Free Health Care Anyone???
- November 14, 2007 at 12:42 AM by Busy.Bee
- 80 Comment(s)
- 1582 Total Views
Poll
Question: Would you like Free Health care? (National Health care Paid for by the Goverment)
Total Votes: 134
Journal Post
I have recently been enlightened about the true nature of our nations health care. I am greatly disturbed by the fact that people are able to profit from the sick and the dying and have the power to decide if you live or die. I have been especially effected as a mother. I could not imagine being turned down or denied health coverage or medical procedures for my girls. Health care should be a human right. I really think we( the people of the United States) should get active.In Fact WE the Mothers of the children of this nation should band together and make universal health care happen. We need to protect what is important to us...our families.There is a bill they are trying to pass called HR676. It is truley free health care for everyone. I posted the link so you can read it for your self. Everyone deserves to be cared for. This is a bipartisan issue. This is about human life.
Here is some important info you should know:
Q&A
I believe health care is a human right to which everyone
should have access. Will single-payer and HR
676 provide this?
Yes. Health is the foundation of a full, free and
productive life, as well as a prerequisite for democratic
citizenship. Health care is a human right that
should be afforded to all citizens, not a privilege to
be enjoyed by the wealthy.
A single-payer national health insurance program
would assure access to high-quality, comprehensive
health care for all Americans.
Is this "Socialized Medicine?"
No. In socialized medicine systems hospitals are
owned by the government and doctors are salaried
public employees. Although socialized medicine
works well for our Veterans’ Administration and
Defense Department health systems, as well as for
some countries like England and Cuba, this is not
the same as single-payer.
A single-payer national health program, in contrast,
is social insurance, like our Social Security
Program. Doctors and hospitals remain private. The
Medicare program for seniors is an example of a
social insurance program.
Can We Afford Universal Coverage?
We already pay enough for health care for all - wejust don't get it. Americans already have the highest
health spending in the world, but we get less care
(doctor, hospital, etc.) than people in other industrialized
countries. Because we pay for health care
through a patchwork of private insurance companies,
one-third (31 percent) of our health spending
goes to administration.
Replacing private insurers with a national health
program would recover money currently squandered
on billing, marketing, underwriting and other activities
that sustain insurers’ profits but divert
resources from care. Potential savings from eliminating
this waste have been estimated at $350 billion
per year. Combined with what we're already spending,
this is more than enough to provide comprehensive
coverage for everyone.
Won't Universal Coverage Result in Waiting Lines
and Rationing?
The U.S. health system rations care based on
ability to pay: more than 18,000 Americans die
annually due to a lack of insurance. Sixty percent of
uninsured and 28 percent of insured Americans go
without needed care due to costs.
Waits for care in Canada are often shorter than
commonly believed (the median wait for elective specialist
and surgical treatments were 4 weeks in
2005). Through improved management, Canadian
Few Canadians Seek Care
in the United States
Frequently Asked Questions About National Health Insurance
80 percent of U.S. ambulatory care
facilities near the border treat less than
one Canadian per month.
Of “America’s Best Hospitals,” only one
reported treating more than 60
Canadians per year.
In a survey of 18,000 Canadians, only
20 sought care in the U.S.
Sponsored by Physicians for a National Health Program
health experts have been able to cut many of the
longer waiting times drastically. And Canadians live
longer and are more satisfied with their care than
Americans.
Won't We Be Letting Politicians Run the Health
System?
No. Right now, many health decisions are made
by corporate executives behind closed doors. Their
interest is in profit, not providing care. The result is a
dysfunctional health system where 45 million have
no insurance, millions more go without needed care,
and most are in danger of financial disaster should
they become seriously ill.
In a single-payer system, medical decisions are
made by doctors and patients together, without
insurance company interference - they way they
should be.
Won't a Public System Stifle Medical Research and
Innovation?
Most breakthrough research is already publicly
financed through the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). In fact, of the last 30 Americans to win the
Nobel Prize in Medicine, 28 were funded directly by
the NIH. (The other two were funded by a nonprofit
research center in England - a single-payer country).
Many of the most important advances in medicine
have come from single-payer nations. The CT
scan was invented in England. Laprascopic gallbladder
surgery came from Canada. Often, private firms
enter the picture only after the public has paid for
the development and clinical trials of new treatments.
The HIV drug AZT is one example.
On average, drug companies spend more than
half of their revenue on marketing, administration
and profits, compared with 13 percent on research
and development. Negotiating lower prices will allow
Americans to afford drugs without hurting research.
