Universal Healthcare Coming to US

[KrisHawkXXX]

Which citizens shouldn't have equal access to healthcare?

Should members of Congress, whose healthcare coverage is paid for by us, have access to better healthcare than some of the citizens they represent?

You say your mother has MS and Lupus. If she had no other way to access the healthcare she needs, do you think she's one of the people who should not be taken care of by the government because the cost is too high? At what amount, or for which conditions, do we tell someone you're not getting any more?

See, we've created a horrific problem for our society. Science has found ways, and continues to find more, to keep us alive longer. But it's expensive. So now we either have to figure out how to provide those benefits for everyone or be a people who play God over who gets to live and who has to die of the same medical problem.

It's not playing God. She can't work however, so she has SSI. She sleeps at crazy hours which change. I mean the people that CAN work shouldn't have things handed to them just because they are jobless.

 

[belamy]

It's not playing God. She can't work however, so she has SSI. She sleeps at crazy hours which change. I mean the people that CAN work shouldn't have things handed to them just because they are jobless.

There are many different works that different sorts of people can do, and there are also people being very respectably paid for the silliest useless "jobs".
There are drug addicts, drunkards, people with no qualification, no intelligence, no talent, darn bastards who are supposed to deserve better because they get paid and therefore have "a job" which was handed over to them by merely pulling the right strings or, even worse, having someone pull the strings for them, or by kicking away people they deemed less worthy of anything in life?: I don't think such people deserve any better than people left behind because they were simply less lucky...
People who really work their own luck and position in life are far, far, far less numerous than people who speak as righteously as you would like to admit even to themselves.

I'm sick of hearing people, from any country in the world, point at leeches at the bottom of the social scale while blatantly ignoring the often far more harmful leeches at the top of the pyramid... surely because they are somehow part of that latter group themselves. In a system in which all the good is supposed to "tickle down" the biggest damage comes precisely from the top, not the bottom.

 

[NickCole]

It's not playing God. She can't work however, so she has SSI. She sleeps at crazy hours which change. I mean the people that CAN work shouldn't have things handed to them just because they are jobless.

I think a lot of people take advantage of the system and our entitlement programs need a major overhaul.

That doesn't, however, answer the question of who's to have access to how much healthcare. I'm of the opinion that everybody should have equal access to the same healthcare no matter what your name is or where you work or how much money you have. That's a very tall order, I realize, but otherwise, as I said, somebody is playing God and that just strikes me as indecent policy for a civilized people.

 

[kallipolis]

I think a lot of people take advantage of the system and our entitlement programs need a major overhaul.

That doesn't, however, answer the question of who's to have access to how much healthcare. I'm of the opinion that everybody should have equal access to the same healthcare no matter what your name is or where you work or how much money you have. That's a very tall order, I realize, but otherwise, as I said, somebody is playing God and that just strikes me as indecent policy for a civilized people.

You are a decent human being, Nick Cole.

 

[kallipolis]

There are many different works that different sorts of people can do, and there are also people being very respectably paid for the silliest useless "jobs".
There are drug addicts, drunkards, people with no qualification, no intelligence, no talent, darn bastards who are supposed to deserve better because they get paid and therefore have "a job" which was handed over to them by merely pulling the right strings or, even worse, having someone pull the strings for them, or by kicking away people they deemed less worthy of anything in life?: I don't think such people deserve any better than people left behind because they were simply less lucky...
People who really work their own luck and position in life are far, far, far less numerous than people who speak as righteously as you would like to admit even to themselves.

I'm sick of hearing people, from any country in the world, point at leeches at the bottom of the social scale while blatantly ignoring the often far more harmful leeches at the top of the pyramid... surely because they are somehow part of that latter group themselves. In a system in which all the good is supposed to "tickle down" the biggest damage comes precisely from the top, not the bottom.

Well said, belamy

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Am I the only one having trouble finding articles about this? I yahoo'd and googled "US senate universal health care measure" in various forms and came up with nothing recent..

 

[Heliostat]

I hope not. Universal health care can be a NIGHTMARE. I hate to admit it but the conservatives were right. You have to remember.. what makes the USA so high on the scale compared to many other countries.. its because it must be doing something differently. My mom has MS and Lupus. If she needed an MRI she can get it in a week. With socialized Medicine it would take her months.

That is an incredibly ignorant statement. With our "great" capitalist healthcare system, millions of people wait indefinately because they cannot afford care. The United States ranks VERY low on the list of general health of its population compared to other industrialized countries, all of which have universal healthcare in one form or another. I have insurance -- but it is severely lacking. I've been waiting SIX YEARS and still counting to have some expensive dental work done. I'm sick of waiting -- bring on the socialist medicine!

 

[NickCole]

Am I the only one having trouble finding articles about this? I yahoo'd and googled "US senate universal health care measure" in various forms and came up with nothing recent..

The only news about this is the "reconciliation" procedural move by Democrats, which apparently Obama pushed for. (Look up "reconciliation" on Google News.)

The actual healthcare legislation Obama and Congressional Democrats will push through is not yet written. And that's my concern. I don't trust Obama and Pelosi and Reid to come up with stellar healthcare legislation. And now that they've taken all the power from the opposition, Obama/Pelosi/Reid will get whatever they want and Democrats will own the results. If you trust them to come up with something great, it's a day of celebration. I'm holding off on the champagne until I see what they come up with because I'm concerned it'll be as shallow and watery, and yet expensive, as their economic stimulus bill.

