The Big Issue
Check out this interactive feature from the Associated Press on key issues facing the country and where the presidential candidates stand. Issues covered are: energy and gas; the economy; health care; the war in Iraq.
Check out this interactive feature from the Associated Press on key issues facing the country and where the presidential candidates stand. Issues covered are: energy and gas; the economy; health care; the war in Iraq.
third party gifts are horrible.
So let me get this right. We give the gov't money to buy us nationwide healthcare. The people in the gov't are wealthy enough and will buy their own insurance they like. They will get us insurance that they really don't care about the quality of since they don't use it. So we get stuck with slow, unreliable, crappy insurance. Since I work for a decent company I'll be paying for insurance I don't need. Kind of like my social security (im 22) that I'll never see. Another gov't program the gov't ran into the ground. Remember this about our beloved gov't. Good teams when things are going good the keep it that way, but great teams when things are good they try to make it better. I'm not feeling that from our current elected officials. So lets elect some new officials that have not grown complacent!
Do you favor a nationalized health care plan?
No I don't.
We lived in Scotland and know Nationalized Health Care is like first hand it's AWFUL!
You wait MONTHS for a doctor, or even a bed in hospital!
I was high risk pregnancy and even though we had a hospital only 3 miles away from our home I had to take a ferry (which didn't run from midnight to 6 am) then drive an additional 20 minutes away to deliver. I came back to the US to have our child.
Also while we were overseas a 10 year old needed a liver transplant, the liver was found but there was no bed available for her procedure! She died! This happens more often then not, why do you think so many Canadians come to our country for medical treatment?
No I don't want Nationalized health care.
We have the BEST health care in the world as it is we don't need the government messing it up like the do everything else! What government program works?????
Not understanding
Gone are the days of having a full-time job and therefore having benefits or being able to afford them. I can't begin to count the number of people I know who have long held decent jobs but have no coverage- God forbid they get in a car accident or get a chronic illness. In the richest country in the world, it shouldn't be that way.
National Healthcare
Ever heard of Medicaid? There’s already a program that helps low income citizens. Why do we need National healthcare? When most people have Health benefits from their place of work. Older citizens have Medicare, Low income folks have Medicaid…National Healthcare is expensive…The only people I believe it would help are the few folks that rather spend their $ on other things (don’t see the value) then pay premiums…
Relect Commissioner James Holmes ,2nd District
For the residents of the 2th District, show your support for James Holmes as he seek relection on the Chatham County Commission
Universal Health-Care
I may only wonder how some people place so much "faith" in our federal government being able to negotiate lower prices for drugs. As this was the reason given for the dems opposition to the prescription plan for seniors. Just when did the government ever negotiate or operate anything better than the private sector? Gasoline prices are high now, should we demand the government take control of this industry too? The writer was correct when he addressed some serious issues with universal coverage in Canada and England. Before we demand elected officials enact a universal health plan, maybe voters should take a look at where much of the campaign contributions are coming from......As we may discuss the many reasons for such high costs associated with health-care, arguably the reasons could be the high cost for drugs, doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, lawyers.....So take a look at the groups donating the most money to Hillary and Barrack. Especially Hillary. Take a look at: open secrets.org. This web-site has all the information regarding campaign donations. As I heard Hillary speak of her fighting the drug companies, those very drug companies gave her more money than any of the other candidates. There is an old saying: follow the money......don't be naive. If we enact a universal health-care plan, those associated with health care and lawyers, will not get hurt one bit. After all, they have "donated" lots of money to keep their interests protected. So yes, there will be such a program one day, yet I guarantee the costs will come from increased taxes!
One other point: people need to demand how these politicians plan on paying for such a plan. I suggest you begin to listen if and when, they would propose doing away with workers comp insurance. After all, if we have a government program, why pay two premiums? (on the job....and not job related)....When the politicians say employers may stop having to carry workers comp insurance, then the equivilant amount of money now paid for WC could be used to help pay for the universal coverage, maybe it would be worth listening.... Yet don't hold your breath as the insurance companies would lose profit from all those 'lost policies'.
As would lawyers and their:have you been injured on the job ads......
Lots to consider and remember, somebody is going to have to pay for this insurance.
Socialized Health Care
I am against socialized medical care The US has ~301 million people (July 2007 estimate). ~47 million don’t have health insurance; that is 15.6 % don’t currently have health insurance. ~12 million of the 47 million are illegal immigrants; ~10-15 million are rich and don’t want or don’t need health insurance; ~5-10 million are young and would rather by a new car or DVD than health insurance. That leaves about 20 million people out of 301 million people that don’t have health insurance that actually want it. That’s 6.6%. Why would we ruin the current system for 6.6% of the people??!!! A simple tax break to pay for health insurance for the needy would be ok.
What makes you think that anyone in the Government knows how to run health care? My relatives from Canada and the UK have many complaints about their socialized medical care...particuluarly the long waits for service.
I really don't want more government and more taxes.
Health ins.
