Public Health Care: The Time is NOW!
Posted: Saturday, July 18, 2009
by Missing Link
So the national debate goes on about health care and in my opinion there are NO DEBATABLE POINTS. Should there be a public option that drives prices down to a level that people can afford so they don't die without treatment or should we continue to allow a bunch of greedy, arrogant people who run the medical-industrial-complex ala insurance companies to continue manipulating the healthcare and drug industries to build their wealth with no consideration to whether the majority of Americans live or die? Hmmm, let me think a minute
I don't have health coverage at work and I don't have the money to pay for it; heck in this economy, I am happy to be making the rent. Republicans are so far out of touch with us average middle-aged white guys it's amazing, they've lost touch with their last constituency. Hey you fools, the game changed last October and you're still on Wall Street drinking martinis with whatever insurance exec's got a campaign check for you. WAKE UP!
If President Obama came forward tomorrow and told me his plan would cost me $1000 more in taxes a year and I could have free healthcare for the rest of my life, would I say no? HECK NO! I'd say sign me up NOW, will you take a check? Do Republicans really think me waiting in a line for health care is worse than not having a line to get into? You're all insane!
Gosh, do the Republicans really think that me paying hundreds a month for health care on top of thousands annually in deductibles on top of hundreds more in co-pays is a more appealing option to me? Are they really looking that far between their own rear pockets?
I want health care and I want it now! I'm willing to be part of the biggest health care cooperative this country has ever seen that will be able to drive prices down. I'm willing to be part of the new Kaiser, let's call it Americaiser.
Will I be sad that doctors may make less money, that insurance execs may have to be satisfied making an average wage, living in average houses and sending their kids to public schools? HELL NO! I won't lose a minute of sleep over it.
Let's start it tomorrow, I'm overdue for my physical and my melanoma check-up.
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)Public health care would be wonderful, yet I think it's the doctors and fear of corruption holding it up. The amount of corruption currently in Medicare and Medicaid is mind-boggling (probably equal to insurance corruption and bribery). Also, doctors won't sign on to it if they are reimbursed at Medicare rates. Sure, the insurance companies are howling, but they can howl all they want as they are part of a huge scam on the public and they are surely going to get skewered themselves one day.I think the public will go for it, along with the politicians, once it's decided how to pay for it. 'Taxing the rich' won't do since, if you do the math, you realize even they aren't making enough money to pay for it. I know you made it a partisan issue, yet many Democrats are also concerned with the cost. It's more of a money issue.Good article.
It's interesting to see both sides of the argument, for just a few weeks ago, I read another opinion on SearchWarp that was in disagreement with Public Health Care. I like your argument better. You see, I'm Canadian (you already knew that) and even though our health care system is not perfect, I prefer it. My Provincial Health Insurance in Alberta costs me nothing, no premiums, nothing. Doctor visits are free; hospital stays are free, medication while in hospital are free, surgeries are free, MRI's are free, CT Scans are free, x-rays are free, etc, etc, etc. I also carry private health insurance, which costs me $107.00 per month. It allows me a private room in hospital, instead of a shared room, ambulance service, free precriptions, physio-therapy, dental care, and a whole lot of other things. Even without this extra private insurance, I am guaranteed decent medical care, even though our taxes up here may be higher.Thanks for your comment David, I have many relatives IN Canada and while nobody claims the system is perfect, when I tell them about the costs involved with getting coverage and treatment here in the US, they just shake their heads in disbelief. Something needs to change here and soon.ML
Hi Michael,Thanks for the comment. I agree it's a money issue but the partisanship of it can't be avoided either. The past eight years of allowing the abuse of medicare to continue in addition to the complete lack of alternative solutions to the public health care crisis starkly defines Republican and Democratic positions in the Oval Office. And as we have seen over many years, lacking strong White House leadership, the congress just shuffles its feet and gets nowhere.Also, I don't advocate only taxing the rich for such a benefit, I advocate taxing everyone, and if we eliminate some of the wasteful spending we probably don't have to pay much extra. We're already taxed higher than most Western countries who already have health care systems when federal and state taxes a figured into it.Anyway, I think it is unconscionable that people in our country have no health care and if we wait for those who treat our health as a Wall Street game to fix it, it will never happen.ML
Hi Suzy,Thanks for your comment. I keep hearing from the President that people with health care they are happy with will be able to keep it. What we need is an option for people whose employers do not offer a plan or for whom plans are simply too expensive. We need to be able to take some of the greedy capitalistic Wall Street mentality to health care out of the system. Yes, competition can breed excellence, it can also breed quality cutting to maximize profitds, exorbitant rates, and greed driving treatment over patient care.Thanks for reading!ML
The government has no more business running a hospital that they do a car company. If you don’t like the job you have or the benefits you have GET ANOTHER JOB!!!!! This thing we call life is not that hard folks! Quit asking for what you didn’t earn, get off you couch and make your own way in this world.
Wow, do you really think that 47 million people without insurance are sitting on 47 million couches ignoring all the opportunity out there? What an ill-thought-out and limp-brained argument! Even us 40-50 hour per week working people earning a middle class income can't afford the grossly expensive insurance premiums. Quit asking for what I didn't earn? Who ever asked me where I wanted to spend my tax dollars? Since you czare to know what I want to spend mone on, quit spending my hard-earned tax money on bombs and banks and corporate tax breaks! Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, sir, jobs are few and far between here. Trust me, I've been looking.ML
I myself am not for socialized medicine but I am one without medical coverage and soon will be eligible for Medicare. I have been sick since May with a head cold and chest congestion. A trip to the walk in clinic $125.00 without tests and I have been there 3 times. No tests, can't afford them and they won't take a picture for the sake of providing care, really. Hey it does cost money, I understand. Yet, so much for oaths and they could charge me cost. Once they gave me an antibiotic. I am felling better but not 100%. A trip back another $125.00. That is becuase I am uninsured otehrwise the regular fee which is much less, really. Oh and no checks please. Now I can also give you real life horror stories in our own family living in another country with Socialized Medicine. Paralyzed from the waist down, sorry we slipped, we will pay for therapy once a week. How about a cancer patient who exceed her lifetime benefit but is still alive. Yes left to die with no services, nothing, can't believe it well who would expect you to? Now getting back to us, medicine is a business, period, we all know that. So how does one pay for this when they are not working, being evicted, etc? Once again why do we allow idealists to believe that man can solve man's problems when man is the problem. Pessimist, yes, I've been through all the facades from church to government. I look at reality and truth. Do we need a system that takes care of all, yes, will we get one, well we will get something and yes people will make profits and the little people, well it was never about them to start with. Good job, you speaked debate, you should check it out on Yahoo, wow what comments there.
Thanks Robert, hope you're feeling better!ML
Thanks John, it sounds like a very wonderful program. ML
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