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re: Champly

what are you talking about?? I live in Canada, and I've NEVER had to run to the U.S. to get healthcare that I couldnt' get here..nor have I ever heard of anyone else that I know doing that. Our healthcare system here is great! I personally have 3 family doctors that I can make an appointment with at anytime I choose. My doctor even gives me free cough medicine, birth control and anything that I need. i also have health benefits from my work that cover 80 to 90% of all dental, eye and prescription drugs. But our healthcare covers the basics so even if I didnt have that, I know that I would still be covered.
So to the misinformed individual who wrote this..you need to do your own research..dont know where you are getting your info from but its completely wrong and extremely inaccurate. I think what Obama is doing would be great for all Americans in the long run and its a right, not a priviledge for ALL Americans to have access to good and timely healthcare.

Bev June 14th, 2009 11:24 am ET – Here we go again... says I! Again with the 'socialism' fear tactic? Again with the projection of a grim future if we allow the government to do what he was elected to? Your guy lost and was very elegant in his acceptance of the fact, so get over it.
If I go to... say... Canada and find that there are problems in the public health system of a town or a whole area what I will find also? A whole lot of Canadians demanding that the problem is fixed ASAP! Not a whole lot of Canadians wanting to not have public health, but a whole lot of Canadians wanting to have BETTER public health. Because once they learned that their health was not a business matter but a public right, do you really thought that they would trade it for a system like the one the USA has if some problem (caused by sheer incompetence for example) made the quality of the service drop badly?
Please...

Sebelius is correct, especially considering HUGE medical bills have become the biggest cause of bankruptcy in America. These costs are falling back on the taxpayers!

We need more competition in the market through an optional public plan, in order to help reduce these costs and extend compassionate coverage.

Reform health care now for ALL Americans!

Meanwhile, the scum bag CEO's on Wall St. are making a fortune off of us by rationing and denying medical care

Imagine that – corporate bean counters telling doctors what is "best for their patients" (us)!

Do you and obama really believe ALL the people are that stupid.
You're as big a liar as he is.

If you want something funny to laugh at google the names of some of the big insurance companies..then go to board of directors..the names you see will shock you..or maybe not..mrs chris dodd is on four of them..senator judd gregg is named..the kennedy family...somehow I get the feeling we are having the wool pulled over our eyes..do you really think that the people who have their fingers in the insurance and medical industries are going to put up with losing money??you can say what you want..but these companies are all on the internet,and the names of their board of directors are all there..and lo and behold many are either politicans or their spouses..yes indeed..change we can all believe in

I see all my leaches are out today in full force, get a LIFE.....

Health care costs are crushing us, but that's just what the AMA, the insurance companies, the hospital corporations, the medical supply companies and the Republican Party wants. What can the Obama administration do realistically?

Steve in Denver – help me here. You seem to oppose socialized food production but favor socialized medicine ? Why ?

Tell us about it secy. We opine that RL, and NG, should also be involved in healthcare reform discussions at full throttle, rather than badmouthin' their foes.

And so annies – what you are saying is that you want ME to pay for YOUR healthcare. Is that what you are saying ?

pcs/North Carolina- when you resort to name calling rather than discussing the issues you demean yourself and the honest people who post here.

Without taking sides on this issue, I'm just curious as to why Healthcare is so expensive in this country. A friend of mine developped a high fever, and was hospitalized. Various tests were taken, and specialists looked at him as they try to figure out what was causing the fever. The fever disappeared as suddenly as it came after ten days, and my friend was released from the hospital. Bills started to flow from the hospital and the specialists, amounting to a grand total of $ 248,000 ! My friend has good insurance that paid 90% of it, but he was stuck with almost $25,000. Can anyone with mastery of the facts enlighten me as to why a ten day hospital stay would cost a quarter of a million dollars ? Can anyone break this down for me ? I'm just curious.

I support universal health care if it only takes care of Americans and not illegal aliens! You must be legal and pay taxes to enjoy Healthcare benefits! 15 million illegals should not get this benefit!

@champly again:

We DO subsidize food production. Did you ever hear of agriculture subsidies, crop subsidies, etc? While well intentioned in the beginning to help family farms make better decisions, it now mostly goes to corporate farming operations and no longer has any benefit to us. It is just a mechanism to drive up corporate profits.

Where are you "anti-socialists" on this one? One of GWB's first acts in 2001 was to sign the largest farm subsidy bill to date. Where were you then?

Wow, Champly, what a hoot!

So you were listening to Rush the other day when he said that it wasn't obesity and lack of exercise that was hurting us and driving up health care costs, it was exercise fanatics.

Fit people who occasionally get banged up in exercise, but stay fit and don't get diabetes, early onset of heart disease, strokes, cancer, and other very expensive ailments cost us more than the limbaughs of the world?

Really, isn't there some reality check that would click on? Fit people with bumps and bruises from exercise (and the occasional knee operation) cost us more than inactive, overweight people with all the aliments they get?

Anything there? Any kind of bs detector? Nah, couldn't be. Otherwise, you wouldn't rant against drug abusers while listening to someone who sent his housekeeper to get him oxycontin.

