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202 Comments
- EnviroChem, on 05/22/2009, -4/+82Give us single payer health care and kill the health insurance companies and give 100% of American's health care while still cutting overall costs by 20%. Health insurance companies are nothing but parasites on our national economy. They contribute nothing to our national economy, while making health care way too expensive for way too many Americans.
- Anomaly100, on 05/11/2009, -2/+72Health Care is one of the major things, if not fixed will bring this country down. If Insurance Companies are for it, you have to question it, really question it. Honestly, do you think they want the best for us, or for them!
Good submjssion Blue Eyes- - BBE1965, on 05/11/2009, -3/+69This is 1.5 percent over TEN years. It will probably pass and the media will tell us what a great deal we're getting and how fabulous "reform" is.
- zarcu, on 05/13/2009, -3/+46Please tell me I'm not the only one that thought that said "single-player".
- bitCruncher, on 05/12/2009, -1/+41With all of the money these people give congress, do you really think congress will pass single-payer health care? Congress stopped representing the people a long time ago.
- inactive, on 05/13/2009, -2/+32They are the middle man, they take whatever savings you would have normally have saved, and keep it for themselves. ***** them all!
I am a former employee of Regence Blue Shield. - seltaeb4, on 05/13/2009, -5/+33It's impossible to put this any more bluntly: Health Insurance Corporations profit from your suffering and death, and that of your family.
Every claim they deny is more money in their pocket—the health of you and your children be damned.
When they can choose between providing care for those they "insure" or adding $0.01 to the price of their stock, you WILL lose.
Believe me, they are more than willing to let you suffer and die so they can attempt to please their stockholders each quarter. - kingmanic, on 05/13/2009, -2/+29I have no stake in this but I'm continually appalled at how ideologically motivated Americans can be. How can you be suspicious of your government but give a free pass to for profit entities. You either mistrust them both or trust them both. But a certain heavily ideological segment of America has it compartmentalized that they'd prefer to be anally raped by a for profit organization rather then consider a single payer system. All data point to this ideological slice being the dumbest group of people on earth.
If you honestly mistrust the government; which is fair in many case; you should be smart enough to realize almost every mega corporation is itself a self contained government. America may ***** up the implementation of a single payer health system but the current system is already a huge cluster *****. Making it worse will take incompetence and idiocy of gigantic proportions. Oddly this ideological slice of people all also tend ot have a unrealistically high opinion of Americans. - DirtyVicar, on 05/13/2009, -3/+28Mandate by law that health insurance companies must be non-profit organizations and impose CEO compensation caps, and that will fix a hell of a lot of the problems. Health care is about the patient, not about earnings.
But yeah, like the person above said, Congress has been bought and paid for by industry, so my hope is that at least a black market for health care will get going so people with pre-existing conditions can find at least some care. - S2000, on 05/13/2009, -3/+26Actually, as what seems an even bigger "***** you":
"The groups aim to achieve the proposed savings by using new efficiencies to trim the rise in health-care costs by 1.5 percent a year"
Sounds like we're not even looking at cutting the total cost by 1.5%, we're talking about lowering the YEARLY RISE OF COSTS by 1.5%. So costs will keep getting cranked up, just by 1.5% less. Whoopty ***** doo.
Go burn in hell you ***** scumbags. - fairley7, on 05/13/2009, -2/+25The flip side is true also. Implementing a single payer system would be a huge step forward. It would not only provide decent health care to every American, it would also eliminate the #1 source of bankrupcy in the US. It's simply barbaric that people get killed financially paying their medical bills. And it also would remove a club that employers hold over employee heads -- namely the prospect of losing your family's health insurance when you lose your job.
Every other remotely wealthy country on planet Earth covers all its citizens. And no country pays anything like what we pay for it either. Having a truly universal health care system is a reform that's long overdue. - presidentraygun, on 05/12/2009, -2/+24I heard every time they deny claim... they get cupcakes.
