Do You Want The Obama Health Care Plan

[Guest sarah f]

I personally don't want the health care plan to go through. I think it will only cause more problems for everyone. They will start taxing companies and then the company will pass that on to us. Then we won't be able to afford good health care anymore.

Sarah F

[Guest Donna Jean]

The health care plan is nowhere near what it started out to be...compremises, arguments, cuts, additions...it's a joke...

It had a bright and well meaning begining, but, now it turned into a monster.....

Dang!

Donna Jean

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

From the perspective of a brit, I think you need to start somewhere, and hopefully it can be improved upon.

The NHS is pretty frickin useless for some things, mental health for instance, but at least if youy collapse of a heart attach in the middle of the high street, you'll have an ambulance there in like 4 minutes, be rushed to hospital and receive world class health care, and you won't be in debt the rest of your life from the bill.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Well considering they have nixed the public option, and I am pretty sure that there is going to be no explicit inclusion of transgender services and it does pretty much NOTHING for those of us who make at or near minimum wage. Junk it and lets work on a proper one. They say they will fix the problems later and that even this is better than nothing, um yeah thats what they said about NCLB (No Child Left Behind) the act that screwed up the ENTIRE school system.

[Guest ChloëC]

What saddens me is the penalty imposed for not having insurance - $750 per person per year (at least the last time I looked).

I don't know how our wonderful legislators can see that medical and insurance rates are skyrocketing and so many people just can't afford either and then to stick a fine on top of that, I find insulting, cavalier, and repugnant. The peasants don't have any bread? Well, let them eat cake.

I would guess all those fines will allow the government to hand out more bailouts to the financial industry.

If one would actually get some insurance for $750 a year, I could see that. Or better yet, clean up all the fraud in Medicare and give everyone medical insurance. What's it up to lately? $60-80 billion per year?

Chloë

[Guest ChalenAustin]

I don't understand.

Can anyone please explain to me what the Obama Health Care system is all about and what we have now?

What's Canada got?

Thank you

[Guest Victoriaf]

I don't understand.

Can anyone please explain to me what the Obama Health Care system is all about and what we have now?

What's Canada got?

Thank you

well all my family in Canada comes here for their medical because they can not get treatment for many things in Canada/ They will be the first to tell you that Yes it is cheap but for serious issues they can not get treated there in any timely manor. Just my input and that of over thirty family members and friends in Canada.

Canada has a universal healthcare system

We have a public Fee based system

Victoria

[Guest ChalenAustin]

What country has the best insurance?

[Guest Pammy]

The US has the best system, which is why everyone else comes here for their care.

It isn't totally fair but what is? It is a fee for service system. If you cannot afford care (ie indigent) you cannot be turned away. A hypothetical heart attack in the square will get you the same ambulance and cardiac care unit that a rich person gets. Perhaps not the private room and the pretty nurse that Mr. Rich Guy might get but hey, money has it's perks!

I vote no on Obamacare.

It is nothing less than nationalizing the health care system, giving the federal government unprecedented control over private lives, medical decisions and will cost way more than they claim. What government program doesn't? Can anyone name even one? And the constitutional question is also one that must be answered before it even begins to be implemented. Does the federal government, have the authority to require health insurance? Or to regulate it? Read the Constitution again! Pay attention to the parts which say "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." and "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.". Ninth and Tenth Amendments.

The government has run amok with it's "interstate Commerce Clause", using it to justify anything it wants as long as some part of it, somewhere, somehow, crosses state lines or affects more than one state.

Sorry for the soapbox, but this is one of my hot button topics. I don't mean to come off as a rabid conservative, which I'm NOT. But I get angry when I see the Constitution, which I love, being ignored by the very people who swore (on a Bible) to support and defend it. Each and every Senator, Congressperson and President has sworn this oath of office and yet forget it when something like this comes along. I served in the military, honorably and well, and took that same oath. I would defend the Constitution with my LIFE. Even other people's right to say what they want, even if it offends me personally, I will defend that too. I'm sure some here are already preparing screeds against me, but they, too, have the unmitigated right to their opinion, just as I have mine. And I'd die to protect their right to say it.

I think that Obamacare, coupled with Cap and Trade (another rant) will destroy our economy and further fragment us into the haves and have-nots. The Big Brother State is already here and few see it yet. But you will, one day. In your lifetime. Perhaps us oldsters will miss it. I certainly hope so. But the young folks here will. And you will cheer it and scream for more until it's too late. And no one will be left to stop it.

Peace and love

Pamela

[Guest ChloëC]

Pammy,

I'm not sure that everyone gets the 'same' care for all possibilities. I will partially agree on primary emergency care in many areas. But let's face it, long term drugs cost money, long term care costs money. The more money, the better the long term care and the more likely one can obtain the long term drugs. And not every hospital has the 'best' doctors on duty or call. I've heard of dramatic need for doctors (and nurses, etc.) in many lower economic areas of this country. Not that everyone isn't trying, but the good doctors do tend to gravitate to the places they can be compensated for their services (which is free enterprise, which is important), which is why we have more specialists (per capita) than most countries and many more in large metro areas. But try getting a specialist if you're indigent or in the middle of nowhere.

