If the US pays more for healthcare then all other industrialized nations, but gets worse results…?
then what’s the problem with starting up a gov’t funded alternative?
1.) People argue of dooms day scenarios regarding waiting lists to get teeth pulled, but never take into account all of the people who wait until the last minute to get medical treatment b/c they have no health insurance. THESE PEOPLE WHO WAIT ARE DRIVING UP THE COSTS of healthcare b/c by seeking no preventative care, they increase the amount of expensive surgeries and extended stays at hospitals. As it stands, Americans are already paying for that now.
2.) The people that state that the US can’t afford gov’t funded healthcare due to sky high taxes overlook the fact that healthcare costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy today among people that HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE.
3.) The people that state that if the gov’t provides healthcare, it will eventually have within it’s ability control to manage every aspect of our lives have obviously never heard of the military, CIA, FBI, NSA, Homeland Security, Federal Reserve, Treasury and Coast Guard, which at any point can control every aspect of our lives today.
What’s wrong with a gov’t funded alternative?
You are right, it is a no brainer. Anyone who takes 10 seconds to look at France, Norway, Sweden, etc. would see they are ranked far above us in healthcare performance, and they pay about 1/2 what we pay.
Unfortunately, despite these facts, proven over and over again, very clear numbers, right wingers insist "we have the best healthcare in the world." They will deny reality until the very end. I just don’t want them to take the rest of us down with them.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmUnlimited consumption of finite resources.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmNo they don’t Ryan. That’s an absolutely false statement. We have the best health care in the world. Universal health care where everyone is covered does not equal quality care. God bless.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmActually, Universal Healthcare can work just fine in the US. As long as the GOP does not sabotage it.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmYou are a communist traitor.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmRead our lips "We do NOT want Obamacare". HMOs are bad enough. The elderly and the poor already have free healthcare. (Medicare and Medicaid) That leaves the irresponsible who DO have the money to provide their healthcare but choose not to AND illegal immigrants.
Sorry, but I’d rather not pay for either of those groups.
This is from a foreign website on what to expect for health care in the US:
Medical care in the United States is generally very high quality. The government closely monitors medically oriented businesses and institutions. Hospitals, clinics, medical schools, and pharmaceutical companies must comply with government standards.
Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel must be licensed, and becoming a medical specialist frequently entails fifteen years or more of rigorous schooling and training. The high level of technology available in the U.S. contributes to quality care, and the average hospital contains millions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art equipment.
Medical and health care is big business. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars on research and development of new drugs, because the financial returns on successful new drugs are even higher. Hospitals and medical schools also spend substantial amounts on research, knowing that new techniques and discoveries will bring them prestige, patients, and money, while benefiting many people. The result for consumers is ever improving quality and effectiveness of medical care.
When seeking any kind of medical assistance in the United States, there are few free services, and most care is expensive. Unlike other countries, there is little government sponsored health care here, except for those over 65 years of age (Medicare), or for the poor (Medicaid). The Insurance industry is a major influence in the business of staying well or regaining one’s good health. Obtaining some type of health insurance coverage to protect you and your family is very smart, but expect it to be a significant monthly expense.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmSome of our health care money is being used to buy nukes for the Middle Eastern nations.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmShould I believe Mopar Mike (based on "obviousness")…or the World Health Organization (based on actual data)????
Hmmmmmm…decisions, decisions.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmLOL boy are you a drone. Tell me how the WHO scored the countries (not asking for category lists I am asking for the actual method of scoring done in each category)and please tell me how Obama care is going to force people to go see the doctor? Every time you go it costs money it is not FREE.
Is Social Security free? Is it going bankrupt?
Is Medicare and Medicaid going bankrupt?
How is an extension of those 3 entitlements going to be any different and less expensive? Medicare and Medicaid were also supposed to drop the costs of health care but instead they ACTUALLY DRIVE UP THE COSTS OF HEALTH CARE.
And yes it does reduce our freedoms anyway you want to cut this topic up.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmIf it’s such a great system HOW COME PEOPLE FROM ALL OF THESE COUNTRIES WITH SOCIALIZED MEDICINE COMES TO AMERICA TO GET HEALTH ISSUES TAKEN CARE OF? A lot of these are people with money but they can’t either get appointments for months down the line, there medical problem aren’t covered, or they have substandard treatments.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmFirst of all, one of the reasons that their health care costs less is because we do all the research and development of new treatments and drugs. That costs money. They take our advancements and duplicate them. They also ration treatments. If someone is over a certain age, it is no longer cost effective to provide them with health care so they are allowed to die.
Second, there is NO constitutional basis for a government run health care system or government involvement in health care at all.
"healthcare costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy today among people that HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE"
What are the reasons for that? On what else are they spending their money? Are they in debt because of credit cards? Buying a house that is too expensive? Maybe it’s that taxes are driving the cost of health care way up. Maybe it’s frivolous lawsuits. Maybe it’s people using health insurance for things that they could pay for out of pocket. Insurance wasn’t meant for that. The federal government is the biggest cause of higher health care costs. They drive up the cost of manufacturing health care equipment. They drive up the cost of transporting that equipment to the hospitals. They increase the need of more and more administrators which leaves less money for HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. The more the government gets involved the more everything costs. Look into how much you pay in taxes. Not just what is taken out of your paycheck(which is plenty), but ALL the taxes you pay. They’re already stealing us blind.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmJust how much is your freedom worth?
I think there may be a hole in the statistics in that comparisons of what different countries pay in money does not say anything about what is spent per person in each country nor what the money is spent on.
For instance how many MRI’s of individuals are funded in Europe and Canada.
Another consideration is our legal system. Go to a lawyer here after a traffic accident and watch the diagnostics go through the roof. Even if they come back negative, they are paid for and that gets lumped in. All deaths are are counted evem those not related to a medical condition.
There are also reports that the government systems don’t like to authorize diagnostics too quickly.
You really have to check the media outlets in those countries to see if the easily skewed statistics support what is being reported. I did, I’ve also been over there, I have enough formal statistics education to know they can easily be skewed, I see how social security, medicare, medicaid have cost more than predicted (which also goes into the numbers of what we pay, about 40% of what we pay) and so I’m skeptical about what we are being fed.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:34 pmAlso note that we currently import sick people from third world countries to boost negative outcomes.