- ThomasDyer, on 05/13/2009, -1/+23It's self evident that any corporation has profit at the heart of its intentions. This is why we can't have corporations in charge of our health. Increasing profit often means taking short cuts, and if there's one area we should never take short cuts on, its with our personal health. Also, the profit idea is quite a paradox when applied to medicine. If we were to ever cure a major disease, it is likely drug companies who used to manufacture and/or design drugs to inhibit those diseases would lose profit. Therefore, it is often the case that there are powerful people whose livelihoods would be destroyed if people got healthier. It's socially paralyzing.
- gcathey, on 05/12/2009, -6/+24I'm going to have to call you on this one. This is a typical misperception regarding the VA healthcare system. I know a lot of veterans who are very happy with their VA health care (and, yes, I'm one of them). In fact, the VA consistently ranks higher in customer satisfaction than most of the private health care industry.
http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2009/04/28/n ...
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/homepage/x859503607 ...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1 ...
These are just a few examples of the recent articles you can Google (VA customer satisfaction) confirming that the VA is doing a great job.
So, to answer your question "This is the system you all want for the rest of us?" YES!! - SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/13/2009, -0/+17I believe the fact that these insurance companies, the same companies that have built an industry on foundations of exploitation and greed, don't want to see this happen serves as sufficient proof that social or single-payer health-care will work. They've obviously crunched the numbers and realized they can't compete with affordable health care that doesn't force people to jump through hoops or deny coverage on frivolous technicalities, so their options now are to change their ways or try and stop such a system from ever coming to be. It seems they've made that choice already. You had your chance. You chose greed and callousness. I hope Obama and congress gives them nothing but the finger.
- scottknick, on 05/13/2009, -2/+19Wouldn't it have been a lot easier for the Insurance industry to just say "dear American health consumers: ***** You."?
- CalcProgrammer1, on 05/13/2009, -1/+18I thought the headline was referring to a deal between probably a publisher and a developer saying they'd cut the price of a game if they removed the single-player portion...then was very confused when I read about heath care.
- inactive, on 05/13/2009, -1/+18The bottom line of ALL these "let's do nothing about Health Care" screeds is that Republicans are jackasses.
Remember back when the Republican argument was that if we had universal health coverage, doctors would be besieged by armies of hypochondriacs who would bankrupt the system monopolize doctors offices across the nation? Well, NOW they're telling us that nationalized health care will result in insurance companies denying service to undesirable patients. It's just amazing.
I used to think Republicans were just misguided, but now I can see that they're truly Evil. They're fine with spending billions of dollars to kill people in Iraq, but don't want to spend ONE RED CENT to help out Americans in need. The only things a Republican is willing to spend money on is death, hatred, and bigotry. Try to spend money on things like sick children or helping out people that have lost their jobs, and all of a sudden they start howling like a pack of rabid wolves. - indeh, on 05/13/2009, -3/+19Bull. With the current system, some health insurance company bean-counter sits between you and your doctor, determining what doctor you can see, what medicine you can take, and what treatment you can receive, with all of those decisions based on for-profit motivations. And if you say "well, with a free market I can vote with my wallet and change insurance companies", I have two words for you: preexisting condition.
- Khast, on 05/13/2009, -4/+19But, think of the jobs that would be lost. And the rich CEO might end up on the street.
Now you wouldn't want that on your conscience, now would you?!?!?!
(resounding: YES WE WOULD) - Oea420, on 05/13/2009, -1/+15I did and I actually re-read it about 3 times as single-player, very confused
then realized... - 8FoldPath, on 05/13/2009, -0/+14At least the jobless would still have health coverage. :)
- inactive, on 05/13/2009, -2/+16no you keep voting the same system in over and over again.
if you have a choice between donkey ***** or elephant *****, you still have to eat *****, there is no option for "no ***** please" - rwk2of3, on 05/13/2009, -1/+15Is this really true? Why? I don't know much about single-payer, but I know a lot about simplistic explanations and exaggeration.