Are you aware that overhead costs for running Medicare are ~5% and the costs for private insurance are ~25%? If you were making a business decision, which would you choose?
For those without health ins. or for those who are under-insured, the costs are so high that it is often a choice of whether to buy food or insurance or medicine. Much of the poor make a little too much to qualify for medicaide or their assets are too much, resulting in having to sell their house and/or car...or they are too old but not yet 65.... or they already take too many medications to qualify for any plan...or if they get sick without insurance support, they often go bankrupt.
What kind of a country do you want? It sound like you prefer the rugged individualist and not a true community, as we were in the 19th century, on the frontier, when we each contributed as we could as a safety net for each other. Sounds like you have never been really poor or been unable to be gainfully employed.
Universal health care
Lou
Medicare is "government " health care. It has a 3% overhead (vs 12% for private insurance and HMOs) and moat people who have it are very satisfied. Why can't we all have medicare?
medicare...socialized medicine
So who is going to pay for this? As an example, If I need more health care than you do are you willing to pay the same taxes and be happy with me getting more benefits? "Less government is better government" -Ronald Reagan
National Healthcare
I'm 54 and have always had a healthcare plan with an exception of maybe two years.
When I was a kid, my dad was in the Navy and of course I had healthcare,
When I turned 17 - I enlisted in the Navy and of course, had healthcare.
After I discharged from the Navy, my healthcare extended until I enrolled in college.
When I got my first job after graduation, I ensured my employment had health insurance.
30 years later, I have always ensured I had heatlh insurance.
I am thankful for my parents to teaching me right from wrong.
They tought me that I am responsible for my own actions and inactions. They tought me self-relaince.
I am an adult.
I don't need baby setters
I have taken the opportunity of education and carreer. So I don't need tax-payers to provide for me or my chiidlren.
Of course, I realize that some children are the offspring of people who only rely on government assistance. But there should not be a federal mandate to cover their ignorance
Churches and other "non-profit" entites are allowed tax-exemption because they are supposed to help the "poor".
The fedral government cannot mandate national healthcare because the mechanics in the US are alread in place.
Health Care
Lou
While you were in the service you had "government " health care. When you reach 65 you will get medicare and have "government" health care. Increasingly more and more people are finding that their employer is not giving health insurance or has very high deductibles and co-payments. My own dedutible is $2000. Part time and self employed people can't get affordab;e health insurance.
Those "ignorant "people without health insurance go to emergency rooms when they are sick and are charged at least twice what their care would cost if they could go to their own doctor. that un-reimbursed cost is passed on to all the rest of us in increased hospital fees and increased taxes so hospitals can get contracts to pay for the uninsured.
Medicare is efficient and very acceptable to most people. Why can't we all have Medicare?
universal health-care
I recall the vast opposition from the democratic party when it came to enacting a prescription drug program for senior citizens. If, as they said then, we could not afford a drug program for seniors, how then may we afford universal health-care for everyone?
Health Care
Lou
The Dems oppossed a drug plan that relied on the good graces of the drug companies to distribute the drugs. What is necessary is the ability of the government (Medicare in this case) to negotiate for the best prices for a particular drug anywhere in the world. (This is what the militwry does for drugs available in the PX- any drug sold to the military cannot be sold anywhere else for less-by contract)
The present drug plan allows Drug companies to gouge the public. A huge buying block such as all the people on Meicare or all the people with universal health insurance would be able to negotiate for the best price. this is why drugs are cheaper in countries with universal health plans.
Health Care Question of the Day
The question of whether we favor a nationalized health care plan or not misses the mark, because it doesn't point toward a solution. When we vote, what are we really voting for? (There is no real answer.) Most people care less about whether a plan is nationalized or private than whether a plan works or doesn't. Most of us would rather have a private plan that works than a nationalized one that doesn't and vice versa. So far, we've had a variety of private, semi-private and governmental health plans and none of them work very well. What we need is a variety of good, workable plans that meet needs, solve problems, are cost effective, and, most of all, are disconnected from special interests and politics.
The first step we should take is to remove health care from the realm of employment benefits. Each employer should be required to give each employee the cash value of their health insurance coverage and let everyone buy their own insurance in a truly competitive system. The other half of this would be to pass laws setting up a workable health insurance system (private and/or governmental) where people could get the coverage they need. Group insurance may be a good thing, but the group shouldn't be an employer.
As I understand it, the only reason health insurance was established as an employment benefit in the first place was to get around wage and price controls that were in place at the time. This reason no longer exists. It makes no more sense to link health insurance to employment than to link automobile insurance to employment. Let's break this needless and incumbering connection.
I think the best role of government would be to establish a legal framework for a workable mix of private and governmental health care systems.
One thing for sure: no plan will work unless each insured person and health care provider has an individual financial incentive to make it work the way it should. This incentive is mostly missing in all current plans and programs.
Another certainty: there is not enough money in our economy to buy all the health care technology and services that are now available for everyone who needs or wants them and we cannot afford immortality. God's life cycle plan is the best one.