dbattman 0 #26 August 10, 2004 There's no flames here, just opinions that differ. As far as political leverage, government social programs get used to buy votes all the time. 'Vote for me and I'll take someone elses money and give you this.' 'Don't vote for him- he'll put you all out on the street.' 'If my opponent wins, he'll have you working until you're 75.' 'My opponent voted against this outrageous billl to triple your benefit checks- he's evil and wants to see your kids starving.' We have public health care that is still being run through the private sector. The money goes from me to the insurance carrier to the hospital that is taking care of the patients. Taking that and funneling it through the government instead will only create another big pot of money to dangle over voters heads like a carrot. Too many people already think that the government must take care of you, keep you warm, keep you fed, console you when someone dies (we have actual 'grief conselors' here. Expecting the government to be responsible for your health will onyl make the problem worse. You probably have to live here to truly understand this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Airman1270 0 #27 August 10, 2004 The system you desire (perfection) is impossible. The next best system is that provided by the free market, That is, people are free to earn money, keep most of what they worked for, and spend it on life's needs. Our system is currently impeded by the kind of government you're praising. High taxes reduce our spending power and increase the cost of the very services you complain are not accessible. Furthermore, this secular humanist mentality (the belief that perfection can be achieved if we only impose enough laws & regulations) has resulted in a system in which doctors can be prosecuted and/or sued not only for gross negligence, but for simply failing to prevent less-than-perfect results. This increases the cost and reduces the supply of medical services, as doctors are forced to raise their prices while other would-be doctors size up the social landscape and decide to do something else with their lives. You do not have a "right" to every possible medical procedure. There comes a point where you must accept that life ends in death, sooner for some than for others, under a wide variety of circumstances. Even so, our system is committed to doing all it can to provide as much health care as possible to all who need the service. We can't eliminate all crime, accidents, and tragedies from the human experience, but we can move much closer toward that goal if we can figure out how to eradicate the secular socialist mentality from as much of our society as possible. Your socialist system is notorious for providing some basic services to everyone, at much higher overall cost that you would pay if you were not so brutally taxed and were not conditioned to regard with contempt the suggestion that you pay your own way in life. But when things start getting desperate, where does the world turn for state-of-the-art medical care? Last I heard, it wasn't Canada, Britain, Sweden, Cuba, or France. Cheers, The Uninsured Jon S. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChadFlorian 0 #28 August 10, 2004 Ah, but that's my point. You still view your healthcare as free, when it is not. Free for you, yes. But everyone else who pays taxes is picking up the tab. That's the government taking money from others to pay your doctor. I'll be honest in saying that I truly don't know what the ideal solution is. I agree that everyone should have access to the best medicine available in an ideal world. I just know that the government is NEVER efficient at running anything and anything they run will cost more in the long run. I have no problem with a portion of my taxes going to pay for healthcare for those who can't afford it. That's already happening. But the system itself needs to stay in the private sector. I think the core of the problem in America lies at the other side of the equation. The cost. It's become totally outrageous. For a couple of asprin in the hospital, you could be looking at fifty or a hundred dollars. For the same asprin that costs five cents at the local drug store. A one day hospital visit for something as simple as a broken leg can cost ten thousand! The reason for this is the lawyers. Malpractice insurance is so high, doctors can afford to operate without raising prices for everything including asprin, cotton balls, etc. We need to limit punitive damages. I fully understand someone having a legitimate claim and suing for whatever it will take to fix them or take care of them (compensatory damages) for the rest of their life, but the punitive claims have no cap. You an sue for whatever you desire. Or more likely whatever your greedy lawyer thinks you can get. But of course most of the politicians are also lawyers. So punitive caps will not likely happen anytime soon. I think if we could keep costs at a normal level, it wouldn't be such an issue to have tax money subsidize healthcare for the poor. But socialized medicine across the board is not the answer. Just my 2 cents... Blue Skies..... -Chad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
efex 0 #29 August 10, 2004 All good points guys, cheers :-) Alters my ideas somewhat. One thing we can probably all agree on though is that we all want to be covereed in the unfortunate event of something going wrong. Blue skies, Warwick University Skydiving Club Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dbattman 0 #30 August 10, 2004 Just noticing your sig line, Jon. Blue Cross can set you up with a $2000 deductible PPO for about $70. I'm looking at the $2600 HSA plan myself for about $80. Our co-pays at work are up to about $1500 a year now for just myself (no family). Check out ehealthinsurance for quotes. That goes for the rest of you, as well. Buy some darn insurance if you're jumping, at least for the season. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
