely fashion they will come to the good old USA! I say the solution is get off your lazy butts and get to work. I for one am tired of giving people free s*$#%t because they feel they are entitled to sit around while I get up every morning and go to work."


You coudn't be more wrong IMO!!!!I work my ass mon-fri and go to school at night mon-fri. I do work my ass off and I live paycheck to paycheck!! Nobody is giving anybody free ****. I would rather them take more money out of my taxes than to have to pay the HMO's 400 a month plus money for meds and co-pays.

Universal healthcare in california I believe was voted down

When people find out how much this "free healthcare" will cost, you may have some defections in the ranks.

It will also give companies a free pass in that, under Hillary, you must have healthcare before you get a job. This is just me but I would rather have my employer pay for it than paying for it from my salary.

Hillary's proposal was floated but whether or not it got enacted would be a moot point especially since she may not even get the nomination.

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Updated On: 2/12/08 at 05:56 PM

"When people find out how much this "free healthcare" will cost, you may have some defections in the ranks."

Roxy, you seem to be the only one under the mis-impression that universal health care will be free. Anyone who's actually read anything about it knows that it will be paid for by ALL of us. It isn't going to be free. OKAY...it's not going to be free. It's just going to be available to everyone. Not just those who can afford it.

And, by the way...did you or did you not have insurance to pay for your surgery?

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"And once again as I said early, it's not the government that was denying your grandmother health care, it was the DOCTOR who didn't accept Medicare."

No it's the government. Doctors are only required by government to accept a certain amount of Medicare patients. That's the point. People who have government based healthcare still fall through the cracks.

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Mr Roxy,

Hillary's MANDATE is one of a few points of contention that made me drift towards Obama. I'm opposed to any plan that goes after wages with no provision for an individual to opt-out because in my mind it borders on coercion.

Sure, let's mandate coverage for children (and young adults) because what is often lost in the debate is the fact that many young adults aged 18 - 22 yrs old are dropped from their parents' employer-brokered by default unless they're enrolled in a college/univ as a financial dependent. However, all bets are off for adults beyond that range.

There are simply too many variables at play to force the entire population into one pool. There's little incentive to adopt a healthly lifestyle if in the end the most health conscious are going to subsidize those adults who live their lives with wreckless abandon.

I mean if there's one pool, would the insurers bid on providing coverage with no gov't restraint in commerce? Or, should there be those oft-maligned government set-asides for female-owned, small business, and minority-owned insurers?

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Updated On: 2/12/08 at 06:09 PM