A few things:
1) I have some control, if I have a job with good benefits, otherwise, I'm screwed. No control there.
2) I'd look at another country with single-payer and see how it works there. Does it suck? It could, I don't know. You're post didn't help much.
3) Spending days on the phone trying to get medical bills goes on now (my father became the master after his heart surgery). He called one person to be redirected to another. He called back day after day. Sounds like bureaucracy?
4) Does your health insurance carrier suck? Too bad! Your company picked them! Your stuck with them. Are they even any worse than any other carrier? How would you even know?
5) At least you can vote the government out. You can't do diddly to the CEO.
The bad part of having the government control anything is, Bush was just president for 8 years. Do you want another bozo like him in charge of health insurance? Its not happening today, but someday it will. The system better be rock-solid enough and transparent enough to be untouchable by the pres and greedy politicians. - ProfessorSYM, on 05/12/2009, -8/+21I doubt that this will be Obama's only effort on health care reform, and one thing we should know by now is not to underestimate him politically.
I can see him going for the substantive changes to health care in his second term...but sadly, that won't help the people who are going to go bankrupt from medical bills or die from lack of care in the meantime. - sonicpentatonic, on 05/13/2009, -0/+12The biggest sham is that they aren't pledging to cut costs by 1.5%, they are pledging to cut the projected INCREASE in costs by 1.5%. These projections, it should be noted, are incredibly speculative and made by the industry themselves. This means that if they predict health care costs to rise 10% annually, they are saying they will work so they "only" increase 8.5%, not decrease by 1.5%.
This means all they have to do is to make some inflated projections for the future, and then when the costs increase by less than their projections, their promise is deemed a success.
This is another example of liars using math and statistics to try to confuse the average person. - Innuendo24, on 05/13/2009, -1/+13Why was I dug down for asking a question about a system of which I would like to know more about? Damned be the man who seeks information. I know i could google it, and I have. But i'm asking for a summation of information so as to further my understanding of a complex issue. Geesh this community boggles me sometimes.
- SammyJr, on 05/13/2009, -4/+15Right now, my insurance company bureaucrat tells me who I can see. A Government plan would increase my choices.
- yocouchdigga, on 05/13/2009, -0/+10and extended nap-time.
- sugarazor, on 05/13/2009, -0/+10"So if the rest of the world started jumping off the bridge...."
They'd have access to health care. - Bartboy919, on 05/13/2009, -2/+11Don't be so pessimistic. You think the Insurance industry welcomed Medicare with open arms? Congress does actually do some good once in a while.
- sugarazor, on 05/13/2009, -4/+13Because insurance companies are doing such a bang-up job right now. The health of the nation's people should not be a for-profit business. We're America, supposedly the greatest country in the world, yet we're the only modern nation without some kind of universal health care, you mean to tell me we can't figure out how to do this? Please.
- SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/13/2009, -3/+12Congress will represent us or congress will be changed. I think the American people have sent that message fairly clearly over the past couple congressional elections.
- temsi, on 05/13/2009, -1/+9You might want to augment that limited graph by comparing it with the rest of the world.
Just because we've been doing it wrong all these years doesn't mean it can't be done. - sugarazor, on 05/13/2009, -2/+10When was the last time an insurance company saved you money?
- Innuendo24, on 05/13/2009, -4/+12Alright, I'll bite. I've heard single payer touted a lot as of late but it seems very utopian. And previous experience tells me that all utopian solutions actually have some form of heavy sacrifice on either an individual or a group level. Can someone please make a rational statement of what would change for the worse with a single payer system. I really can't imagine such a perfect example not having some form of sacrifice.
- inactive, on 05/13/2009, -1/+9Step 1. Immediately make it illegal to make a profit in the health insurance industry.
- CaptOblivious, on 05/13/2009, -2/+10As compared to a for profit corp in charge of a public utility or resource?