There are too many stories of families with one or more people needing long term care that will become indigent because they are going broke paying and eventually cannot afford the 10's of thousands of dollars that are required. I don't know if this current bill will solve that problem, but we have to start somewhere.

And I don't think people are coming here so much for medical care as they are for economic opportunity. Our starting wages dramatically exceed most every job in many 3rd world countries. I will agree our poorest medical facilities often exceed the moderate or even better facilities in many countries. But why is our infant mortality so high if we have the best medical facilities, or why our life expectancy is not in the top 5. Something's going on, and it isn't all goodness.

Chloë

[Guest April63]

The problem with today's system is that there are too many greedy businesses involved, and those businesses are trying to suck up everyone's money. Obama's plan is to try to solve some of the problems by regulating health insurance. I believe the plan uses a very totalitarian approach to this, and I believe it will only end up producing more problems. The public option was an idea that would provide a way for the government to get into public health care by offering insurance itself. This is probably the dumbest part because the government doesn't have any money!

Noooo on the Obama care...

The United States offers the best service, but at one of the highest prices.

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

The US has the best system, which is why everyone else comes here for their care.

This is just totally wrong. first off the US certainly doesn't have the best healthcare system, if you base it on mortality rates. What the US has is some of the most advanced medicine/medical technology/medical proceedures and some of the best doctors in the world. And the reason they're in the US is cos they can rape people for all their money. And the reason people come to the US is because if that's where the best is, and you're going to die without it, you'll somehow try, even if you go bankrupt or have to rob a bank to pay for it. And not all that many people go to the US for medical care, sometimes it seems like you guys think the world is you and mexico.

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Canada's system isnt the best, but then neither is the IHS. The point is that you can get services and many specialists maintain two patient lists one for those requiring immediate, critical or acute care and another for those needing cosmetic or minor things. Those needing critical or acute care get seen first since many of those patients can lose organ systems if they are not seen.

[Guest Chris_421]

well all my family in Canada comes here for their medical because they can not get treatment for many things in Canada/ They will be the first to tell you that Yes it is cheap but for serious issues they can not get treated there in any timely manor. Just my input and that of over thirty family members and friends in Canada.

Canada has a universal healthcare system

We have a public Fee based system

Victoria

This is a very very big issue for me. I've always heard those against socialized health care is such a bad idea because of wait time, or whatever. You know what, it's a load of b.s.

Would you like to hear my little story?

This is probably the most I'll write today because I just had surgery yesterday and I'm still tired out.

I went into the ER one day because I was having bad chest pains which I thought was due to a medication I was taking (others had reported having chest pains from it too). I had to wait 2 hours to be seen. They checked me out and put me for ultrasound in 2 days. Found out I had gallstones so I went back to my gp and he referred me to a surgeon to get it removed. Two months I waited, and you know what? I'm not complaining. Not one bit. If I had to go back for severe chest pains for it I'm sure they would have put me in for surgery asap.

ER visit = $0

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy = $0

If I lived in the USA I could be paying $6000+ for all of that. And still possibly have the wait times.

Oh and your health care is one of the reasons (if not the only) I will not step foot there. I don't trust it and I really don't need to get hurt somewhere that will bill me into debt.

What's funny about my surgery date is that it got bumped up 2 weeks because a cancer patient needed my date...Fine by me.

Canada's system does have it's flaws, but if I am ill I want to be able to get checked out and have the necessary treatments followed. And I get just that here.

[Guest April63]

Socialized systems typically offer fast and free ER services (the US sorta does that too), but other services do tend to have lines and wait times and all of that. The biggest problem with the socialized system is that there is less motivation and funds, whereas a capitalist health system has the motivation (cash).

[Guest NatashaJade]

I don't want what is currently going to get rammed through before Brown takes office, no. Rather than craft progressive reform of a horribly unregulated vampiric system, they are just trying to ensure that the vampires get more necks to feed from with very little in return. The only thing I care about at the moment is that they remove yearly and lifetime limits, get rid of rescission and pre-existing conditions and (pipe dream) remove restrictions of transcare. I pay for insurance through my employer for my family (I get mine for no cost) because they all have pre-existing conditions that make it impossible for us to buy insurance from my union, which would be $600 a month cheaper.

The legislators both for and against the legislation currently on the table do not care about us. Democrats and Republicans are playing their games and stretching this thing out (most "reforms" wont come for 4-6 years in any case) and neither party has to worry about health care for themselves or their families, so why should they care about people who really need help?

My wife cut her finger badly with a stick blender and our insurance required us to pay $150 just to see a doctor at the emergency room. Then we got a bill from the hospital for another $750 dollars. The nurse at the ER said we would have been better off without insurance.

