Free Health Care is Awesome!!!

I have seen a number of threads/tv shows/magazine articles etc recentlyl because of the u.s health care bill saying that free health care is a horrible idea. A lot of these articles paint a picture of Canadian health care as an epic failure. Well, i've lived in Canada for 26 years and I have survived quite well. I see a doctor when I need too, I have had surgerys which have cost me nothing. I do not see how anyone can be against this in the sense of the care we recieve, there are some groups that believe we are all up here dying. And trust me, my job is the administration of medical benefits for an AMERICAN company, for its AMERICAN employees and I gotta tell ya, the amount of money you guys are willing to shell out to have insurance is mind boggling. hundreds to even over a thousand per month, plus having to meet a deductible!!! thats insane!! And no one can tell me this is not true because i see it all all day every day!!!

I'd also like what our American members are paying personally for healthcare.

In theory it does seem like a good idea to me. I wouldnt mind paying a little more tax if it meant i could save 500 dollars a month. I guess people are just afraid of change.

MessOnTheFED!

[edit on 9-12-2009 by MessOnTheFED!]

Originally posted by MessOnTheFED!
In theory it does seem like a good idea to me. I wouldnt mind paying a little more tax if it meant i could save 500 dollars a month. I guess people are just afraid of change.

MessOnTheFED!

[edit on 9-12-2009 by MessOnTheFED!]

Exaclty, honestly, I havn't spent 500 on health care in my life, so I cannot imagine per month.

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


The ONLY good thing about the current US system( being in the UK with free healthcare - NHS) is that if you have to pay it stops the 'health tourists' from fleecing the system like they do over here , i.e people who have never contributed to the NHS but come from a foreign country and then 'fall ill' while on 'holiday'. They get all their treatments paid for, at least with the US version of having to have insurance it stops a lot of that, no insurance? no medical care.
The only other option we have is BUPA , private healthcare, which you have to pay higher premiums to cover any treatment you have.
The NHS you have to wait for an operation sometimes years, BUPA you can have it in a couple of weeks providing your willing to pay of course.
Now the US system is in flux, people ARE afraid of change, and I can understand their apprehension, they think that the medical higher ups will decide who lives and who dies , who gets treated and who doesn't, best thing to do is to have 2 systems, which if you ge the new healthcare system you will have, you'l have new companies offering 'private' healthcare options to jump the queues.
The taxes go to cover those not contributing payments which is were most of teh argument truly lies, more taxes for a ' debatable' system.

I have never heard of this free health care you speak of

I've been a public option guy since the beginning.
So, here's my deal. I am a contractor (that means I'm my own small business and I sell my services to different companies), not by choice but by necessity.

So is my wife, we both work in businesses that just aren't hiring full-time now.

So, we have to get healthcare directly from the insurance companies not through work.

We have two children one aged 2 one aged 4. Neither of us drink, or smoke we gym daily, we ride our bikes to public transport. We're both healthy, no pre-existing conditions, no chronic illnesses (except allergies).

And guess what we pay for health care every month....

drum roll... 1,100 USD. Every freaking month. And that doesn't even account for the occasional antibiotic when we actually get sick, or the cost of doctors visits. So real costs is probably like 1200 a month averaged out. So if we stay completely healthy all year round and never see a doctor it's 1100 a month. Yearly phisical... hundreds... sinus infection trip to the doc.. hundreds... kids yearly checkup hundreds...

It's killing us.... literally killing us. It's like we just got our of college.

And it makes me so mad when people tell me that government run health care is going to be WORSE than this?
I don't know how it gets worse. We're living so close to the edge right now, and we're always worrying about money.

If I could buy into medicare, or get a public option... I'd do it in a heartbeat and while I'm no Democrat, the GOP and the health industries efforts to try and block this makes it a voting issue in 2012, at least for me.