You probably also bought the argument that smokers save us money because they don't live long enough to get heart disease. Really, turn off rush and get a clue.

I have talked to a number of people in countries that have health care provided for them who now live here, England, Canada, the Netherlands, and they loved it in those countries. They have plenty of doctors to choose from and they don't have to wait forever to get in to see one and the care is actually getting much better than it is in the U.S. They said yes, they had to pay higher taxes, but they also say it still costs far more in the US when you factor in both insurance and paying deductibles that it does paying the extra taxes. They also care more about preventative medicine, too. If their governments can do it then why can't ours, aren't we always bragging about how we are the greatest country in history and can do anything? Face it, it's not being done because one political party in this country would rather protect massive profits of the corporations who own hospitals and the pharmaceutical companies than make sure that their fellow man is taken care of. Also always strikes me as funny that this party is the one who always claims they are more Christian influenced than the other side. Can someone please explain to me how placing more importance on corporate greed than the care of the ill is a Christian attitude? Is there hidden something in the Bible about that? (Maybe Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity write a new Bible I don't know about)

My advice is for the administration not to listen to the fear mongering and to tear it apart and fix it, those that are adamantly defending a failed system either are the lucky few who still have good coverage or are afraid they will lose some personal stake. Facts people, look at how much costs have gone up the past 5 years alone, if you can still afford it I'm happy for you, but every rate increase, it becomes more out of reach and unattainable for a large segment of our society, and just because you are happy with your coverage now just remember tomorrow you may be on the other side of the fence with the people who can't get coverage and wind up losing everything they own when they do get sick. You are at the mercy of a profit machine, when theres no profit to be made from you, you will see how long your healthcare lasts.

@Champly: If you quit your job, become indigent, and have no insurance, we will pay for your health care. When you get sick, you don't go to the doctor. You wait until it is catastrophic, then go to the ER where costs are significantly higher, and you get admitted to the hospital. The hospital can't refuse to provide medically necessary services to you, and you can't pay, so you get free (although minimal) health care. The hospital then has to build the expense from you and many like you (that 47 million we keep talkint about) into the fees they charge those with insurance and those who private pay. Therefore, your case of the flu, that could have been medicated with a small cost visit to a clinic and possibly antibiotics, if you had access to health care, is now a $50k hospital stay that you aren't paying for, but the other insureds who use that hospital are paying for.

Those 47 million without health insurance aren't just suffering poor health care, they are costing us, the people who do buy insurance, as well as our employers, a significant percentage of our costs.

You are paing for it now, if you have health insurance, and you'll pay for it under a government run system. However, if we make it possible for that indigent person (or minimum wage worker, etc), then they get that immediate treatment and their disease doesn't get to the $50k hospital visit.

Champly wrote June 14th, 2009 12:10 pm ET

"pcs/North Carolina – An EMS may be paid $50 an hour now (which sounds obscene) but will be paid about $6 an hour under Obamacare."

"An EMS may be paid $50 an hour now (which sounds obscene) " – that is not obscene !! they work hard day and night and deserves every dime what they get paid.

"but will be paid about $6 an hour under Obamacare." - EMS is already run by the Government, and paid by the government. Sure, they will get paid $6 if EMS becomes a Private "Capitalist EMS". You loose abstract thinking, judgment and becomes brainwashed., when you listen to "Lord Rush" , the rhetoric from the "RupubliKKKan party", the no "Shame Zone" of O'Reilly. You become a RUSHBOT.

My husband and I are retired military.... We get "socialized" medicine from those the Gov't contracts with because that's what they promised to give us as a retirement benefit after we served our country... The problem is, none of the doctors in our living area seems to want to accept the program! Amazing isn't it????

Dear MomOfFour:

Having retired as a firefighter/emt in a large government fire rescue department, what an insult you have made to the men and women who work so hard for your safety. Ranks right up there with Reagan's "government is not the solution to your problem, government is the problem."

Throughout my career, we lived and breathed better service to our citizens, even the ungrateful dolts like you. 24 hours a day, every third day, we were ready and eager to help everyone in our path. Even when Aids was just becoming a problem and no one knew how it spread, our teams were rushing with red lights and sirens to help people, even people we knew had aids. Three of the people I worked with are unable to work now because of contracting Hepatitis C.

And the private sector you worship? Our ambulances always had two paramedics who, at a minimum, had an additional six months of intense training, during which time they had to work with a seasoned officer, and then pass a very demanding test before they could work without an officer. Sunstar (run by AMR) across the bay? Ambulances had one paramedic, who could be just out of paramedic school, and one emt, who could have just gotten certified. And, the sunstar system was the most expensive in the state. If you are having a heart attack, which would you prefer, the private paramedic and emt with as little as no experience, or the government team where the medical director required collecitvely years of experience on each unit?

Your insults to the men and women who work around the clock to protect you are putrid.
We'd stop at a 7-11 for a coke break? Get a clue.