 

[PabloZed]

I completely trust our wonderful President. But the truth is its not in the hands of the President of Pelosi. There are senators who have been working on a healthplan for over a decade. Indeed, Sens. Spector, Baucus, Alexander and Widen each have their own bills. Its basically about harmonizing everything.

As for why we need it, I haven't had a physical since before we invaded Iraq. Its not because I can't work, or because I have any illness. I can't afford health insurance. The last two times I had my teeth cleaned was with a coupon. If I even thought I had swine flu I would probably die before going to the emergency room
because I can't afford that bill.

So if the only thing I have to worry about is waiting in a line, bring it on.

 

[Heliostat]

Well said Pablo! Waiting for 6 weeks or even 6 months in the worst of Socialist healthcare systems pales in comparison to waiting indefinitely in our system.

 

[JSB_01]

I hope not. Universal health care can be a NIGHTMARE. I hate to admit it but the conservatives were right. You have to remember.. what makes the USA so high on the scale compared to many other countries.. its because it must be doing something differently. My mom has MS and Lupus. If she needed an MRI she can get it in a week. With socialized Medicine it would take her months.

If your mom has private health care, I don't think the policy change affects her. They're not forcing people into socialized health care if they have private.

 

[metta]

This is excellent news!

I have been hoping to see a more complete national health care for so many years. We cannot continue as we are. There are many benefits to it. It is not perfect, but there is no perfect system.


- less paperwork. Time is an important matter in an emergency.

- less risk of losing your savings, home and other assets if you get sick.

- less risk of having to spend all your money on health care.

- depending on the design, it may make it easier for US companies to compete with companies that are in countries with national health care. (please see auto industry) It may even result in more manufacturing in the US.

- no fear of losing your health care.

- you can take it with you if you lose, change, or retire from your job.

- basic health care should be a basic human right.

- I had a best friend that had a kidney transplant. The dialysis that he used to have prior to the transplant damaged his digestive system, which required very costly health care supplies and treatment to help him. I remember his doctor telling him that it was better to stay on medicare than private insurance because private insurance (HMO) would have focused on the cheapest treaments instead of what what he needed. The doctor, who worked with all the major health insurance companies and medical, told him that he would have been dead if he went on an HMO. He ended up being the only one that was left living with his condition. Everyone else died. He did die years after that from a staff infection that was hard to treat because of the drugs he needed to keep his immune system down so his kidney would not be rejected and the digestion issues. But I'm so thankful for the years that I did have with him. For people that say that private insurance is better, I have to say that in many cases that it is not.

 

[NickCole]

I completely trust our wonderful President. But the truth is its not in the hands of the President of Pelosi. There are senators who have been working on a healthplan for over a decade. Indeed, Sens. Spector, Baucus, Alexander and Widen each have their own bills. Its basically about harmonizing everything.

Wrong.

Of course they're going to have to negotiate details with Congress, but this is Obama's legislation.

 

[SonOfSlobone]

And by the way -- everybody (on both sides) can relax for the time being. This is just a procedural vote, we'll see what the bill looks like when it gets passed.

The only way the insurance companies and the drug companies will support it is if it doesn't cut into their profits. And if it does, they'll just call in all the favors from the Senators and Congressmen they've already bought and paid for... in both parties.

 

[Joshua_me]

Quality health care should be a right to every citizen. Especially if that citizen works and pays taxes, or is not able to for a legitimate reason.

Just like you have a right to have a fire truck come to your house if it's on fire.

These are not difficult concepts.

As usual, it's greedy old white men (read: 'drug companies') that have stood in the way of this for decades. God forbid they lose any profits, and besides they don't have to look at those sick people in their country clubs.

I know everyone is tired of hearing that America is the only major industrialized nation without basic health care afforded it's citizens, but that's a VERY important point to consider.

We get handed lines like, "the nightmare of socialized medicine' and the like, but I think that people are finally starting to reject that nonsense/

There's a major change coming, I can feel it.

 

[thermodynamics]

I don't think the alleged "nightmare" of universal health care can even begin to compare to the actual nightmare of being uninsured, having no coverage and having a major illness.

So true. So true.

 

[seven_sins]

.....We have a history of employer-provided healthcare that Pres. Obama wants to preserve, mostly because its what many Americans are familiar with.....

Rising insurance rates will eventually cause that system to fail. Employers will simply not be able to pay the premiums. Each year, more and more of the burden is being put on the employee. Some employers even force employees to go part time so that they can avoid paying insurance.

 

[Triple G]

National Healthcare will be a total disaster as it is every where it has been tried. I thank God I am not far from the Mexican bounder so I can go to the doctors there and get good care at reasonable prices.

 

[Joshua_me]

The left has equated "coverage" with "care." They are two different things. NO one in this country is denied care..

I'm afraid that's not true, jav.

Yes, if it's a dramatic emergency like a severed limb an ER will see you, but for other just as important issues the uninsured are out of luck.

I recently went through a breast cancer scare with my Mom. I chose not to share it here at JUB, but I got quite an eyeful waiting in Dr's offices the past couple of months.

I got to chatting with this one guy without insurance in the waiting room that had some sort of cancer that needed weekly treatment. When his name was called, a nurse came out and said, "We need your $400 or we are not going to be able to treat you today. DO you have the cash on you ? No checks."

The poor guy said, "Yes", and pulled a wad of 20's out of his jeans.

In other words, 'Pay up, or your cancer progresses then you die.'

This is nothing short of unacceptable in this country.

It broke my heart.

 

[PhoenixRising]

My god Josh, that is absolutely disgusting.