$1.00 because nothing will take effect for at least 3 years. The urgency to get this thing rammed through Congress baffles me to no end.
We need health care reform because too many people, particularly the working poor, cannot afford health care without it. But I do not belive we need the Obama plan. There is just too much wrong with it. We need to start over and come up with a better plan.
Not me, don't expect it to stop with healthcare either. We will see the same thing for cap and trade, amnesty and any other thing the liberals want to put through before their timeline runs out, (2010 elections). They couldn't move on with their agenda until this was done one way or the other.
That's fine but earlier you said..... The problem is people like you (that's not derogatory but only meant to mean people who understand the massive problems) have gotten so disheartened that you will approve of any change in healthcare. If this thing passes it will be by a narrow margin and because there's a sliver of people who want to make any change presented and then pray. We have one shot at this and making a poor decision will harm us even more. So do you support current reform, or do you suggest we reform but in a different way?
this has me wondering--what about the millions of people who dont crap out kids, work 60 hrs a week paying a ****load of insurance for 20 yrs, work out regularly and only use their insurance to get a checkup occasionally since they keep themselves in proper health. where are those dollars denoted in the health-pie or are they even accounted for? ive worked my entire adult life and used my health insurance maybe a handful of times. i dont mind doing my part. i feel like its my donation to the sick. also, going to the infirmary for actifed (albeit a broken ankle or the flu) doesnt count.
I don't see how a single payer system will sove the issues you are describing. All of those issues are rampant in Medicare.
The short answer is: "No." The longer answer is: "We got to do something." Here is what I think about the current, actual, effort. There is very little "HEALTH CARE REFORM" in it. It is mostly insurance reform or insurance company beat down. Insurance companies are easy initial targets for Politicos but please remember that WASHINGTON is FAMOUS for static analysis. (They can think of only one thing between cocktails, parties, and other self centered activities which the crave more than governing.) The law of unintended consequences frequently rears its ugly head as a result. Also please remember this. Health care cost are like a balloon. When you squeeze at one end, it will bulge somewhere else. Understanding these two, but related concepts is necessary to even begin to understand the what is happening. If you squeeze costs somewhere on the balloon, the balloon (costs) bulges somewhere else. the only way to make the balloon smaller, is to make a smaller balloon (cut benefits) Don't forget this paragraph! The third thing you need to understand is that this is just the initial volley. This is not "one and done." My ex boss and BRILLIANT, but highly abrasive, (does not succor fools gently) best friend puts it this way. It is a perfect explanation. The Congress has laid the foundation for a 20,000 sq ft house. They have only finished the powder room. For the foreseeable future they will slowly but surely finish the mansion, a wall or a brick at a time. Maybe in the end, the mansion turns out great. In theory it can. Our gut, whether on the left or right, tells us no way. So no, I am not too happy about the current Plans before the conference committee, but I also do not think what they are looking at is anywhere near the end game. Not even close. But, I will say this: A centrally managed health care SYSTEM, some of you default to socialized medicine at this point, and that is not necessarily the correct, does not have to be a bad thing. I think we could "fix" a lot (one of my favorite expressions is "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough." within a structure similar to what we have now, as I have described above. Oh, by the way, the real winners in the current bill are the politicos. So many favors, so much money has been disbursed to buy votes, they are the winners. And that, sportsfans is what really boils my blood. hwr
First of all, single payer has nothing to do with a choice of providers. All the back end stuff is single, but the doc in the examining room is one on one with your, regardless of the paying system. We have merged health care with payment. They are not the same. Finally, many of us have "survived" the military health care system for 10, 20, 30 years. You have no choice there. You sit on a bench, and they EVENTUALLY call your name. hwr