Won't Our Aging Population Bankrupt the System?
Europe and Japan have a far higher percentage
of elderly citizens than the U.S. does, yet their health
systems remain stable with much lower health
spending. The lesson is that national health insurance
is a critical component of long-term cost control.
In addition to freeing up resources by eliminating
private insurance waste, single-payer encourages
prevention through universal access and supporting
less costly home-based long-term care rather
than hospitalization.
Lots of People Have Good Coverage, So Shouldn't
We Build On the Existing System?
Our existing system is structurally flawed, so
patching it up is not a real solution. The insurance
industry sells defective products, so like a car with
faulty brakes, lots of people who think they have
good insurance find that their "coverage" fails when
they get sick: three-quarters of the one million
American families experiencing medical bankruptcy
each year had coverage when they got sick. And all
insured Americans continually face premium hikes,
rising out-of-pocket costs, and cutbacks in covered
services as costs rise. Even those who used to have
very good coverage - like auto workers - are being
forced to give up benefits because of costs. Until we
fix the system, things are only going to get worse.
Marketing
and Admin.
31%
Profits
20%R&D 13%
Taxes, etc. 6%
Drug Companies Spend Little on Research
51 Percent Goes to Marketing and Profits
For answers to more questions, and a full list
of sources and references, visit:
www.SickoCure.org/FAQ
Sponsored by Physicians for a National Health Program
Here are some facts from the Movie "Sicko" if you havent seen the movie you should no matter your veiws of Michael Moore. These are facts listed on his site. He even lists his resources if you want to check it out.
There are nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance.
18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they're uninsured.
The United States is ranked #37 as a health system by the World Health Organization.
The Medicare Part D plan will hand over $800 billion of our tax dollars to the drug and health insurance industry.
The elderly could end up paying more for their prescription drugs than they did before under Part D - and a majority of senior citizens could still pay over $2000 a year.
Fourteen Congressional aides went to work for the industry; Billy Tauzin left Congress to become CEO of PhRMA for a $2 million annual salary.
Canadians live three years longer than we do.
Canadian "wait times" not nearly as long as some try to allege.
Drugs in England only cost $10.After losing 42,000 civilians in eight months during a vicious bombing campaign during World War II, Britain pulled together and instituted a National Health Insurance program in 1948. : In a study of older Americans and Brits, the Brits had less of almost every major disease. Even the poorest Brit can expect to live longer than the richest American.
A baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving than a baby born in Detroit.
There is a company in France, SOS Medecins, which will perform doctor house calls at any time.
The government initially refused to pay for the health care of 9/11 volunteers, because they were not on the government payroll. It remains difficult for the volunteers to access the $50 million fund that has been appropriated for their care.
: In the U.S., health care costs run nearly $7,000 per person. But in Cuba, they spend around $251 per person.
Links You should check out. There are lists of what you can do and links to find your represenotives too.
http://www.pnhp.org/publications/the_national_health_insurance_bill_hr_676.php
http://www.sickocure.org/about/
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php
Feel free to post your stories and comments. I want people to start talking about this and get active!!!!!!
Tags: health care, free, life, hr 676, sicko, sick, help, get active
- Written by Busy.Bee on November 14, 2007 at 12:42 AM
- 1582 total views
- See all posts by Busy.Bee
- Everyone can see this journal post.
Comments:
Universal Health care plan is needed!
Let's me make one thing clear! There is no Free Health care, we have to understand it and accept it. We work for living, health care professionalises do the same. The care plan should be managed by govt. and the payment plan should be under $100 for the whole family. Any children who need speical medical treatments should be funded by govt. , there isn't any excuess they turn the child away from what one needs to get healthy!
Why drugs and medical treatments are so expensive? The drug companies, the hospital, the doctors and the health insurance companies are the causes! They are definitely connecting to each other and play the monopoly game, over pricing the drugs and the treatments, doctors order tests and surgeries that aren't necessary! It is all about making money.
Do you know how much a sugar testing cost you in the hospital? $15 , how much for a bandage? $7. A bottle of insulin $20 in 20 years ago, now $90 a bottle. Why? what in the world they rise the price so fast and so much?
I was debating with a 50 yr old man on yahoo the other day. He said universal health care plan is bad idea, it just because he addressed those who sick are the "burden" of the society! He could see nothing wrong with our aid and money go to the others countries( strangers) while our fellow citizenship deserve nothing. We all get sick once or injury from accidents, not our fault and we deserves the care because we pay a lot of tax!