Champly, it is incredible how little you actually know. My background is 20 years as a medical practice administrator. Want to hear about the American I know who had to go to Canada to get a life saving operation because her American insurance wouldn't pay for it? Or the hard working American I know who got cancer and exhausted her insurance benefits, then had to sell her house so she could afford to pay for the $5000 per month in medicines that keep her alive? My husband and I pay $14000 per year for insurance that comes with a $5000 deductible per person – a public health option would give us and many other hard working people a chance to secure care at a reasonable cost. Keep your plan if you're happy with it, but don't be so incredibly selfish that you would deny the rest of us affordable, accessible health care.

Well I appear to be getting the answer to my question. Most of you Obamists do indeed want me to pay for your healthcare. Ain't going to do it though. I will quit my well paying job, sit on my ass, and let YOU pay for mine first.

It is amazing to me that Canada, Australia, Germany, France, England, as well as every other industrialized country, is able to provide health care for their citizens without all the hand wring and moaning. No one in those countries ever went bankrupt paying their medical bills and they get better care than we get without fighting the insurance companies or begging Medicaid.
Maybe one of our elected genius' could take a look at these countries and pick up some hints.
Of course, they are not spending $10 billion a month in Iraq, spending hundreds of millions looking for water on Mars, studying the Big Bang, operating multibillion dollar aircraft carriers, $220 million airplanes etc.
The waste (no bid contracts, i.e. Blackwater ) in government go a long ways towards paying for health care.
The government has enough money but too often spends it on foolishness and the rest of the world looks at us and snickers.

IF "health care cost's are crushing us" then maybe one ought to look at the profits of insurance companies for the answer. Do we really want lower cost doctors? If we do then we deserve the second class care they would provide. I for one want a doctor who is well educated and has the support of the hospital to keep furthering his/her education to stay informed on the latest and best available health care. Insurance companies run the health care fiels. They say who can have what medication and they say what they will pay for it, who can have what test and where they can have it at, all in a effort to pay their top people big bonuses and salaries. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!

I am filing for 'bankruptcy' this week.., because my medical bills and the cost of medical insurance. Right now.., I have 'no' medical insurance or coverage by anyone. I make just barely enough to where I "don't" qualify for medical coverage or assistance. I still can not believe that I make by their qualifications $30.00 over the limit per month to where I can 'not' get medical insurance coverage or assistance from the state or federal government. So, I am left with nothing. It 'pays' not to get sick. Thank you, Senator Max Baucus for all your help and assistance.., 'None !'. Mike in Butte, Montana

pcs/North Carolina – An EMS may be paid $50 an hour now (which sounds obscene) but will be paid about $6 an hour under Obamacare.

Throwing around 47million as uninsured is false. 20 million of those are illegal immigrants and another 15 million have access to healthcare but choose not to purchase it. Get you numbers right. Choice and competition are you kdding me. They are for choice and competition as long as its run by the government. Wake up America, we did in time with the immigration debacle but didnt in time for the bailouts, we have to on this healthcare debacle

To my dearest ysidero, once again – So you would support socializing food production ? Wouldn't that make sense with so many people in this country going to bed hungry at night ? I would think that food ranks higher than medical care. You make little sense.

Joseph, do you really see that or are you relying on what Republicans tell you? It was the same with the welfare mom driving the Cadillac and buying steak using her food stamps. Get a clue. You do have abuse of the system by people but you also have just as much abuse by doctors and other providers.

Champly wrote June 14th, 2009 11:17 am ET

"Thousands of Canadians swarm into the U.S. every year to obtain medical treatment denied them in Canada. So where are American's going to go when the Democrats begin rationing here ? Cuba ; ) ?"

That is what "RUSH" has been telling you all. !!
Fact: Tens of thousand U.S citizens go to Canada for "prescription shopping". Some even go to the extent of getting a "Canadian Health Card" from a friend across the boarder to go to a Canadian clinic to get preventive care.

Fact: Go to the Canadian boarder cities like Port Huron, MI, Detroit / Windsor and witness it for your self. Do not let "RUSH", and the other clowns brainwash you all.
Do not allow the “Red Party” = The GOP communists, who works only for the filthy rich to hijack our country.

So what all of you Obamists are saying is that you want the best health care in the world and you want someone other than yourself to pay for it ? Is that what you are saying ?

Joseph: when you say it kills you that these people pick there kids up with designer purses and big suv's, have you ever thought that those hand bags were knock offs? I here all these republican complain about paying for other people, so they can sit at home and do nothing, but collect a check? Do these poor people live at the four seasons? They live like crap! They may get a check, but it surely isn't a whole lot. You can quite work too, and get your tiny check, but it will not be fun, i am sure about that. You act like these people are rolling in government cash.

John Z – there must be profit in everything or the person providing the service will not provide the service. PROFIT is not an evil word. The Democrat Party is intent on slashing payments to everyone, healthcare givers and healthcare receivers.

The problem with nationalizing healthcare in the U.S. is that we have a level of corruption unseen in most other industrialized countries. The Party will get its pound flesh by managing the money flow to buy votes. They calculate that "profit" into every other issue they have their fingers in. Trading votes for healthcare is the biggest evil of all.

