What is Digg?283 Comments
- keigwyn, on 08/28/2008, -11/+183People I know who work as paramedics can attest to the fact that over 80% of their calls involve people without health insurance who use their service as a free cab ride to the hospital for complaints those of us without insurance wouldn't bother to go to the doctor for. Another 15% are people who don't have insurance and wait until they are dying to go to the hospital for things they should have seen a doctor for but couldn't because they have no insurance.
Who picks up the tab for all this? Those of us who can still afford health insurance.
Who benefits? The health-care industry. The health-care system is broken, but it works for the corporate elite--John McCain and his lobbyist cronies. - USArugula, on 08/28/2008, -17/+177Ladies and gentlemen, the lunatics are trying to retain control of the asylum.
- rawg, on 08/28/2008, -6/+103These guys are unbelievable. What's their suggestion for dealing with high fuel prices? Just keep driving until you run out of gas and let the department of transportation tow truck come get you.
- jimbecile, on 08/28/2008, -18/+91Yeah, well John McCain couldn't go to an emergency room for five and a half years in a Northern Vietnamese hellhole, you America-hating celebrity muslims!
- brandonchicago, on 08/28/2008, -4/+58So the McCain campaigns strategy for dealing with the problem is to pretend it doesn't exist? Seems reasonable.
I'm going to stop paying my bills now because they don't exist. - macsox, on 08/28/2008, -11/+63I've said it before, and I'll say it again:
http://TheWorstCandidate.com
Ever. - barbiesnow, on 08/28/2008, -2/+42We have health insurance and it is still difficult to get them..BC/BS of South Carolina to get things straight..It has taken over two months to get a simple claim filed correctly. Maddening, and the deductable amount get higher and higher..
- carterartist, on 08/28/2008, -8/+47so now i find out that not only can Americans not pick lettuce for $50 bucks an hour ( http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOZKeOauNI ) but McSame also believes we all have insurance? That is clearly "Out of touch" with common Americans. ***** McCain!!
- blakecr, on 08/28/2008, -5/+37I am sorry for asking, but these days I have no idea if that comment was /sarcasm or you are just a McCain supporter/
- PsycheBabe, on 08/28/2008, -4/+35"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.
"So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."
So that's why it's the Straight Talk Express - fixing America's problems is only about changing the way we talk. It's all just straight talk - no real action. - tacroy, on 08/28/2008, -13/+43OK. I'm not a mccain fan, but I like reading comprehension. So :
1. Mccain did not say this, Mccain's campaign did not say this "John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a right-leaning Dallas-based think tank who helped craft Sen. John McCain's health care policy" said this.
2. The point was that anyone has access to healthcare even without paying for insurance, because those without purchased insurance is "insured" by 'government' money.
3. The comment appears to be something said sarcastically to demonstrate that the issue is not that people do not have access to medical treatment, but instead that the issue is who ends up paying for the coverage that everyone has. Perhaps he should have used a /sarcasm tag - tcbishop12, on 08/28/2008, -1/+30Appears to be the former, but given the outrageous stuff put out with a straight face by the McCain campaign these days, you do have to ask.
- AriaStar, on 08/28/2008, -2/+25There are others who pic up the tab, including those workers who pay taxes but don't make enough to afford coverage for themselves, presuming they're full time and qualify for benefits to begin with. Plenty of companies work employees up to about an hour less than they need to qualify, but those workers often also can't afford several hundred dollars per month for private insurance.
Yet these people are paying taxes only to not be able to see a doctor until it's too late.
So don't you dare claim that the only ones paying are the ones also paying for their own insurance. That is NOT the case. Plenty of people work and pay the taxes for it without being able to afford their own insurance. - br0ck, on 08/28/2008, -2/+25We don't pick up the tab as much as you think. Hospitals are extremely aggressive when it comes to bill collecting and will stop at nothing to get their money back, even if it means taking everything that a person has.
"Illness and medical bills caused half of the 1,458,000 personal bankruptcies in 2001, according to a study published by the journal Health Affairs. .. In many cases, illness forced breadwinners to take time off from work -- losing income and job-based health insurance precisely when families needed it most. .. Families in bankruptcy suffered many privations -- 30 percent had a utility cut off and 61 percent went without needed medical care."
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/bankrup ... - dBass, on 08/28/2008, -8/+30Why does John McCain hate America?
- AriaStar, on 08/28/2008, -7/+27How the ***** can he say this is as good as insurance? When you're discharged with a prescription you can't afford to fill out of pocket, when you have to wait until that infection on your foot is bad enough to require amputation, when you've got to wait for what started out as a cough with green phlegm to turn into full-blown bronchitis, this is NOT the same as health insurance!