There is no question our system is broken. We cannot elect anyone who really cares to fix it.

My two cents (all I can afford after insurance payments and hospital bills)...

luv

Gin

[Guest i is Sam :-)]

the problem with socialised medicine is that it becomes second rate because it's massively under funded because the uber rich capitalist multi million dollar corporation owners whine about taxes

[Guest Kaitlyn88]

Are they seriously going to fine us for not having health insurance? That is fining people for being poor. How in the world would that help anyone, if they can't afford insurance, they can't afford the fine either, and if they do need medical care, that isn't going to be paid with the rest. I have several friends who have been in wrecks or had health problems and since they couldn't afford insurance, guess what? They're now like $40,000 in debt for a few days in the hospital. Since they have no way to even begin paying that they just stay in debt for the rest of their lives. I myself have only about $2,000 in medical debt and I can't afford to pay that. I don't doubt that they would start fining people for being poor it has already happened to me. When I couldn't afford to keep my insurance on my $500 car I just let it sit there. I didn't drive it illegally. What did I get in the mail? A $500 fine for not being able to pay insurance even though the car was unused and insurance was unneeded. Thats as much as the whole car cost! Plus my license got suspended and I can't get it back until I pay up the $500. That is just wrong and since they're already doing that with car insurance I wouldn't doubt them doing it with medical next. I have no idea who would actually pay the fines since they couldn't afford the insurance in the first place.

It's things like this that really make me frustrated with the government, even before taking gay/transsexual rights into the equation.

[Guest April63]

Well, life is cruel. It was never meant to be a piece of cake. Free health care sounds nice to us, but realistically there are several problems. It's just one of those problems in life. Just have to keep moving and find some way to work with the system.

[Guest drop_the_world]

I gave up on following the health care plan. It's just getting no where and I'm fed up with the republicans in the senate and democrats in the senate or whatever is going on. We need to focus on other things right now, like the earthquake in Haiti or however u study it.

[Guest Nelly]

Hi,

the best health care system has the UAE (United Arabic Emirates). The goverment pays it all. You can fly to europe to get the latest style of treatment. But this is only possible because up to now they had a lot of money.

i think this is the biggest problem a health care system can have. The people have not enough money. The idea everybdy pays a bit that no one need to pay much is great. But now it is in that way that some people never get sick and other are allways sick. Than you have people only put money in the system without getting a ROI. I read an artical about the health system in the USA that in the nearby future to much people have diabetes. They will be so much that only this group of people can colapse the health care system.

So I will correct my first sentence. In some culture the doctor is paid until you get sick. So if you stay healthy you must give him money. In old India it was that way. I think that is the best solution because now the doctor makes more money if he keeps his patients sick for a long time and that is the real problem. Their is no preasure to make the people healthy if you only get money when they are sick.

Greetings

Nelly

[Guest April63]

A free system isn't necessarily the best system...

[Guest Anna_Banana]

Could someone please explain to me what the Health Care Plan actually does? All I hear all the time is, "I hate Obama Care!" There is never a real reason given, just, "I hate it!" No, I don't give a hoot about your perceptions or your politics, I just want to know the straight facts. What is the bill supposed to do?

My understanding so far is that the bill doesn't do anything at all. The only thing health related is that people without insurance will be forced to acquire it or face a penalty. That of course doesn't explain the bill's large cost so far, which I imagine is mostly pork barreling. Correct me if I'm wrong. I mean, I didn't think it would be possible to market a bill that only does one small thing, but maybe they can.

.Anna

[Guest Jean Davis]

Well Anna as far as I have heard they still are trying to write something that makes sense.

I don't think that they know what they are going to do themselves yet, just throwing around ideas.

But what I figure is that people are afraid that anything they write up is going to raise taxes.

I don't believe that people realize that they are paying for those that are uninsured whether they like it or not.

With or without this health care plan whenever anyone can not pay for their doctors bills it gets written off as a loss and the bill is passed on to the others that can pay.

I think that what the gov. is trying to do is to reduce the amount that the hospitals are writting off as a loss. See the hospitals have it sweet right now, they write off the unpayed bill and get a tax deduction then pass the unpayed amount off by raising the amount charged to the next person. The proposal is to get all americans with health insurance so that the amount unpayed is less and also to get people into the doctors when problems start other than when they become a life threatening problem and cost much more to correct.

I really haven't been keeping up with how it is going, I figure I would wait untill they have something that they are ready to vote on before I get my feathers ruffled.

[Paula ult]

In the beginning the health care overhaul looked and sounded great, those opposed to it got their pork barrels filled and suddenly they were on board, Washington at it's best, i quit following it cause in the end it will be a mess.

All i see for me is more money taken out of my pay check, a higher co pay and no coverage for my transition costs, this on top of no raise in 11 years.

A couple that are living with us are unemployed and have no health insurance, if they are fined where does the government think they are going to get the money for the fine, you can not get blood from a turnip, there are many more like them.

Paula