[edit on 9-12-2009 by kenochs]

[edit on 9-12-2009 by kenochs]

Originally posted by blankduck18
I have never heard of this free health care you speak of

OK maybe it ISN't truly free as you have to pay taxes, and those taxes are broken down into different deptartments including the NHS , I stand corrected.

NOTHING is truly free, not even the air you breath if the CLIMATEGATE crowd have their way.

[edit on 9/12/09 by DataWraith]

reply to post by stereovoyaged


Your nation has what 30-40 Million people? Try administering it to a nation of 300 Plus Million and all of the illegal’s that are here. Americans want Health Care reform, we know its needed we are not stupid. But we also know that our government destroys anything and everything they touch.... I have heard that our total national debt is close to 106 Trillion dollars and as low as 12 Trillion dollars? I cant run debt above 5%, not by law but because I know anything over 5% would destroy my family and our very limited amount of money.

We do not trust the government to run a National Health care... It may work for you in Canada, but your system won’t work here, also the CBO states that the Health Care bill in its current form will increase our Debt....

This health care reform bill is another form of entitlements coming from the party of Slavery, The party of Jim crow, and now the newest form of slavery the big brother providing for you making you and your future generations lazy... Don’t believe me take a trip to our inner-cities and trailer parks where welfare is in abundance and schools are horrible.

Do you really want these ass-clowns telling you want kind of care you can get?

reply to post by stereovoyaged


Actually your health care isn't free; yours and other people's taxes pay fo it.

Still it's better than the $900usd+ a month I pay for myself and my GF.

I guess I'm being selfish for begrudging the HMO Insurance excs. their Porsch, Aspen ski condos, and Ivy League education for their kids.

reply to post by poedxsoldiervet


I don't understand where the population makes a difference in the matter. Our population pays taxes for to cover it, so when your population does it should cover them. Make it so you have to be a citizen to get care and it illegals are not a factor(although I think its wrong to deny a human health care). Population has nothing to do with the cost.

reply to post by DataWraith


When I speak with my relatives in the US, and from what they have explained to me I do understand why they are so concerned.

The systems currently running (the way it was explained to me) are so poorly managed that their deeply worried this level miss-management (over priced drugs and services) will be pushed into the new system, making it a nightmare to manage and much more expensive than it should be.. I'm speaking only for my relatives and how they explained things to me.

If that is true, I really can not blame them for their concerns, I would be concerned to, and this is from people who can not afford insurance and help each other out with medical bills..

I have no idea what it must be like to have to find money to pay for a trip to the hospital.. or have to spend time filling in forms, making calls, the most I have ever done is give over my name..

Originally posted by whaaa
reply to post by stereovoyaged

 

Actually your health care isn't free; yours and other people's taxes pay fo it.

Still it's better than the $900usd+ a month I pay for myself and my GF.

I guess I'm being selfish for begrudging the HMO Insurance excs. their Porsch, Aspen ski condos, and Ivy League education for their kids.

I understand its not completly free but it does not affect my quality of life, i'm also taxed on my money when I make it and when I spend it, I deal, life goes on. 900 a month is crazy, I hope your system turns around in yoru favor my friend.

reply to post by stereovoyaged


Thanks for posting from a Canadian perspective, I live in the Detroit area and worked downtown for many years with people from Windsor and am well aware of the health care system in Canada, in all those years I have never heard a complaint, the American people are buying into the disinformation campaign which is backed by the insurance industry and big Pharma, these front companies are very clever, watch Rachel Maddow who has exposed many of them..

I have to agree, free healthcare is awesome.