And by the way, ever looked at the fraud in our health care system perpetuated by Doctors and providers? Look at your hospital bill and see how much they charge you for an aspirin, a room, a splint.... Notice how much an x ray cost. Look at the bill and see how many people charge you for a simple x ray or other test. You will notice for every one test three people charge you, The reason for this, how else are they going to pay for the treatment of those that don't pay.

I was uninsured and had to go to the emergency room for what I was told was a sprained knee. I spent three hours there had an x-ray and was given a knee brace and told to see an orthopedist. It cost $1500.00. They told me they would cut the cost in half if I paid the bill ASAP. I put the cost on a credit card. However, when trying to get follow up treatment with the Orthopedic doctor, I was told I had to have $700.00 just to see the doctor and that would just cover the initial appointment and no treatment. Needless to say I couldn't afford it , luckily I have the brace to use when the knee goes out as it continues to do.

@ momoffour

i hate to even dignify that slander with a response, but i cant stop myself. if u know of such a thing actually happening (an ambulance on an emergency call stopping for a coke break) u should report it to the (yes) government oversight agency in ur area. none of my co-workers would think of delaying an emergency call to have a break, and if anyone did they would be jobless that same day. over the last 25 years i have worked for both public and private EMS responders, and i can tell u that the profit motive and medicine are at best in an uneasy alliance.

momof four I do not know what part of the health system you work in but I do not think any thing of the health system. Right now the insurance companies tell our doctors what they can or an not treat, how long we can stay in the hospital and a host of other rules that we must follow. I just spent 6 months without insurance because of my exiting conditions. I had colon cancer 3 years ago and for no amount of money could my husband and I get insurance when his Cobra ran out, which ,by the way cost us $1020 a month. My husband is on Medicare now and I will be in July and I am looking forward to it.

Momoffour, I've also worked in health care for over 20 years. You're wrong. We do not have the best health care system in the world when 47 million Americans have no insurance, another 25 million are under-insured, 50% of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills and private for-profit insurance companies are profitable only if they ration care – and believe me, they DO ration care. We spend 17% of our GDP on health care, more than any other country in the world, and yet we rank 29th in infant mortality rates and 50th in life expectancy. We need reform now and we need a public health option if we are ever going to bring down costs in the private sector.

There are crushing us. The cost will bankrupt us soon as well. Why are people fighting so hard for a failed system. We are ranked something like 38th out of all nations. Really? Even if you have insurance now, you better pray that you don't get sick. If you get sick, they will raise the costs so you are unable to keep your coverage.

Iown a small business that struggles to provide heath care for its employees. Every year we have to renegotiate our contract with the insurance companies. Here is the certainty in that negotiation. Every year the price goes up more than 10-15 percent, and at the same time the total coverage goes down. Do the math. This is not sustainable. I seem to have two choices. Stick my employees with the entire bill, or just stop trying to do the right thing by providing health care insurance.so you don't think there is a crisis. Just try being in business then.

How much do you want to bet that when we get affordable healthcare for everyone. The majority of people who do not have it now will not pay for it?? When it's free why bother...so how do you adjust for that?? I live in a state where we have loads of federal and state assistance for people. The majority do not pay for healthcare insurance but the mom's will have designer purses and clothes and send their kids to school in the winter in flip flops, shorts and no coat. When you ask them if they own warm clothes they will tell you they do not own a coat or boots. Then it kills me to see mommy or daddy pick them up in a huge suv. I think we have created a society that puts too much emphasis on what we wear, how we look, and what we drive. The priority is not on paying to take care of the family.

MomofFour wrote June 14th, 2009 11:37 am ET

@ysidero

"When YOU have a heart attack and call 911 and the government run ambulance stops at 7-11 to take a coke break because they make $6. and hour and don't give a crap…….you'll remember what quality health care was."

EMS make $50 + an hour, not $ 6 an hour !! Know your facts before you type. This is what happens when you get brain washed after listning to too much "RUSH".

In response to Champly –

And thousands of Americans come to Canada every year to get their prescriptions filled because Canada doesn't allow the gouging that U.S. pharmaceutical companies engage in to happen there. If the overriding goal of a health care system is profit, you will get gouging. If the overriding goal is to provide health care for everyone (which can only be done through government involvement), then that will be the outcome.

Hey Kathleen what kind of health care do youhave?? Are you under the federal employees care or do you have your own?? Just wondering.

We spend 17% of GDP on health care, and have 47 million citizens uninsured. All other G9 countries spend 7% of their GDP on HC and have universal coverage.

Here are soem possible solutions:

1) Everybody can keep their current insurance plan and the doctor if they like it.

2) A low cost Government run Health Insurance Program (GHIP), parallel to compete with private insurance companies (PIC). This will allow people who can not afford or who lost their jobs to get health care coverage. Lack of medical insurance is the most important reason for bankruptcy filling. Tax payers are paying for the uninsured anyway when they file for bankruptcy.

3) Patients enrolled in GHIP should sign a waiver to curb frivolous malpractice lawsuits.

4) Expand Primary Care Providers (PCP) network – Better training and incentives to PCPs. All patient enrolled in GHIP should have a designated PCP. GHIP patients should have a referral from the PCP to see a specialists, but there is no mandate for private insurance.