When you've got a lump on your breast you can't have examined, a pain in your testicular region, a sharp pain in your lung - these are not treated as emergencies, so say hello to cancer! Oh, wait, you've got insurance by going to the ER. Except ERs aren't set up to administer chemo!!
An ER makes you stable enough to see a regular doctor or admits you for a few days if it will take longer to stabilize you. And stabilizing only means you aren't expected to get worse in the next 24 hours. Doesn't mean you're expected to get better, only that you're not expected to get worse.
So, I repeat, How the ***** can he say this is as good as insurance? OH YEAH! He's rich and can afford private insurance. As for myself, I'm still in disbelief that I finally have private coverage after years of nothing.
I am so angry right now. So severely angry at him. - tcbishop12, on 08/28/2008, -7/+27McCain *waves hand*...
"These aren't the droids you're looking for..." - lanemik, on 08/28/2008, -3/+23No no no! Let's keep the system the same so that even more people can die from preventable diseases! USA USA USA!
- omred, on 08/28/2008, -7/+26Not only is this a great way to reduce the uninsured, but let's imagine the ways that this strategy will lower the cost of healthcare in general /snark/.
This is a criminal thing to say. It's obviously coming from someone who hasn't spent much time in an emergency room, and who has not spoken to single ER nurse or doc about what their jobs are like. Visits to the ER are a surefire way to ensure that our system stays inefficient, overstretched, and expensive, and I can't think of a single entity that benefits from this. Someone put this guy in jail, please! - scoobydoo84, on 08/28/2008, -6/+25Americans--Pass this story around and email this story over and over to the Obama Campaign and media outlets. This is much bigger than we realize. All of next week the Obama campaign should run an ad with just this title. This is huge. I will do my part, but all us need to bombard this story. People need to know that people like this one and the neocons will be driving policy.
- InfiniteNothing, on 08/28/2008, -2/+21If it's already free now, why would universal health care incentivize anyone to use an ambulance? These people are likely using an ambulance because it gets them to the front of the line at the ER. They are using a very expensive system as health care. If they had universal health care, they wouldn't have to use the ambulance because they could just drive themselves to the doctor. Now, what do you think costs uncle sam less money? Paying for a doctor's visit to provide preventative medicine or using an ambulance and the ER?
- Lynx55, on 08/28/2008, -10/+2747 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE NO INSURANCE as of 01/01/08. Only McSHAME could make 47 million Americans just POOF , disappear. I am starting to think this is how he would lead the country. Deficit? What deficit? I don't see a deficit? Torture? What torture:
This however, is a slap in the face to all 47 million, and it is much more since January. Everytime a company closes, it adds to the list. Cobra only lasts so long. AND I will betcha bottom dxollar the man has no freakin idea what health insurace costs now!
I hope the hell Obama gets this info...this is destructive. Sometimes you just have to shake your head, and wonder how the hell can the polls be right? Are some of our citizens really that STUPID??? Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh.....: > O - blakecr, on 08/28/2008, -3/+20If you think that they are going to win this year we all need to get off our asses and get to work.
- neognostic, on 08/28/2008, -1/+18Don't wake spaza up, he's taking his afternoon nap.
- inactive, on 08/28/2008, -6/+20Health defined by pharmacy boys swirling bucket of alchemy might be our last science experiment !
Watching pharmaceutical stocks / profits rise faster then oil, tells me Americans are dying as slowly / profitably as chemically possible. - neognostic, on 08/28/2008, -1/+14Actually, there are lowlifes in Dallas doing that, the emergency crews come by and give them gas.
- lostlyrics, on 08/28/2008, -1/+14I fear it's a spaza duplicate and "serious"
- enantiodromia, on 08/28/2008, -5/+17maybe he thinks it's still the 1950s?
- zip000, on 08/28/2008, -3/+15Except they will privatize the Department of Transportation to Haliburton.
- mrgeekguy, on 08/28/2008, -4/+16Do a search on "Emergency Room Closures" and then see how "free" health care is readily available.
- sassce, on 08/28/2008, -7/+18McShame as defined in the dictionary
Elitist and out of touch! - bitspace, on 08/28/2008, -2/+12Many people have health coverage as part of group plans with their employers. It is not uncommon for one of the benefits of employment to be partial (or even full) payment of health insurance premiums. Without this benefit from the employers, most people would not be able to afford the astronomical premiums that the health industry charges. As a result, most of these people are limited in their health coverage choices to whatever the employer offers as a benefit. Despite being a company of some 50k employees, my employer participates in only one group health insurance plan. I cannot afford to pay the premium for health insurance out of pocket. Therefore, I participate in the group plan.
- phrenzy, on 08/28/2008, -1/+11Is that the best you can do? Jesus Christ - "Obamatards"? You're still using that tired ass refrain? Grow the ***** up. Every word you write is revealed to be that of an ignorant douche when you have to throw that in.
