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PLEASE STOP referring to “Universal Healthcare or Single Payor System” AS Socialized Medicine. This is a play on words used to frighten us by ignorant Politicians and those with a vested interest in making money from Insurance Companies. Also, Medicare is not Socialized Medicine either!!!

The goal of “Universal Healthcare or Single Payor System” is to have a mix of Public and Private financing in order to offer all of us the equal access to quality care by eliminating the Insurance Company middleman who state they don’t practice medicine but every time you turn around they tell you who what and how you can be cared for and that is if you have Healthcare coverage.

In California, Senator Sheila Kuhel’s SB840 – California Universal Healthcare System (Single Payer)

In the United States House of Representatives, Representative Conyers Bill – H.R. 676 United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) (Introduced in House)

HR676 In General – The health insurance benefits under this Act cover all medically necessary services,

including at least the following:
(1) Primary care and prevention.
(2) Inpatient care.
(3) Outpatient care.
(4) Emergency care.
(5) Prescription drugs.
(6) Durable medical equipment.
(7) Long term care.
(8) Mental health services.
(9) The full scope of dental services (other than cosmetic dentistry).
(10) Substance abuse treatment services.
(11) Chiropractic services.
(12) Basic vision care and vision correction (other than laser vision correction for cosmetic purposes). (13) Hearing services, including coverage of hearing aids.

(b) Portability- Such benefits are available through any licensed health care clinician anywhere in the United States that is legally qualified to provide the benefits.
(c) No Cost-Sharing- No deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing shall be imposed with respect to covered benefits.

None of the programs offered are 100% free but the dollars spent in tax/fee collection will go towards coverage not profit and in most cases there are no additional cost to us unless we want insurance for things not medically necessary.

We need to take the Lobbying money out of politics and be free of profit making insurance companies and Pharmaceutical Companies that only think of money first.

Remember the Insurance & Pharmaceutical Companies are spending a fortune on advertising to show us how they want to protect children (Lowest Risk Coverage) and offer free medicine to a few. (See PHARMA ads with Montel Williams). You could almost bet that for every dime they spend they make at least a dollar.

Since our taxes are good enough to pay for our Federal, State Employees and Elected Officials then it should be good enough for us. Let’s put everyone on a level playing field and we will have GREAT COVERAGE at a savings.

If your curious ask a insurance agent what it would cost for the above coverage with no deductibles at your age. Remember pre-existing conditions are ok with the above but probably not ok on an individual private insurance policy. There is no government profit motive just savings.

Good Luck to all.

Who the hell is Michael Moore anyway? Oh yeah, NO ONE!

Peggy Pedersen, Victoria, British Columbia

The reason there might be a line of Canadians at Doctor's Office in the US is because there are some treatments, and specialists not available here. But you, are not painting a true picture about our Free and Great Medical Care in Canada.

The next time you see those Canadians lined up at the US Doctor's Office ask them how much they had to pay to get the US Services?

"Remimber the Goverment works on a 12 month budget and if the monry runs out or the next budget is delayed.
“NO SERVICE till a new budget.”

I don't know what Country your affiliating this comment with but I know this is not True In Canada. We receive the same level of Health Care regardless if there is a delayed budget or not.

We may have periodic Dr. Shortages, Nurse Shortages, Specialist Shortages in the smaller Urban areas BUT we have very adequate Health Care and Equipment provided to us FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL. And also free is our option to go out of Province for Care we are unable to obtain in our area.

There are some Canadians travelling to the US for Cancer Drugs/treatments etc. that are not approved in Canada. But 95% of all prescriptions/treatments/and services in Canada are covered under Medicare.

I can guarantee you that our Medicare in Canada is no way similar to Walter Reed Care. And if you were referring to Canada's Medicare with that statement it is a Gross Insult to our Caring and Dedicated Health Professionals in Canada. Who I might add go the extra mile every time to provide the BEST they have access to for all.

Sorry for the long and detailed post but I can't sit back and allow our Great Health Care System that is Free to All Canadians to be falsley assessed by misguided statments and untruths.

Greg, San Francisco:

Before you start speaking on a subject you should inform yourself. It is very evident you don't have a clue what your talking about.

Equating Communism with Socialized Health Care ?????? What planet are you from? Inform yourself before injecting your fear mongering fictious facts on others. People like you who fill the minds of others with hogwash about important Social Systems like Health Care should receive some sort of penalty.

You should listen more intently to Michael Moore.

Our Medicare system in Canada is working great. We don’t pay for hospital care, radiology, scans, tests, or doctore visits just to name a few. Those who can’t afford health care are covered under our government not turned on their heels out the door. We can have a baby or three without morgaging our home.

We’ve had our system for decades and it works great. Our Country hasn’t gone under due to our Health Care System.

I sure wouldn’t want the US Plan.
And have to wait till I can afford needed treatments/surgeries/scans/or hospital stays.

Canadians are against Private Sector Health Care which is just a glorified system for the rich and famous. We value our Health Care System that cares for all levels of society, not just those who can afford to pay.
It is those who can afford to pay the astronomical costs that are trying to bring Private Sector Care in. Mainly to line the pockets of their friends and Corporations and receive dividends for doing so.

You truly need to research Medicare and find out the real facts.

Hey. I've got an idea. How about we level the playing field. Lets's go the other way. Nobody gets healthcare funded by anyone or anything. We all pay for it ourselves, fully. Top 1% will not care. What about the next percentages down in the chain. I can hear them crying already. It is no problem the poor do not get any at all, but me....I will have to sell my midlife crisis Jaguar.