5) All major procedures and interventions should be entered into a central database ect; cardiac catheterization. This will prevent duplicating and repeating procedures, which is quite common in present day medical practice.

6) Mandate installing electronic medical records (EMR) in all hospitals and doctors officers. The EMR should have the capability of “talking” to other EMR, just like the “Vista World” system in VA hospitals. This will prevent duplicative investigations, blood work ect. This will also enable physicians to have better assess to medical records, rather than waiting for days to get a medical record faxed while patents stays in the hospital incurring higher expenses.

7) standardize the medical health insurance industry. Clarify rules on co-pay, deductibles, out of network jargon. Limit executive pay. You can not allow a CEO of a Health insurance company to make $ 25 million , while denying coverage for million others. Private Medical Insurance companies make profits by denying coverage, escalating premiums and delaying payments to doctors and hospitals (as much as 6 – 8months !!).

. According to WHO, we rank 34th in the world on morbidity, infant mortality, and life expectancy statistics, just barely making it above Cuba. !! Yes, with the “Capitalist Medicine” after spending 17% of the GDP on healthcare , and bankrupting many innocent families due to no fault of their own, we sure can not boast about the results of our “Capitalist Health Care “ experiment

David – yes Champly wears almost what the Obama's would consider sack cloth. I work hard for what I have, scrimp, save, make tough decisions about my life. Obamaist don't want to do that. They want it all, they want it now, and they want someone like me to pay for it.

@ysidero

When YOU have a heart attack and call 911 and the government run ambulance stops at 7-11 to take a coke break because they make $6. and hour and don't give a crap.......you'll remember what quality health care was.

Champly, you really don't know what you are talking about. Republicans love to tell you that you can walk into any emergency room and be treated without paying a dime, not true. You may be treated but you will get a bill. If you don't pay that bill you will be turned over to a collections agency and harassed until you either pay up or declare bankruptcy. Some people have to put a certain amount of money down to receive the treatment they need before anything is done. Homeless people are given enough treatment to stabilize them then dumped at a charity hospital or on the street. This is true in a lot of urban areas. When they go to a charity hospital or if you don't pay a bill, you and I pay for it, thus the reason for such high cost of medical care. Get a clue

The thought of the government running health care is a not only frightening...it's terrifying. We have the best health care industry in the world. I've worked in the medical field for 25 years. I cannot think of anything worse than the government taking over health care. There are so many alternatives to providing health care to those who can't afford it and alternatives to bring down costs, it is not necessary for the government to take it over. The government would totally ruin our quality of life. It would be a HUGE MESS. We are turning the clock back and making people poor and dependent on the government all over again. President Clinton did so much to dismantle that leech of a system...and Obama is bringing it right back. Government is not the answer. I trust the private industry to advance medicine and provide quality of care to myself and family. I do not trust the government.

Chambly, your comments are an absolute disgrace and embarrassment. Your hate and ignorance is undeniable. What does Michelle's wardrobe have to do with "starving peopel in the ghetto"? Are you currently wearing sackcloth? I doubt it. Please, get off of equating the health care debate with " Boob jobs and abortion". You are way off base. Also, NO, the US does not have the best health care in the world. We strive to, but what good is it if it is unattainable for the majority of Americans? And btw........ are you capable of coming up with an intelligent solution, or will you continue to shoot down those who are making an attempt of coming up with some sort of reform for the good of the country?

I'm an HR/Benefits professional and I would like to see reform in the medical insurance process. To get affordable health care for our employees, we could not get the same rates by going directly to the insurance company that we got going through a broker who went through another broker. So where is all this money going, not to the doctors?

Here we go again. When the Obama administration wants money the situation at hand is suddenly "a crisis". To even suggest that the government can run the health care industry for this country is ridiculous. Go to any government run health clinic...nursing home...VA Centers, etc. and you will see the future of government controlled healthcare. Go to the hospital in your area where patient's without insurance are sent that the government runs and tell me what you think of the quality of care. Government run healthcare is BAD. A very, very BAD idea. This is about money and taking over another part of the economy. This is about socialism. We CANNOT allow this to happen. There are many other ways of controlling healthcare costs and making sure uninsured people get help without the government taking over the entire system. The quality of life for all Americans WILL DECREASE if this is allowed to happen.

Champly wrote June 14th, 2009 10:10 am ET

"The Obamist would set up a federal insurance company to "compete" against private carriers. It would use our tax dollars to undercut the competition driving them out of business."

In essential services like Health industry their should be a Government option, so that the private industry do not take the innocent citizens hostage.

We have Government run US Postal Service, then you have the option of FEDEX ,UPS or DHL.
We have Government run Police Department, but if you want private security guards you can have them also.
We have Government run Military, and also can have private contractors like KBR, Haliburton, and Blackwater.

Why not a Government option in Health Care ? You can not allow the Rethuglicans to shove the “Private Medical Insurance only” option while all the elected leaders in our nation benefit from the Government Health Care coverage. America is all about having choices and options, but not about greed and deregulation. Sound familiar. !!