"patience will need to give full disclosure" doesn't help your cause either. - inactive, on 08/28/2008, -3/+13As long as Diebold controls the machines that count the votes.
Did you know McCain was a POW for 5 and a half years? That man is just an inspiration.
A man (hero) that watches his comrades get killed and does nothing about it. - socalftw, on 08/28/2008, -5/+15His logic is retarded.
- Insightful, on 08/28/2008, -3/+13"Could I just mention to you, Jay, that in a moment of seriousness I spent five and a half years in a prison cell. I didn't have a house, I didn't have a kitchen table, I didn't have a table, I didn't have a chair."
More goodies at http://www.236.com/news/2008/08/27/tonight_show_au ... including an Aristocrat joke! - pkulak, on 08/28/2008, -4/+14I'm getting so sick of all the Onion articles hitting the front page... wait...
- ironhide, on 08/28/2008, -1/+10But, but Clinton, is sooooo passe.
- ironhide, on 08/28/2008, -4/+13malcontent
Noun
a person who is discontented with the existing situation
You're goddamn right about that. - pintomp3, on 08/28/2008, -1/+9he's worn out from a long day of evolution and global warming denying.
- EtherGnat, on 08/29/2008, -0/+8I'm all for curbing illegal immigration where possible. People should be allowed into the country, but it should be done legally. I think the best way to combat the problem is to go after companies that employ illegal workers--unlike the aliens they actually have something to lose.
That being said, it shouldn't be at the top of our priority list. The Center for Immigration Studies (a conservative think tank promoting tighter immigration laws) estimates illegal immigration costs the federal government $10 billion a year. Their numbers are controversial because they include money spent on children of illegal aliens who are US citizens and don't include benefits from cheaper labor, but let's accept their estimate anyway.
While that sounds like a lot of money, we're talking 1/3 of one percent of the federal budget. You might argue that $10 billion is still worth saving, but let's think for a moment what cracking down on immigration would really cost and how effective it might be. It seems reasonable to assume it would require a similar effort to stopping illegal drugs. Our government spends about $50 billion a year fighting illegal drugs, and we know how effective that is. Is it really worth making that kind of effort to "save" $10 billion? - Math, on 08/29/2008, -0/+8This is why the US GOVERNMENT spends more per capita than governments with Universal Health Care like the UK.
If I'm poor and can't afford a to see a doctor, and I'm at high risk of a heart attack, I end up having a heart attack and needing heart bypass surgery paid for by the public purse, whereas a trip to the doctor might have cost a few dollars in medication.
If you don't want Universal Health care as a society, you really need to be willing to let people die (as well as not helping permanently injured people) if they don't have insurance, or it will not be cost effective.
Also another scenario to think about:
What if I have a newborn child, but can't afford a $5000 operation to fix her legs to prevent her from being crippled. Without an operation, this will probably make her a financial drain on society for the rest of her life.
This is an example of when paying a little for some preventative medicine for a person can end up costing your country a lot less than if you let a condition deteriorate to its worst point. - bjornski, on 08/28/2008, -0/+8POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!
Well, that excuses EVERYTHING!
His campaign speeches and scripts sound more like an old Batman comic *POW! POW!* than a campaign speech.
And the suckers are buying it.
I'm wondering how he can blame the Keating-5 scandal on being a POW! POW POW!
http://www.google.com/search?q=keating+5&ie=utf-8& ... - oldgal, on 08/29/2008, -0/+8how about a minimum IQ for running for president?
- inactive, on 08/28/2008, -5/+13Keep your logic and truths out of Digg. Only sensationalist headlines rule here!
- morcheeba, on 08/28/2008, -2/+10No, the liberal solution is to develop effective mass transportation systems.
- zombies187, on 08/28/2008, -0/+8We absorb those losses too. We already pay for it all. Ah you already knew that....
- Calcularius, on 08/28/2008, -3/+10So I can go to an emergency room for a yearly physical and cancer screening? NEAT!
- CSheikh, on 08/28/2008, -2/+9Too bad that Bush can't even usae the social security to make his budget look good.
- scorpio1942, on 08/28/2008, -1/+8I agree with most of what you said but trust me hospitals are not making money they are hurting, I know I worked in hospitals and they were in the red most of the time because yeah the government pays them for the uninsured that run to the ER for every little thing, but what the government pays doesn't even pay the employee salary for taking care of those people. But I know that all the illegals know how to get all the free stuff that most of us Americans don't even know about. I don't know about the rest of you but I am mad and I AM NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE! We need to all refuse to pay our taxes until they get their s--- together, what are they going to do throw us all in jail? Who is going to pay for that? And the prisons are too crowded already.
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