The most critical issue in years

[firstandten]

As a people we are going to need to address this in a big way really quick. You may not like this but we may have to go to a single payer health care system. Ether that or we may see financial ruin for millions of people in this country. This is the issue thats either going to make Obama a one term president or one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had.


"Since the day she was laid off in October, Ms. Walker and her husband, Russ, co-owner of a struggling feed store here on the outskirts of Houston, have mounted a largely fruitless quest to find affordable coverage for Jake’s pre-existing condition. Their odyssey has become all too familiar to millions of newly uninsured Americans who suddenly find themselves one diagnosis away from medical and financial devastation.
The Walkers, both 46, are among nine million people who have lost employer-sponsored insurance since December 2007, according to projections by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Some have qualified for government insurance, and others have bought individual policies. But an estimated four million have joined the ranks of the uninsured, heightening the urgency in Washington to close the coverage gaps in American health care"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/us...nsured.html?hp

[Stosh]

I absolutely agree that some sort of national health care is needed. Question is, how will it be funded? Can we expect that the government will be picking up the tab, or a more likely option of a national sales tax, ala Canada?

[firstandten]

I absolutely agree that some sort of national health care is needed. Question is, how will it be funded? Can we expect that the government will be picking up the tab, or a more likely option of a national sales tax, ala Canada?

I like your option, its sure is better than folks going to the emergency room to get routine health care.

[oladub]

I absolutely agree that some sort of national health care is needed. Question is, how will it be funded? Can we expect that the government will be picking up the tab, or a more likely option of a national sales tax, ala Canada?

We don't need a 'national health care' system. We instead need a more 'affordable health care' system. Government agencies in the US already spend more than government agencies in Canada per capita yet our medical costs are about twice as high as in Canada. The key seems to be eliminating administators, lawyers, and insurance companies [[ALI's) from medical care. The few doctors in this country who operate on cash only no lawsuit contracts with their patients charge half as much for office visits for instance. That, at least, brings the cost of office visits down to Canadian per capita levels.

After doing everything possible to get the ALI's out of the cost of medicine, there will still be some US citizens who will not be able to afford medicine. They presently get some free medical care in the emergency room of hospitals which is payed by other patients. It would be cheaper for states to have medical care programs to cover the indigent than having the destitute wind up at emergency wards.

from Wikipedia-
"the administration and delivery of health care [[in Canada is) a provincial concern."
Medicare is a collection of 10 different provincial agencies with each province having its own established universal health care plan. The federal government collects much of the money and then doles it out to the privinces.
"About 30% of Canadians' health care is paid for through the private sector. This mostly goes towards services not covered or only partially covered by Medicare, such as prescription drugs, dentistry and optometry. Some 65% of Canadians have some form of supplementary private health insurance"

[d.mcc]

Why is it that we are the only "First World" Industrialized nation without a national health care system? Is it the same reason we also have one of the highest infant mortality rates? What about a huge percentage of our population overweight and bordering on diabetic???

[Stosh]

We don't need a 'national health care' system. We instead need a more 'affordable health care' system. Government agencies in the US already spend more than government agencies in Canada per capita yet our medical costs are about twice as high as in Canada. The key seems to be eliminating administators, lawyers, and insurance companies [[ALI's) from medical care. The few doctors in this country who operate on cash only no lawsuit contracts with their patients charge half as much for office visits for instance. That, at least, brings the cost of office visits down to Canadian per capita levels.

After doing everything possible to get the ALI's out of the cost of medicine, there will still be some US citizens who will not be able to afford medicine. They presently get some free medical care in the emergency room of hospitals which is payed by other patients. It would be cheaper for states to have medical care programs to cover the indigent than having the destitute wind up at emergency wards.

Streamlining the national health coverage that is in place now [[Medicare and Medicaid) should be done, I agree. The medical costs are out of control, agreed as well. But realism would dictate that the problems you mention above, [[free care at hospital emergency rooms, spending overcharges) are purely a result of a system that allows the abuses and under coverage to continue. Our medical costs are twice that of Canada? Why is that? Could it be that national coverage is actually WORKING to bring costs down?

This "free" care at hospitals is a big part of the problem. Sooner that people have accerss to doctors or clinics that would treat minor ailments than having the hospitals soak paying patients as well as insurance companies.

[firstandten]

From what I seen thus far I don't think Obama is in favor of single payer health care, he did say that he saw a role for insurance companies. As a matter of fact I don't think Conyers and the single payer proponents were even invited to that WH health care pow-wow they had a few weeks ago. What will the insurance companies role be ? How do you keep them under control ? According to Obama part of the stimulus package is to steamline health care paperwork etc. Would that be the precursor to a comphensive health care package ?

I just hope DC doesn't have to build more hotel rooms to handle the flood of health care lobbyist that will soon be showing up.

[oladub]

Stosh, I was trying to make two points. One way or the other, the administrative, legal, and insuance costs must be brought under control to make health care affordable as has been done in Canada. I have not heard a word about President Obama reducing the presence of lawyers in health care. As firstandten points out, it sounds like Obama is also going to keep insurers in the game. Administrative costs follow the inclusion of legal and insurance costs. Is he also going to provide medical care for illegal aliens? All in all, it sounds like Obama is more interested in a national plan than an affordable plan.

The second point I brought up was that in Canada, each province has its own health care system. So why do people who want the Canadian system want, instead, a national system here? Why not have state run plans to imitate Canadian provencial plans instead? Massachusetts already has such a plan.

[firstandten]

All in all, it sounds like Obama is more interested in a national plan than an affordable plan..

I sure hope that isn't the case. That represents only incremental improvement over what we have now, but based on what you said that is a reasonable conclusion.

[Bobl]

Something is wrong when it is not economically feasible to get preventive care when one is between jobs, because of the possibility that a preexisting condition might be found that will disqualify the patient from future health insurance options.
It is not acceptable that nearly fifty million citizens are rationed out of care because they are without health insurance.
It is ridiculous that the wealthiest nation has mediocre infant mortality rates, and many citizens are one illness or accident away from financial ruin.
Yet, the need for reform seems to be a partisan issue, with one side urging change, the other claiming the system is not broken, and both sides in the pocket of the insurance companies!

[Stosh]

Is he also going to provide medical care for illegal aliens? All in all, it sounds like Obama is more interested in a national plan than an affordable plan.

The second point I brought up was that in Canada, each province has its own health care system. So why do people who want the Canadian system want, instead, a national system here? Why not have state run plans to imitate Canadian provencial plans instead? Massachusetts already has such a plan.

Illegals? I'd hope not. Or at the least find a way to bill their national government for their care and feeding. Maybe subtract it from their government's foreign aid payments.

Each province has it's own health care system in Canada, but is it portable between provinces? No. A sticking point in the health care negotiations at Chrysler Canada was the insurance that Chrysler provided that allowed members to get health coverage outside the province. I don't know how Massachusetts runs theirs, and I really don't know if I'd want Michigan running ours. Really.