wtmtnhiker wrote: "snip"
If you ignore your health it only hurts you.
If you don't have medical insurance and get in an accident or are found unconcious on the street, you are taken to the emergency room and treated. If you can't pay, the costs are absorbed by the system and everybody that pays for it.
After spending two months in the hospital and seeing a. how profitable the medical industry is and b. how messed up it is, it needs intervention at the Federal level.
wtmtnhiker wrote: "snip"
If you ignore your health it only hurts you.
If you don't have medical insurance and get in an accident or are found unconcious on the street, you are taken to the emergency room and treated. If you can't pay, the costs are absorbed by the system and everybody that pays for it.
After spending two months in the hospital and seeing a. how profitable the medical industry is and b. how messed up it is, it needs intervention at the Federal level.
I see your point but the first thing I would like to see is competition between the insurance companies. I don't understand why with all the BS in the bill that they don't allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. They have not taken serious steps to eliminate fraud either. It seems so simple yet they have to pass a bill so complicated that they "Have to pass it to know what's in it" No one yet knows how that bill is going to affect anyone or anything and I don't think that's smart. You can't start regulating businesses because they make too much money. You can't use that for a reason in a free market economy. I won't comment further as it gets too political and no one wins anyway.
wtmtnhiker wrote: "snip"
If you ignore your health it only hurts you.
If you don't have medical insurance and get in an accident or are found unconcious on the street, you are taken to the emergency room and treated. If you can't pay, the costs are absorbed by the system and everybody that pays for it.
After spending two months in the hospital and seeing a. how profitable the medical industry is and b. how messed up it is, it needs intervention at the Federal level.
I see your point but the first thing I would like to see is competition between the insurance companies. I don't understand why with all the BS in the bill that they don't allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. They have not taken serious steps to eliminate fraud either. It seems so simple yet they have to pass a bill so complicated that they "Have to pass it to know what's in it" No one yet knows how that bill is going to affect anyone or anything and I don't think that's smart. You can't start regulating businesses because they make too much money. You can't use that for a reason in a free market economy. I won't comment further as it gets too political and no one wins anyway.
take the "business" out of health care.
in Canada, health care is a service, its not a business.
Let me get this straight. Some of you are okay if the same people (government) run your health care that run Amtrak, Post Office, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac etc. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 – they’ve had 44 years to get it right; they are both broke; and now our government dares to mention them as models for all US health care., Social Security was established in 1935 – they’ve had 74 years to get it right; it is broke. The War on Poverty was started in 1964 – they’ve had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our hard earned money is confiscated each year and transferred to “the poor”; it hasn’t worked. Cash for Clunkers” was established in 2009 and went broke in 2009 - after 80% of the cars purchased turned out to be produced by foreign companies, and dealers nationwide are buried under bureaucratic paperwork demanded by a government that is not yet paying them what was promised. I don't think govt run healthcare is too smart but as always I could be wrong.
We too are shooting for 2013 to retire. 60 and 56, at that time. Looking into catastrophic insurance to bridge us to whatever will be around, and at whatever the new age rules may be... It is the single biggest unknown to our planning, with the largest 'contingency upon contingency' allowances being set aside. It too, may mean we work a few more years, until we know what is what...
I'm not pleased with the current systems available. I'm not pleased with the Health Care Plan that was shoved thru. I expect the people working for me to do a better job. Yes they 'did something', but dang if anyone can tell exactly what it is... We know for sure it has cost millions of existing retirees their old company retirement plans. We know that if not changed, it will force many smaller companies to not hire employees due to the costs. I plan to vote very heavy based upon my expectations of what I want my representatives to do on many areas, Health Care is just one area. Yes it is broken. Yes it looks like they made it worse. Yes, all of the existing programs mentioned are a mess too. Zero, and worse case predatory, accountability by 'those that are their to serve us'.
Sure makes this retirement planning a 'fun' exercise... Thank goodness we have such a simple tax structure, so I can at least take pleasure in paying my fair share... !
It's a great county, as I don't think they can shoot me for not liking what I see them doing...
Best to all, and all kidding aside - it's a tough subject, and no easy solutions exists. We are a capable nation, so we should be able to work this out... I remain hopeful!!
Smitty
I've traveled in Canada, have friends and relatives there and though you will occasonally find someone who would complain no matter what, on balance MOST Canadians are happy with their health care. And they know they won't lose their bank accounts, homes and be bankrupted if a major health crisis comes along.
The Affordable Healthcare Act didn't go far enough. Should have been single payer or medicare for all. But the way the right was screaming like mashed monkeys spreading misinformation and lying about "death panels" and "rationed" care we are lucky anything got passed.
Fear of loss is a greater motivator than expectation of gain. Remember that next time someone comes selling doom and gloom.
hoz wrote: I've traveled in Canada, have friends and relatives there and though you will occasonally find someone who would complain no matter what, on balance MOST Canadians are happy with their health care. And they know they won't lose their bank accounts, homes and be bankrupted if a major health crisis comes along.
The Affordable Healthcare Act didn't go far enough. Should have been single payer or medicare for all. But the way the right was screaming like mashed monkeys spreading misinformation and lying about "death panels" and "rationed" care we are lucky anything got passed.
Fear of loss is a greater motivator than expectation of gain. Remember that next time someone comes selling doom and gloom.
So true. We've talked to Canadians every year and they all feel this way. Over and over, they say how they don't ever worry about medical bankruptcy or losing their homes from medical bills.
Not just Canada, 32 of the 33 developed nations have universal healthcare. Yet here in America, there are still some who would rather go broke paying insurance companies, doctors and medical conglomerates.
Country, Start Date of Universal Health Care, System Type
Norway, 1912, Single Payer
New Zealand, 1938, Two Tier
Japan, 1938, Single Payer
Germany, 1941,Insurance Mandate
Belgium, 1945,Insurance Mandate
United Kingdom, 1948, Single Payer
Kuwait, 1950, Single Payer
Sweden, 1955, Single Payer
Bahrain, 1957, Single Payer
Brunei, 1958, Single Payer
Canada, 1966, Single Payer
Netherlands, 1966, Two-Tier
Austria, 1967, Insurance Mandate
United Arab Emirates, 1971, Single Payer
Finland, 1972, Single Payer
Slovenia, 1972, Single Payer
Denmark, 1973, Two-Tier
Luxembourg, 1973, Insurance Mandate
France, 1974, Two-Tier
Australia, 1975, Two Tier
Ireland, 1977, Two-Tier
Italy, 1978, Single Payer
Portugal, 1979, Single Payer
Cyprus, 1980, Single Payer
Greece, 1983, Insurance Mandate
Spain, 1986, Single Payer
South Korea, 1988, Insurance Mandate
Iceland, 1990, Single Payer
Hong Kong, 1993, Two-Tier
Singapore, 1993, Two-Tier
Switzerland, 1994, Insurance Mandate
Israel, 1995, Two-Tier
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