I just watched the movie Sicko. Before I watched it i knew something had to be done. My husband has been self employed for 15 years now, there was no group insurance at work to be a part of. So we have now unfortunately resorted to being one of the families with no coverage. The last payment I sent to the insurance company was over 900.00 a month. There was still a deductible, office visit co-pay and of course any prescription on top of that. These insurance companies or nothing more than a BUSINESS! the CEOS are being paid millions and for what? To tell you yes you can have that ankle looked at or no you can not have that life saving trans plant because it's "experimental" ???
One time we had an HMO for a year, and we had to fight with them to get them to pay for my yearly GYN visit, which was a covered benefit. every month I would call and say why isn't his paid? The operator on the other end end would say " you're right. this is covered I don't understand why it isn't. I am taking care of it right now for you" FOR SIX MONTHS the same thing! Here to find out, they were canceling our type of policy and of course got what they wanted. We changed companies. And ended with them wanting over 1000.00 a month. We requested them to lower it and they did, to about 995.00 a month.
You can not and should not put a price on any-ones health. Any life is priceless.
I was in tears watching Sicko, to learn the terriosts from 9/11 are receiving top notch health care in Guantanamo Bay, but those rescue workers who were trying to save lives are denied coverage for the health problems they have now form that horrible day. Is that not a messed up system or not? Micheal Moore took those people to Cuba where the doctors there took care of them. It's shame they didn't get it from there own country in the first place. Every doctor and politician should be horribly embarrassed by that.
If you think we should have this coverage, tell your local congress person they need to support HR 676.
I voted this popular!! Thanks for posting I was about to and I'm glad I didn't want to double it up.
Watch these clips from 20/20 about this very topic... very eye opening!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aEXFUbSbg1I (Part 1)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BpsEAVbCkMM&feature=related (Part 2)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=refrYKq9tZQ&feature=related (part 3)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QzhiG0dcwN8&feature=related (part 4)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xsp_Jh5EIT0&feature=related (part 5)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E_KCLm9cekU&feature=related (part 6)
each clip is about 6 mins. in length.
OHHH, whow! Free? FREE? I think when they raise all our taxes to continually pay for a system that has continuously proven itself to be horrible and expensive is not the way. What wrecked our Health Care System was the the introduction of the PPO. I live in a state where Canadian come here by the hundreds because they cant get seen in Canada.
You figures are way off. If the Canadian Health Care System than why are they now re introducing PRIVET INSURANCE? Why in Europe are they telling expectant Mothers to stay home and have babies? Why are they also saying that if you get to the Hospital you will not get pain meds? Because it cost way too much.
Again, having taxes increasd is NOT free! AND the quality gos down the drain.
Subject: Canada's Health care system from a Canadians point of view.
Hey Guys; I seen on the news up here in Canada where Hillary Clinton introduced her new health care plan. Something similar to what we have in Canada. I also heard that Michael Moore was raving about the health care up here in Canada in his latest movie. I thought I would give you some facts about this great medical plan that we have in Canada.
First of all:
1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a premium every month of $96. for Shirley and I to be covered. Sounds great eh. What they don't tell you is how much we pay in taxes to keep the health care system afloat. I am personally in the 55% tax bracket. Yes 55% of my earnings go to taxes. A large portion of that and I am not sure of the exact amount goes directly to health care our #1 expense.
2) I would not classify what we have as health care plan, it is more like a health diagnosis system. You can get into to see a doctor quick enough so he can tell you "yes indeed you are sick or you need an operation" but now the challenge becomes getting treated or operated on. We have waiting lists out the ying yang some as much as 2 years down the road.
3) Rather than fix what is wrong with you the usual tactic in Canada is to prescribe drugs. Have a pain here is a drug to take- not what is causing the pain and why. No time for checking you out because it is more important to move as many patients thru as possible each hour for Government re-imbursement 4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.
5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in the
emergency room waiting for treatment.
6) Shirley's dad cut his hand on a power saw a few weeks back and it
required that his hand be put in a splint - to our surprise we had to pay
$125. for a splint because it is not covered under health care plus we have to pay $60. for each visit for him to check it out each week.
7) Shirley's cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage. Put on a waiting list . Died before he could get treatment.
8) Government allots so many operations per year. When that is done no more operations, unless you go to your local newspaper and plead your case and embarrass the government then money suddenly appears.
9)The Government takes great pride in telling us how much more they are increasing the funding for health care but waiting lists never get shorter. Government just keeps throwing money at the problem but it never goes away.But they are good at finding new ways to tax us, but they don't call it a tax anymore it is now a user fee.
