Hot Topic (4/2): Should health care in the U.S.A. be provided free to everyone?

[Cafe GroupAdmin]

 As you may recall, actress Natasha Richardson recently died after a fall on a beginners' ski slope in Canada. 

Some have raised the question whether the Canadian system of medical care shares part of the blame. 

As the Galen Institute reports:

"We don't think about helicopters as being medical equipment, but when a centrally-planned health care system is making decisions about what the government will pay for, the big ticket items are often the first to go."

So, the question is:

Should health care be free to everyone? 

 

If it is "free" (that is, funded by tax dollars and not privately funded), will the quality of health care suffer? 

Does the idea of socialized medicine make you cringe or cheer?

Is health care a right or a privilege?  

[Katie911]

Well my son is disabled and on a waiver that gives him medicaid.  This is state funded medical insurance.  Paid by tax payers just like me.  My stepson has severe learning disabiltiy and he does not qualify for the waiver.  Our insurance through my husbands job does not cover group therapy, case management or parent support.  It also does not cover a large majority of his medicine.  My son's medicaid pays for all of that for him, but stepson is left in the dark without the needed services. 

I can understand tax payers not wanting to pay.  But really I think it would be better.  The government could spend the money on medical care instead of bailing out rich morons on wallstreet who need a little more money to save their failing companies. Too bad that has not worked for them.

[mymichelle2002]

People need to know the difference between health insurance and health care. Care is a right, insurance isn't.

[acrogodess]

I don't think it should be free, but I think it should be more competive and therefore there can be more opportunity to find affordable options that actually perform at optimal levels.

My dentist accepts medicaid, health care plans AND offers good prices if you can't afford expensive proceedures. He's going to do a root canal for me for $850 INCLUDING the porcelain crown. Elsewhere it would have cost me between $1,250-1,400. I think all forms of health care providers should be like him. My kids pediatrician accepts medicaid, health plans, AND if I have to pay cash charges only $40 per check up and just $19 for any shots they may need. The local pharmacy gives you the generic prescriptions at the lowest market price available. So a big bottle of generic liquid tylenol for my kids ends up costing me $5.

[mymichelle2002]

The poll doesn't fit the topic question. Being FREE and being a RIGHT are completely different.

[elliephant]

Natasha RIchiardson died because she refused treatment initially.  There may have been language barriers.  The resort and town she went to was small and rural.

I cant imagine her having survied stateside under those conditions.

Had she been an American without health insurance, the result would also have been fatal.

[Brandie_xo]

As far as health care being free. im undecided. There are ups and downs to it.  If it was run right, i think it would be great. But I know of a few moms in canada, who have free health care, but its not of great quality.    They dont have the options of switching doctors (at least this is my understanding) so i dont know how hard it would be to get a second opinion.

[lakegeorge_mom]

I posted a story recently on this. I had a friend here from Ireland but goes to college in england, where they have universal healthcare, she got food poisoning here and was so disgusted by our healthcare here! She waited hours upon hours to just be given a prescription for phenergan to be filled elsewhere, which is hard because she had a special waver insurance for travelling. At home they give you all your meds while your being treated to go home with at no extra cost! Another friend was pregnant and here from canada, she had some complications and was so disgusted by our "award winning hospitals" here that she made her hubby sign her out and drive her across the border for "real medical attention". We need a serious overhaul of our health care system. We need affordable options, but we also need to allow everyone to get the same options as others. Just because I have cdphp and u have medicaid shouldnt mean i get the better doctors or dentists. If we set limits on all drs with this specialty make $--- then you will get better doctors working everywhere not just big cities. Why should only heavily populated areas get the good drs? Because they have more $ to pay them? We need regulations, we need stricter health codes and we need equal rights for all to have the ability to get equal health care. Get Hilary off the travelling plane and listen to her ideas, she has it right.

[Brandie_xo]

That's how it is here too. If you goto the ER, they give you medicine right there.

I went last weekend, and they couldnt do anything for me (because they dont have specilists at the hospital for some stupid reason) so they game me a cream and sent me home.

Quoting lakegeorge_mom:

I posted a story recently on this. I had a friend here from Ireland but goes to college in england, where they have universal healthcare, she got food poisoning here and was so disgusted by our healthcare here! She waited hours upon hours to just be given a prescription for phenergan to be filled elsewhere, which is hard because she had a special waver insurance for travelling. At home they give you all your meds while your being treated to go home with at no extra cost! Another friend was pregnant and here from canada, she had some complications and was so disgusted by our "award winning hospitals" here that she made her hubby sign her out and drive her across the border for "real medical attention". We need a serious overhaul of our health care system. We need affordable options, but we also need to allow everyone to get the same options as others. Just because I have cdphp and u have medicaid shouldnt mean i get the better doctors or dentists. If we set limits on all drs with this specialty make $--- then you will get better doctors working everywhere not just big cities. Why should only heavily populated areas get the good drs? Because they have more $ to pay them? We need regulations, we need stricter health codes and we need equal rights for all to have the ability to get equal health care. Get Hilary off the travelling plane and listen to her ideas, she has it right.

[PestPatti]

 

 

Quote:

People need to know the difference between health insurance and health care. Care is a right, insurance isn't.

   EXACTLY. 

[athenax3]

In my own dream world, yes (that's the short and sweet anwer)- I would absolutely, positively be thrilled to no end if every human being could recieve medical care when they needed it- it's a fairtale for America, it'll never happen, especially if it threatens to kill a sacred dollar or treats equally the rich people with the poor ones (the rich people really hate that)- there could be a lot of potential issues, but if ever a cause were worth the trouble to figure out, my vote would be for this one.