@ champly, again

when u have ur heart attack from getting all worked up over how *socialism* is taking over, u will no doubt be happy to call 911 and have the taxpayer supported paramedics come save ur ass. im not talking about sex changes, im talking about preventive care for diabetics, people with high blood pressure, things that can cause permanent disability and therefore HUGE taxpayer costs if they go untreated. i havent heard anyone suggest that cosmetic surgery is gonna be taxpayer supported, have u?

Health care cost will never improve until we can do away with so mamy false claims, thanks to our so willing Lawyers. They and their successful claimers are the ones getting rich over this and the rest of us pay the out of control health care bills, through higher Ins. Premiums.

Healthcare in the United States is broken and in dire need of reform. If you can afford to pay the insurance companies' exorbitant rates or if you are covered by an employer sponsored group plan you are OK, if not you are out of luck. As far as prescription benefits, we are all at the mercy of the drug companies.

Many of the people on this post are expressing their positions on healthcare without having any idea of what is being proposed and what has a chance of being approved. Wild claims are made and many seem to be following the drivel spouted by the uneducated buffoon, Rush Limbaugh and other right wing bigots.

Why not relax and see what develops before criticizing imagined proposals?

Thousands of Canadians swarm into the U.S. every year to obtain medical treatment denied them in Canada. So where are American's going to go when the Democrats begin rationing here ? Cuba ; ) ?

@Sniffit

I am not actually bitter, if you see I was making a joke... I just hope you read the whole blog....

See ya....

Health care costs wouldn't be so excessive except for the scumbag lawyers who sue doctors for malpractice on behalf of their " I want something for nothing" and "you owe me" clients, all of which most likely voted for Obamaination, and for the politicians themselves, like Sebelius, who is a joke.

Medicare is "socialist medicine." I have Medicare and a supplemental insurance program.

These two programs pay nearly all of my medical needs, including surgeries. Without these programs I would probably not be alive.

My kids live in Australia where everyone has "medicare." They love it. They don't have to worry about their or their kids' health care. They don't get financially wiped out due to medical costs.

If Medicare for seniors is messed up here in the US, we are going to have hundreds of thousands of our seniors (your parents and grandparents) dying needlessly.

We need to work on the cost of prescriptions. Even with prescription benefits, the costs are far more than I can afford. We could curb many medical problems (such as diabetes) if seniors could afford the meds that help regulate chronic diseases.

The second seniors got the prescription benefits, the drug companies raised prices on meds, so we really gained nothing.

Lynn- If our president cared about who lives and dies he would not be an ardent supporter or partial birth abortion, that would be killing of the baby as it is being born. No doubt those procedures will be fully covered by a Obama/Democrat Party plan. Shame on them and shame on you.

The Canadian healthcare system, while supported by the Federal Government with transfer payments, and regulated by the feds, the individual provinces run their own plans. Any province can cut funding to their healthcare programs to balance their budgets etc. Now, is the Canadian Health Care system perfect, no, it is fair, not always, but I will say, that a college student just graduating does not get immediately dropped from her parents plan, my mother has the bulk of drugs covered, including her diabetes test strips and machine. And even though when we were young, and my brother having had health problems as a child, was not turned away when he graduated college for having any "preexisiting" condition. When my father needed a heart transplant, he was on the top of the list, and unfortunately died waiting for one(but that happens here too). Had he received it, they would have paid for everything, and they would not have received the bill. When I left Canada, I as paying a little over $100 per month for health premiums and about $10 for prescriptions. Families pay more for the premium, around $250 per month. It is NOT a free system, there are premiums. But NO co-pays, or deductibles and they can't turn you away because you are not covered.

Personally, I think the issue is for people is the idea that single payer health care supported by the government is taboo because people down here view it as socialism. And for all the brainiac repubs out there in the audience, do a little research. The US Governement ALREADY pays the highest percentage of GDP to healthcare costs than ANY other industrialized nation in the world. In Canada, France and England, it is all about 7-8% in the USA it runs a hefty 15 – 18% price tag. Mainly because we don't provide preventative care, and then things turn into emergencies and the government picks these costs up. HELLOOOOOOO, we already have socialized medicine, only it isn't organized. Preventative care in this country is disgusting. My husbands STELLAR healthcare plan, and for the most part is great, does NOT over colonoscopy when you turn 50....WHAT???? Only covers it if you have a problem. That should be standard on the lowest healthcare plans.

Lets get into the 21st century, and and have a major paradigm shift. Single payer system needs to be implements NOW. It will cost huge dollars up front, but 10 years from now, the government will be saving trillions.

I do not presume to know how to fix our country's healthcare but it is clear that we are in a crisis.

We spend more money on healthcare than ANY other country yet we don't get the results we should. Canadians have a lower infant mortality rate than Americans and they live longer. I for one, am tired of Americans dying as a result of the poor access to health care we have in this country. We have the best medicine and the worst record of people being able to take advantage of it of any industrialized nation.

I am just happy that we have a President who is not afraid to tackle this difficult problem because he actually cares whether ALL, not just some live or die.

When Congress and the Senate start turning in their benefits for life for the same ones the taxpayers have I will know we are there.