Pretty much all the ***** time. - sugarazor, on 05/13/2009, -1/+9"I just personally believe that free-market competition leads to the best results."
Then why aren't we seeing any of these "best" results? Just like the credit industry, they're all out to screw you over and increase their profits, but instead of gambling with your money, the insurance company is gambling with your very existence. Every argument you can make against 100% government-run health care (which we'll never have in this country anyway) can be made against the free market.
The biggest complaint I always here is that "health decisions should be between doctor and patient, government bureaucrats need to stay out of it!" Well, it's not just between doctor and patient, it's between doctor, patient and insurance company. Insurance companies tell you what doctor to go to, what medicines you're covered for, etc. And then there's the mythical "year-long wait" to see your doctor argument. If I called my dentist tomorrow, the soonest I'd be getting in would probably be July or August... and that's just me being optimistic.
I'm not suggesting we implement a European health care system tomorrow, but it's not impossible. We're America, we should be leading the world by example when it comes to things like this, but right now we share company with nations like Kazakhstan, Colombia, Peru, Pakistan, Bolivia, Turkey and the entire continent of Africa as a country that doesn't provide health care to its citizens. - maniaci137, on 05/13/2009, -0/+7Came to the comments for this. I was not disappointed.
- deathandtaverns, on 05/13/2009, -0/+7but you usually have to go with whatever your employer provides
- h0ly, on 05/13/2009, -0/+7Exactly what I thought. Had to read it 3 times as well.
- mikedoth, on 05/13/2009, -0/+7It's not like they'd get rid of private insurance/doctors, that's a ***** storm for the weak minded. Most worthwhile countries have it, we've just always had to be different... look at the metric system.
- Suzilla, on 05/13/2009, -4/+10How 'bout we KILL the insurance companies (that is, revoke their corporate charters, which effectively puts these "immortal persons" to death, and start over -- with a single-payor system.
- sugarazor, on 05/13/2009, -3/+9Your argument was pretty much the equivalent of someone saying "I didn't like this movie" and some fanboy jumping in and screaming "Oh well if the movie sucked so bad, why don't you go make a better one!?" Come back when you're ready to have an adult discussion.
- SteveSgt, on 05/13/2009, -0/+6To paraphrase anarchist Jello Biafra: "Don't HATE the government, BE the government."
- seltaeb4, on 05/13/2009, -0/+6That's what they've been doing for decades, and it has made them trillions of dollars.
The ONLY way Health Insurance Corporations make money is from the suffering and death of those they claim to cover.
Your family's suffering and death=their multi-million dollar bonuses. - CyclonusRIP, on 05/13/2009, -1/+7It's a public good. Kind of like the whole point of the government. I think the government is the guy to mandate you to participate in a government plan. I dunno where we got this idea. Apparently at some point in history we figured out that by pooling some of our resources and investing in the community we could create something better than going it on our own. I guess you could go off the grid and live in the woods on your own if you think that's a better option. Then no one could tell you what to do and you could spend your money(no wait the government does that) to buy whatever you wanted but you might have to travel on a road(no the government makes those) to the store(that is only located here because of the favorable business environment your country provided). So be my guess go grab all the freedom you can stand.
- Philodox, on 05/13/2009, -0/+6Medicare's approximate budget for 2008 was 400 billion, that means that 5% of your medicare money is being wasted.
I forget the exact stat, but the US pays the most per capita compared to any country in the world for much less than the best health care. According to the first hit in Google, the U.S. pays close to double what Canada pays per capita.
http://chartingtheeconomy.com/?p=523
If this is true, by moving to a single payer system you could save up to 40%. Now lets do some simple math, which is a bigger number: 40% or 5%? - AlterLite, on 05/13/2009, -3/+9Nope, it won't change. We need term limits in Congress, but that won't happen because any amendment has to begin in Congress.. do you think they will risk not enriching themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer? Not a chance!
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