I'm in the U.S., Massachusetts specifically, a state which REQUIRES everyone to have health insurance, be they employed or not. If you don't have insurance, you pay some heavy penalties when it comes to tax time. Well, what happens to those who can't afford it because they are unemployed or their employers don't offer it? The state of MA offers it at discount or no cost at all if you can't afford it. An example is my father. The economy destroyed his business (which had been doing well up until this point) and now he couldn't afford the ridiculous private (BS) healthcare that this country is so famous for. He applied for the free state healthcare and got it. He has no copays for anything, not his doctor visits, not his meds, not anything. Over the last year he had to go to the hospital a couple of times and he got fantastic treatment. He had to get a new pair of glasses, they were completely covered. I on the other hand have Anthem Blue Cross through my employer and it SUCKS. I have to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for a pair of glasses. When I got sick the copays for doctors and meds cost more than I could afford, and then I had to get approvals from the insurance company to have certain procedures done. His doctors chosen by the MA healthcare system are on the ball. His primary physician checks in with him a couple of times a week to see how he's doing and if he's taking his meds. Mine, when I saw him last month, barely had the time for me and shooed me out the door.

I'm all for the free healthcare. I'll gladly pay more in taxes knowing that everyone is equally covered, and knowing that if I ever am in a hard spot in the future, I will have that option.

By the way, the U.S. is ranked number 37 on the quality of healthcare when it comes to all the countries in the world by WHO (last I checked anyway). Cuba is number 36. They have better healthcare than we do. That's sad (but good for Cuba I guess).

I speak to Americans all day, a lot of times its people in hospitals HAVING BABIES calling to see if thier insurance is right, if not having this child could financially ruin them!! That is supposed to be a joyous moment, not that stressfull, then they get 6 WEEKS leave!!! 6 WEEKS!! Madness

Originally posted by poedxsoldiervet
We do not trust the government to run a National Health care... It may work for you in Canada, but your system won’t work here, also the CBO states that the Health Care bill in its current form will increase our Debt....
Do you really want these ass-clowns telling you want kind of care you can get?

Does that not then speak to the representation that you elect? I don't care how many lobbyists my Member of Parliament has kissing his arse...if I don't vote for him, he's back selling real estate. I make that real clear...which is why Steve can't get a majority.

Grass roots, Dude, not astroturf! The population numbers are meaningless, except that you end up with a larger membership...which is the essence of insurance, right? You can have it if you want it, but you have to want it bad.

Some folks just don't care about the other guy...that's the bigger issue.

Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck

Originally posted by poedxsoldiervet
We do not trust the government to run a National Health care... It may work for you in Canada, but your system won’t work here, also the CBO states that the Health Care bill in its current form will increase our Debt....
Do you really want these ass-clowns telling you want kind of care you can get?

Does that not then speak to the representation that you elect? I don't care how many lobbyists my Member of Parliament has kissing his arse...if I don't vote for him, he's back selling real estate. I make that real clear...which is why Steve can't get a majority.

Grass roots, Dude, not astroturf! The population numbers are meaningless, except that you end up with a larger membership...which is the essence of insurance, right? You can have it if you want it, but you have to want it bad.

Some folks just don't care about the other guy...that's the bigger issue.

Which is why Johnny the only Conservative i'll ever vote for on a federal level is DANNY!!! (if i were to vote, lol) But I gotta admit, i'm biased, he does not take a salary and looks out for us here!

reply to post by DataWraith


To tell you the truth man... It realy wouldnt bother me. I was actually planning to move to Canada if i was ever diagnosed with anything that i couldnt pay for.

I don't get why people are so greedy when it comes to healthcare.
"You have no money so you get to die"

Do you really think that if healthcare reform gets passed the insurance companies are going to reset the amount of money to zero? Or rather, do you think they are going to start at the baseline of what we are already paying?

Have you not read the headlines that the pharmaceutical companies are all in the process of raising the costs of medication in anticipation of reform? In order to start at an inflated price to maintain profits?

Further, it is not FREE! Saying healthcare is free is the same thing as saying that by going on an all-inclusive vacation you can drink for free. You don't drink for free -- you already paid for it! And those that don't drink are helping to pay for those that do. The same way that really healthy people that don't go to a doctor very often are paying for the ones that go everytime they stub their toe!