Thoughts on Universal healthcare

[debilorrah]

Quote:
What she said.....

 

[ursusarctosana]

I wonder, really, concerning matters like this, about the fact that the U.S. is a Representative Republic and not an actual Democracy.

When will U.S. citizens actually submit pure votes and not be corralled by red tape and representation via political sales ploys?

 

[Dar]

Quote:
sorry to hear about your Aunt...

my mom is 65 and just diagnosed with breast cancer in sept 2008...and she is being treated...

when i have to call the government about health care (which i have only had to do once)...they do not know what my medical record...that is doctor patient info...all they see is that the doctor billed for a service thats covered.. ie.. exam could be anything from a female yearly exam with all the tests...to the doctor looking at a scratch from my chicken...there is no specifics listed in the file

 

[Chicken Lil]

OMG.

It depends on which state you are in as to how well your health care is regulated.

I'm originally from New York and had the absolute worst health insuance in the world, and almost no recourse because NYC has so many headquarters for insurance companies that they have lobbied for almost no regulation.

When my daughter was 1 year old we were on vacation out of state and she came down with some kind of severe virus. Constant vomiting and the runs, she needed to be immediately hospitalized but our insurance said NO. They would not cover her because only certain hospitals in NYC were participating providers. I had to drive my sick little girl six hours home to get her the help she needed. When I filed a compaint with the state board I was told that the law allowed them to refuse her coverage out of state, even in an emergency.

Now I live in Illinois and I have had to contact the State Insurance Commision on six occasions in order to get my insurance company to pay what it is legaly supposed to cover. If you have ever had to deal with the bills from a chronically ill family member you will find that it can take DAYS to deal with insurance issues. It just adds soooo much stress to an already difficult situation.

I also am trapped in a job I hate because I have decent insurance that we can afford. If we had my husbands insurance the family plan would cost $600 a month with a $1000 deductable per person for the year.

However, we are lucky compared to our neighbors.
He lost his job that had insurance two years ago, and COBRA has now expired. The only job he could find doesn't have insurance. She is a teacher in a poor rural county. Makes 40K and the insurance through the school district cost $900 for a family. This family has three children under age 16, and my friend has celiac disease. But they have no insurance so they can not go to the doctor without paying up front, and a lot of times they can not afford to go.

Everyone in the USA should be able to have affordable health insurance coverage. Even if the govt just provides group health insurance with a sliding scale for how much a family could pay, would be better than the disaster we have now.

 

[HennysMom]

Donna - my condolences to you.... my father passed from cancer in Aug last year, he was 69 - way too young in my opinion, I miss him every day.

mjsdhs - my thoughts are with you and your mom... stay strong my friend...

to you both.

 

[Dar]

pips&peeps :

I know some will disagree with me, but I don't think individual people should be responsible for other's health care.

A good example why is the "octuplet mother". Who is paying all those bills? She obviously doesn't have the resources to and now it is a burden on the State which in turn becomes a burden on society.

I guess there will always be injustices either way it goes.

yr right about the octuplet mom....but there will always be someone out there abusing the system​

 

[NoSpringChick]

I am also an RN and I DO NOT want universal healthcare! Point in case; have you ever heard of IHS??? It stands for Indian Health Services. The government pays for health care for Indians who live on reservations in Montana and other places because of certain treaties the government made with these people. Anyway, they are one of the poorest populations in our nation and some would have to travel up to 300 miles to see a MD. These people can't afford to travel. If the government cannot take care of this population....how in the world will they be able to manage the whole country????

BTW, there are only 5 dentists in all of Montana to care for this population.....sad!

Although you may not agree with Newt Gingrich, he has some very good ideas about healthcare. One of them is: Everyone should pay something even if you have little to give....imagine that....we actually take responsibility of our own health and actually pay. The US is spoiled and our expectations are too high....we want the best of the best and believe we deserve it.

If people were to start with themselves and take responsibility for themselves with preventative care, we would not have half of the diseases/illnesses we have...ie obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer........

I believe the answer lies in preventative care, education, and opening up more clinics throughout the nation to care for non-emergencies.

 

[Chicken Lil]

Quote:
sorry mjane i think some of you information may be inaccurate..

in Ontario....I have my own doctor who does not work out of a "clinic" type facility...(yes we do have after hours walk in clinics where you see who ever in on call...If i want to see my family dr...I make an appointment (wait time can vary between 2 hours to 1 day)

my doc also has sample meds in his office

I had a reaction to a prescription that was given to me post op. for pain (day surgery) I called my doc to tell him of my reaction and to ask what i should to (come into the office or back to the hospital) because the reaction was just a rash he said it was ok for me to stay home...he stopped by my house on his way home to check in on me... so the personal care is still there...

In Ontario when a doctor wants to go into private practice all they need to do is register with the provincial government and they have a scanning system where I give my doc my health card and it will transmit the bill right to the government...

there are fees that are not covered by the government healthcare..
dr's notes for school admission or daycare admissions are about $25

a drivers physical for a commercial drivers lic can run you about $100

anything cosmetic is not covered

there is a set rate a doc can bill the government for services...
so if i went to the dr for a yearly physical and all the female testing its all 100% covered by the government...and my doc cant charge a different rate the the doc thats down the hall..

They charge you for a doctors note??!!

I can get one for free if I just call my dr and tell them "hey look, kids been out sick with the flu.. I need a note" and they give it to me.

Physicals are covered under our plan - 1 a year - 100%... I just pay a copay of $15.00

and that includes for DH's CDL

That is great for you, but most of the people I know are lucky to have the bare bones in health insurance.
Sure I can call my doctor for a free note for my kids school. Oh wait, not if I can not AFFORD a doctor anymore.
Can everyone in the USA have your insurance?

 

[ursusarctosana]

I've been a part of my closest loved one's death due to cancer and when a health-related issue strikes close to home and there are no resources the need is clearer. He received good healthcare in Washington State (Harborview Medical Center Oncology) and the nurse assisted with all the paperwork to get the coverage he needed. I think the help is there, but sometimes people don't know how to get the paperwork submitted. This nurse was able to get immediate assistance for my loved one, while I've met other people in WA state who have been going through chemo for months and they have nothing--have lost their house, their transportation, all income, etc. And they are still waiting. I don't know why they were still waiting, but I'm thankful to that nurse who helped expedite the process for my family member.

In the beginning, what would have been optimal, would have been a prompter diagnosis.

This is sometimes where the glitch is, however, because if my family member had been married (and his spouse made any money at all) he would have lost everything and/or if he had had children and a wife, they would have lost the home and all resources, because I think all of the assets are drained first, and then the person will qualify for medical benefits and SSI to help them survive.

 

[TexasVet]

I think most of those who oppose Universal health care just don't understand it. What's being proposed is that people have the option of keeping their company-supplied health insurance, or switching to a government-backed one.

With the universal plan, all bills go directly from the doctor to the government, where they're paid. There is no "rationing" of healthcare or change in doctors... just by-passing the for-profit insurance companies.

And if you don't think your coverage is being rationed now, you're sadly misinformed. It's being rationed by the insurance companies. I just had to wait 3 months before having a crown replaced, and we were nearly forced to pay for a colonoscopy because the insurance company felt it was an "unnecessary" procedure.

I doubt too that many have priced private health care coverage. Let me give you a heads up... three years ago (it's higher now) we were paying $903 a month for medical insurance for a family of four. And we had to join the Wheat Growers Cooperative to get a reduced rate. And this policy had a $5,000 deductable and no prescription coverage.

I say give me access to the same coverage our senators and government officials have, and soon!

Kathy in Texas