Why is it that when people speak about universal healthcare, many right leaning folks start rending their garments and clutching their pearls about how we are going to pay for it, yet when Bush & co. start rattling the sabre for yet another war in the region (maybe w/ Iran this time!) no one asks how we will pay for THAT?

Greg-

Does that mean Great Britain is a communist country, what about Canada?

I think people have a gross misunderstanding of what a universal healthcare system would look like and most who are against it are those who have the money to receive the best care in the country. What about the people who cannot even afford the basic healthcare? What about the working poor? It seems as if those who have so much are quick to forget about those that have so much less.

Peggy Pedersen, Victoria, British Columbia

Then why is there a LINE of Canadians at doctors office in the U.S.
My Son-in-Law is from England and his medical treatment was BAD they destoryed both his ears (His U.S. doctors commet was "WHAT IN THE HE?? DID THEY DO THIS IS BUCHERY" and his mother died waiting fo a operation (Cervical Cancer an 18 month waiting list) that we can get in days even with out insurance by going to an ER.
Remimber the Goverment works on a 12 month budget and if the monry runs out or the next budget is delayed.
"NO SERVICE till a new budget."
Just THINK we all get WALTER REED care. After 20 years in the navy I KNOW.

I just wish these politicians would quit calling socialized medicine "free". I would like for one of them to explain just how its going to be free.

And to Scott, Austin, Tx. If you are going to be critical of other people's spelling, perhaps you should take a refresher course yourself. "wrinting"?...perhaps you meant "writing". Check out your post, genius.

Greg -
I don't think anyone is suggesting communism here, pal, so relax with your extremist, polarizing comments. Unless you belong to the fortunate minority of the very-well-off, then you too should be in favor of controlling our health care a bit more. There's a huge difference between socialism and communism (and Marxism, Stalinism, etc.). Are you calling our Canadian and European friends communists? Do you even know what you're talking about?

Michael doesn't explain that not everyone gets the medicine they need in a national healthcare system. In the UK, the most modern drugs are not available because of the cost. Politicans decide which are available to you. And you can do nothing about it.

I guess Michael forgot to ask Cuba's mens vollyball team about the greatest of their healthcare system. Or why they would risk death trying to flee it..

I do not agree with what a lot of Moore says, but the one question he asks that I do agree with is, "Why should there be profit made by insurance companies off of people's health?" It's a hard concept to justify.

if only a fraction of what michael moore says is true, in sicko and in 9/11, that is reason enough for change.
i admire moore for his work and public service. not many have the nerve to stand up for what they believe in even when it goes against establishment. he is a good american citizen.

I think Mike Huckabee has his heart in the right place.
I think Michael Moore is a genius.
It might be worthwhile seeing what they team up on.

regarding gov't: Republicans would have you believe that government is always failure.

The only government that is failed government in the last 20 years is Bush government.

You just had a CANADIAN tell you our government is giving us a bunch of BS regarding the universal healthcare system in CANADA.
And all you can do is spout off your own bunch of BS back?

btw, Loyal Bushie...
Our good Canadian neighbors didn't believe Bush when he told them there were WMD's in Iraq either.
Who's stupid?

Think about it folks, SOCIALIZED medicine. Our government (the same one you pseudo political activists are always whining about) 1) has FAILED to fix social security; 2) has FAILED to secure our borders and implement a reasonable immigration policy, AND NOW YOU WANT THAT SAME GOVERNMENT TO ENACT A SOCIALIZED MEDICAL HEALTHCARE PROGRAM???

Any reasonably competant human being could see the logical flaws inherent in such an idea. And to those of you out there that think we need socialized medicine, let’s face it, it’s time to stop getting all of our political beliefs from CNN and whatever Michael Moore documentary happens to be out in any given year!

Everyone agrees that our healthcare system needs to be fixed but let’s not turn ourselves into a communist country just to get it done.

In the recent interview of Mike Huckabee and Gov. Richardson by Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Mike Huckabee said that he did not support Michael Moore's proposal for healthcare because he didn't want the government choosing his doctors. Well, as an American living in Canada I can tell you that the government up here does NOT choose our doctors. That is a big lie perpetrated on innocent Americans to dissuade them from single payer government sponsored health care. Also, we receive excellent care and the much mentioned (by those critical of the Canadian system) waiting lines are predominently cases of elective procedures (which the uninsured in the US couldn't afford no matter how long they waited).

I see myself as an insider of the health care delivery system, my profession is Laboratory Medical Technologist since 1973. Michael Moore's agenda for a universal coverage by the government is the ONLY thing that makes any sense and that takes "the snake oil salesman" attitude out of health care; and replaces it with an affordable universal right actually granted by King Henry VIII as necessary for a flourishing state economy.

A Psuedo-Candidate and a Psuedo-Documentary Maker ... why again should we really take interest?????

His facts are plenty clear even if you refuse to acknoledge them.

Mr. Huckabee has proven himself several times to be a worthy person willing to work across polarizing political lines and I admire him for that. Sadly, he will be ridiculed and never taken seriously. I'd like to see more of this attitude from both sides of the spectrum because we're really destroying our country with all this "my way or no way" attitude.

"and goes ballist when he is criticized."

If you insist on wrinting in English, then please do us all a favor and learn to spell, or at the very least finish typing your words. I'm sure you meant to type "ballistic" instead of "ballist."

Great choice Mr. Governor. Hook up with a film documentor who can not even get his own facts correct and goes ballist when he is critized. Sicko Micheal Moore loves acting like
a knowledgable person. To bad he is not knowledgable.