10) My mother needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite her and my father paying into the health care system all these years. My Mom is 80 years of age. Now there is talk that maybe we should not treat fat and obese people either because they are a drain on the health care system.
Let me see now, what we want in Canada is a health care system for healthy people only. That should reduce our health care costs.
11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.
12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze, cigarettes, junk food and anything else that could kill me but I am not allowed by law to spend my money on getting an operation I need because that would be jumping the queue. I must wait my turn except if I am a hockey player or athlete then I can get looked at right away. Go figger. Where else in the world can you spend money to kill yourself but not allowed to spend money to get healthy.
13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically at tax payer expense having never contributed a dollar to the system and pay no premiums.
14) Oh yeh we now give free needles to drug users to try and keep them healthy. Wouldn't want a sickly druggie breaking into your house and stealing your things. But people with diabetes who pay into the health care system have to pay for their needles because it is not covered by the health care system.
I send this out not looking for sympathy but as the election looms in the states you will be hearing more and more about universal health care down there and the advocates will be pointing to Canada. I just want to make sure that you hear the truth about health care up here and have some food for thought and informed questions to ask when broached with this subject.
Also watch this video from a Candian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Rf42zNl9U
This also from Rudy on his Cancer....GIULIANI: I had prostate cancer five, six years ago. My chance of surviving prostate cancer, and thank God I was cured of it, in the United States: 82%. My chances of surviving prostate cancer in England: only 44% under socialized medicine. You and I should be making the decisions about what kind of health care we get with our doctors, not with a government bureaucrat. Government has never been able to reduce costs. Government never increases quality. We have the best health care system in the world. We just have to make it better.
If we had universal healthcare...and take away American's rights to private healthcare....my husband would die. I think we should help our nations children...don't get me wrong on that....but my husband has a kidney disease, that he was born with....my little Emily also has this disease. With out a transplant in the next few years he will die. His brother is a match for the transplant. If we had universal healthcare....he would die waiting on a doc to do the transplant. I strongly urge everyone to look at LoveMelaleuca's clips from the 20/20 episode that she posted...before you condemn me for wanting to keep my husband alive for as long as possible. Also, free healthcare is not free at all. Most hardworking middle class Americans would lose nearly half of their income to pay for everyone else's stuff. You can argue with me all you want, but I will never change my stance on this...not when it comes to the life of my husband, who is a wonderful father, and the life of my daughter. Once upon a time, my mom, who was divorced from my dad was raising me...with no help from my "father". We had no health insurance, mom made too much for govt help, and not enough to insure me. Did I get angry? Did we demand the gov't help? No we didn't we made due with what we had...and my mom worked as hard as she could to change the situation. So I myself have been there too. I realize that not all jobs offer insurance, not all people can afford it, I know this. Most docs offices will work with the non-insured, and all non-private hospitals (as is hospitals that get govt grants) will do the same. Again I have been there....I know I am not there now...my husband and I are doing great, and I do have serious compassion for those with out insurance, I think it should be affordable to those who could not otherwise get it....but nothing is free....it will all come with a cost. Something else you will see by looking at those 20/20 clips, many Canadians come here to the US for treatment, many high risk pregnancies are sent to the US....and many cancer patients come here as well...cause if they rely on their own system...they die.
"I think the best possible social program is a job." --President Ronald Reagan
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I am not satisfied with the current Medicaid program we have for our citizens. The requirements are ridiculous. I feel that we should all have health care provided by our govt. as long as it is not the pathetic joke Medicaid is today. It needs to be reformed and it needs to be available to everyone no matter their financial status. We should be able to get quality care instead of Dr's. doing as little as possible for you "Oh, you have Medi-cal. Well, I was going to give you this treatment, but since its Medi-cal I will have to do this instead."
Oh, this one is even better...
"So, your family brings in about $2,000 per month gross pay. You have deductions for federal and state taxes, deductions for uniforms, union dues. Well, we don't count any of these deductions. All we care about is the gross pay before the deductions. With you having made $2000 last month you are disqualified for Medi-cal, and if you would like to try to continue with us you will have a share-of-cost."
They don't care that after the deductions you are really only bringing home $1200-$1500 per month.'
This kind of crap needs to stop.
If health care was readily available for all Americans no matter their status, our country would be soo much better and the citizens would be happier and healthier.
amaranthleewolf Nov. 14, 2007 at 1:10 AM