Ed Knight – Cuba had to fly a bowel specialist in from Spain to treat your generalissmo Castro. Don't make a fool by comparing health care in socialist hell holes to the superior American care.

Ed Knight – 40 million people are not without healthcare. That many may not have "insurance" but they can waltz into just about any medical facility in the country and get treatment. And they don't have to pay a dime.

Seattle Sue – and you must be listening to Karl Marx and Barry Obama. Whats next – nationalized food production? That would make more sense that medical care. And clothing – why not nationalize and dictate the use. Michelle Obama has been seen wearning very extravagent and expense shoes, dresses, etc., while many people starve in the ghettos. Evey dime of that money should have gone to feeding the poor than adorning her socialist body.

We will pass it with or without the rightwing Theocracy that is against it.

One thing people are missing is if everyone is on the gov insurance plan....EVERYONE pays for it. Maybe not in the form of a monthly bill, but we all have to pay for it somehow.

Unless the gov just prints more money in which case we pay for EVERYTHING ELSE a bit more due to inflation

Check all the European countries, middle-east countries,
Cuba, and even Taiwan have very good health care. My Family members had heart surgery, cataract and glaucoma surgery, medical exams, mammograms all free. Wait times are not bad at all. We pay in our taxes and each and every one is covered. Why is it 40 million US citizens are without health care? The politicians are in the pocket of the large medical insurance companies. Why does the so-called richest country not have it? ASK, really ask, your politicians and you will get all sort of lies about other countries care. Don't believe them my friends.

Dearest ysidero – If you want everyone to have all the medical care they want, from sex changes to breast implants then YOU PAY FOR IT. I work too hard to be raped by you and others to pay YOUR SALARY.

skyhawkdriver===Why don't you get your facts straight before you start typing? Go to Google and check health care insurance for federal workers, it is not free. ======================================================Champly====Have you been listening to Limbaugh again? Limbaugh is saying it's people that exercise and play sports that is driving the cost of insurance/ health care up.====Just Dumb.

As a person who has worked with older people for the past 20 years I would say they are very pleased with their Medicare. I would also say that those who are dual eligible are also very pleased. They have choice. They are able to see any doctor who accepts Medicare. They go to their hospital of choice. They get the care needed and in a timely manner. They receive physical, occupational and speech therapy. They get necessary medical equipment. The only problem is Part D prescription Medicare coverage. Quite a few Seniors go into the "donut hole" early into the year and have to pay full cost for their medications even though they continue to pay a premium. The Drug plan can drop a particular drug at any time and the consumer has to pay full price. The consumer on the other hand can't change a program until the next year.

How about you take time and investigate the health programs in Canada and other foreign countries. Don't just stop and listen to those who don't want the program to begin with. Ask yourself, why? Why don't they want all American citizens to have access to affordable health care?

Have you noticed that you never hear those against Universal Health Care discuss what it would do to a person's salary if health care weren't included in their employment package. I mean think about it. If we weren't dependent on employer based health care perhaps we would see that cost included in our pay. Hmmmm....

Jeez, the propaganda machine is working overtime on this one! I've seen the ads on tv about the government bulldozing private insurers out of business and giving examples of health care problems from England and Canada. I read Champly's anti-Democratic party drivel. I hear the insurance company shills who serve in Congress spread fear and lies to try and save their masters profits. Unfortunately, the only crisis they see is the threat to big business profits.

The truth is we have a health care crisis in this country is going to affect everyone sooner or later. Companies who strive to take care of their employees are crippled by the cost of coverage; some even discontinue offering health insurance. Most individuals face a health care crisis sooner or later, either themselves or with someone in their family. The costs are huge and the effects can be devastating, including loss of savings and even bankruptcy.

Comprehensive health care reform will be one of the best things to happen to this country, ranking up there with the constitution, the freeing of the slaves and the voting rights and civil rights acts. It will allow American companies to compete in the global market. It will protect the old, the young and those live in the lower wage strata, who are just as important to the American economy as the CEO's who make the huge salaries.

Creating a government run entity to compete with insurance companies won't run private insurance companies out of business. They may have to change their strategies and their profits may not be as obscene as they are now, but they will survive. Suggestions to the contrary are put forth to scare people and make them lose their heads, or are put forth by people who have already lost their minds.

We are not socialists. It will not work here.

No different than the past decade. Stop the lawyers, solve the problem. Hopenchange is using the politics of fear, who would have imagined?

Hey Jon,
I have been on Medicaid and it was far better than private insurance. It covers absolutely everything with no co-pays, premiums or deductible. Where private insurance can refuse whatever they feel like, drop you once you've cost them too much and don't cover you until you pay your premiums AND meet your deductible. We tried getting Blue Cross Blue Shield through work- yes my work plan. That cost 400/month premiums, 750 dollar deductible for all three of us and all sorts of sneaky little provisions to keep them from paying out, and maximum expenditure clauses. The reps for BCBS were rude and unprofessional and my wife had a miscarriage while we were busy jumping through their hoops. Public medicine works all over Europe and Canada don't let the GOP fool you. Our health care system is a wreck...unless you are rich.

@ To: Phoenix86

I believe he is 6 days away from FIVE months in office; your talking points need an update!

Yes so let us have health care costs crush the gov instead. That's exactly what it needs right now.

Fix the gov first, then fix health care!

this is news? we pay 30% of our income for insurance and medical bills ... and none of are sick.

really Phoenix86? Obama in his 3 months in office created the health care mess? Pelosi or Waxman?

you are the disgrace and need to get a job and walk away from your computer and enjoy a little nature, you are caught up in yourself

I don't want it, thank you very much. The reason why you can't afford insurance is because the insurance companies have to make a profit (or at least they think so). You are supposed to buy insurance, but never use it. That way, the insurance prices will stay down, and AIG can rake in its trillions of dollars, and still have the CEO make hundreds of millions of dollars a year. You just have to roll over and play dead, and everything will be just fine.

I don't understand it. Many western industrialized countries, particularly in Europe, have better and cheaper health systems than America. Why all the debate? Why don't we just copy one of the European systems?

@ champly

and exactly how are these *socialists* going to *force* u to exercise? handcuff u to a treadmill and dangle a cheeseburger in front of ur face? and, its absurd to say that 270 million have healthcare in the US, i work in emergency medical services and i know how many people have no coverage and therefore ignore problems until they get bad enough for them to need to call 911. preventive care is not only cost-effective, it is humane and logical. duh.

This is about power and votes and nothing else. Congress has had decades to fix this. Find one affordable, well run government program in the history of this nation, I dare you. Go ahead.

We'll ALL be living in government housing before this is over. Why are our politicans talking about spending trillions of dollars on a program that only affects a small portion of this country, unless you are talking about illegals, of course. The Prez has already included them in your bailout money and those jobs you have yet to see materialize.

Millions out of work in the great one's first 6 months. Wake up, America. You are as dumb as a rockpile.

overhaul and study and implement

get it done

it is completely out of hand

the health industry tries to justify it, but their excuses are empty

What happens to people in private insurance when their medical expenses rise to a level that makes their premiums insufficiently profitable for the insurance company? But of course, we don't want the government (i.e., the people) interfering and rationing health care! Benito would be proud.

When the people of america are provided with the same FREE health care plan that our elected officals are given then obumble will win my support..until then all the rhetoric flowing from washington will be meaningless..socialized medicine is a failure in europe and anywhere else it has been tried..do you really want the government controlling your health??..and just what government authority do you know of that actually works??..the post office??..two billion dollars in debt??..social security??..congress has raided it so often it will be broke when most of us baby boomers retire..the federal government needs to stick to what the constitution says and leave us alone to live our lives

This is just another example of how Obama wants the gov. to take complete controll of our lives. I agree something needs to be done but not total gov. controll. Let's start with limiting all the stupid lawsuits that happen in this country. Everything from health ins. to car ins. is driven out of sight by these lawsuits. If Wal-Mart can offer $4.00 a month medicine why can't others? Gov. controll will only destroy our health care not improve it.

Don't worry, Pelosi will only consider Government Care (FEMA trailers anyone?), while Waxman will push through a new tax through Cap & Trade (where it is cheaper to buy the credit from the government than build alternative energy sources).

The Oblama administration is full of it. What a disgrace.

Ask anyone on Medicare or Medicaid if they would prefer to have private medical insurance of the "public plan" that they are already enrolled in and they will most assuredly choose private insurance.

That it is, you have a job and some jobs will pay for their employees, but when it's comes for the dependents it's outrageous what they will take out per week, I see what is taking out for me out of my husbands pay check.

I remember when I had to pay out of pocket way back in the 70's for Blue Cross-Blue Shield; even back then was a lot of money, I did not have dental or eye insurance and I had to pay out of pocket for medication, and at the time, it was not a lot of money back then. That was then...

This is now, When my mother was dying back in 1998 even back then, my dad had to pay for very expensive education, and he would get reimbursed about 1/3 to what he paid out of pocket. It was not fair to my parents, now medicare and Medicaid they pay 1 to 5 dollars, it all depends on what the medication is.

Healthcare has been in the toilet for many years, and has anyone paid out for Cobra and could you afford it?

The Obamist would set up a federal insurance company to "compete" against private carriers. It would use our tax dollars to undercut the competition driving them out of business. It would then be able to force the 270 million (Sebelius's 180 million is smoke and mirrors) who do have some type of coverage into the federal plan, at which time the Democrat party would be in absolute control of healthcare, forcing everyone to pay for everything from sex change operations to forced preventive care mandated by Democrat party hacks such as Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi.

By forced preventive care the party would control our day to day lives. Forcing us to exercise when they want us to, to the degree they want us to. Eating habit would be controlled and monitored. All the while drug addicts and people who live alternative life styles (beloved and encouraged by the Democrat party) run up massive claims for everything thing from addictions to AIDS.

I cannot see how reform to the present health care system can be affordable by just plugging the holes in the present private insurance system with public money, asthe thing that is making health care so expensive at present is paying for the profits of the private insurers. The only way to have an affordable health care system is for the government to completely take over health care insurance as in done in Canada. I know that would cost some people their jobs, but in order to make an omelet you have to break some eggs.