Public health care in the USA?
I
don't understand why people say public health care couldn't work in the
USA. They work in almost every other developed country and some are even
considered superior.
I'm British who's fiancée is an American currently working as a nurse
in the USA. I am neither Republican nor Democrat and it really won’t
affect me whether America has a public system or not I'll still need
travel insurance.
It really seems bizarre to me that a country that can put a man on the
moon can't or won’t take care of its citizens. What is stopping it
happening? Is it purely the public objection, too powerful insurance
companies or simply impossible to complete?
Jimmy J - As I noted in the question I have no intrest in whether USA
has a Public system or not as it won't effect me. My fiancee works as a
nurse in the USA so I do have an Interest.
Ruiner - most of the leading and largest pharmaceutical and research
companies are based in countries with public health care systems, ever
heard of GlaxoSmithKline or AstraZeneca. Only 2 of the top 5
pharmaceutical companies are American and 3 of the top 8. I do like the
fact that you choose Laser eye Surgery as an example since it was
developed in Holland a country with a public health care system.
Sorry the idea of laser eye surgery was from Holland it was first
performed in Germany and then Greece. Both of which have public health
care systems
Politics - 17 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
When
you get to the bottom of this issue, the only reason the government
isn't sponsoring a univeral system is because they just don't care.
Watch as Bush vetoes CHIP a plan that would cover 9 million children.
2 :
It
depends on your definition of "works" - - - - the government could
potentially provide something more efficiently than the market could
provide that thing. It's just not the "thing" the consumers necessarily
would have chosen for themselves, and generally when the government
provides it, it provides it to everyone and forces some subset of that
everyone to pay for it.
Be it healthcare or anything else, with "government" anything, you lose
the power of choice in what to buy with your own money, and for whom you
must buy it.
That is why the Founders envisioned the government as providing only
those things that the market couldn't provide - defense, courts, roads
and bridges... not ordinary goods and services. The test wasn't
whether something was "needed" versus "wanted" it was whether only the
government could provide it, because the government provides through
coercion, and the Founders valued Liberty.
3 :
Health care
is available to ALL US citizens...if you cannot afford to pay we have
free clinics and emergency rooms that cannot turn you away... what
exactly is the issue? That someone might have to spend their money on
health insurance or a Dr. visit versus a new car payment or that credit
card bill? Best friend is an RN currently studying to be a Nurse
Practitioner.
4 :
In stead of saying Public Health Care why
don't you call it what it really will be. Public Paychecks from the
working class Health Care Giveaway Program?
5 :
I've used
government provided health care. As a retired member of US Army, I'm
entitled to use military health care facilities. Guess what? I don't.
I have my own insurance. I've been paying my own freight my whole life
and don't want to pay yours or anyone elses. I'll take care of my
family, you take care of yours. Also, I suggest that as a British
citizen, you stick to the problems in England. As an American, I don't
give a #*>@ about what happens in England or how people govern
themselves. I've heard some lovely stories about your public health
care system that doesn't leave me all warm an fuzzy. Brits seem to
embrace the sacrifice of liberty on a regular basis for an ever
increasing big brother government. That won't fly here.
Edit:
And I'll stick by my contention that European's need to mind their own
#*$*@ business. The only time you arrogant snobs need America is when
your balls are in a vice from some petty tyrant.
6 :
I'm a
Vietnam vet,covered by VA insurance...I don't care about Public health
care...If you're worried about being covered,join the military,or buy
your own......(Mine was paid for USN/UDT 1964-1970)....what's your
excuse..? Want coverage....earn it....
7 :
Of course it
would work. It would work and, if done properly, it would require less
of our GDP to cover everyone than our current system does. The insurance
companies rake in obscene profits. And they don't provide health care.
We need to put the money into the health care system and not into the
insurance companies.
The insurance companies spend a lot of money on misinformation campaigns
and buying politicians.
I'd be willing to bet that at least one of the anti universal health
care posters on here, right now, is on their payroll. At least one!
8 :
Changing
the health care in the US is like trying to change course on a fully
loaded supertanker. Nothing is going to change very rapidly, and
changes need to be taken in small increments.
Overall the US Healthcare system is on par with the British system in
most major catagories.
Cost for care (on a per-capita basis)
Quality of services
Convenience
Coverage
The difference is that where you guys pay for healthcare through a tax,
we get insurance through our employer, or through medicare. (or is it
Medicaid for the non-retired?)
I'm an American married to a Brit, and I have seen your system in
action, and while it is generally quite good, there are problems with
it. If there weren't, there would not be a thriving private medical
industry in the UK.
9 :
It's all about money and the fact
that a minority of american tax payers who already get taxed for every
extra penny they make would have to foot the bill for 47+ million
people!
10 :
There is no good reason why we can’t have a
universal health care system that is as good as, or probably better
than, the health care systems in the other industrialized countries.
There is a lot of mindless anti “socialism†propaganda, perpetuated
mostly by those entities that are profiting most under our current
faulty system. I hope that when people think this through properly they
will support the development and implementation of a universal health
care system for all Americans.
11 :
Because is of public
knowledge that with the health care will happen exactly the same that is
happening with the welfare system. Most of the people in welfare are
on the system just because they "do-not-want-to-work". I've personally
heard many saying that they get more in welfare that what they will get
if they work. When you're dealing with such an irresponsible and lazy
parasites in your society, you know ahead what is going to happen if
such a health care system is implemented....And don't be so sure about
the success of government health care systems until you thoroughly
research what's going on in Canada with it.
12 :
I never
heard of any FREE emergency rooms. Where are they located? Probably in
selective areas. Any who, if you haven't noticed everything is about
money. Legally, the hospital can't turn you away if you don't have
insurance but they send you a FAT bill. There was a special on MSNBC,
where it examined the public health care system and it mentioned that
hospitals and doctors charge more to patients who don't have insurance
compared to what they charge insurance companies. If that isn't wrong, I
don't know what is. I don't understand why some Americans don't support
universal health care, do they believe that's the first step to
socialism? Are we relating back to the "Red Era" again?
13 :
What
is wrong with all you other Americans? I'm an American Nurse and see
the system for what it really is. A system for the wealthy. Where are
all these free emergency rooms at? Last time I checked, if you visit an
emergency room you'll be getting a lovely bill no matter your insurance
status. I pay $100 for every ER visit. I can't imagine those who are
uninsured, they get stuck paying bills in the thousands.
You all seem to think that a universal system only hurts the middle
class...think again. Our current private system is screwing over the
middle class right now. Those who are uninsured often get treatment
that costs thousands of dollars. These people usually cannot pay the
bill and hospitals are stuck in the red. The hospitals therefore
increase their charges to makeup the difference, and the cost gets
passed on to consumers. Yep that's right, middle class consumers are
fronting the bill for all these uninsured people even under our private
system you seem to charish!
Quality of care in America. Well we are behind most of the western
world in infant mortality and primary care. How about nursing quality?
I know first hand the system is made to be profitable and doesn't care
about your healthcare quality. The hospital I work in would rather have
the fewest amount of nurses with the maximum amount of patients than to
hire an extra nurse. Many times me and fellow co-workers will
volunteer for extra shifts but are told we don't need to come in. The
hospital would rather give each nurse 6-7 patients than to pay an extra
nurse for the day. This means overworked nurses and decreased care.
Many of times I've had several patients that I only saw once during a
shift because I had other critical patients that I was swamped with. If
you happen to be a patient that ambulates independently, don't expect
to see a nurse very often. I also hope you don't have a sudden heart
attack, it could be hours before a nurse would notice. By the way, I
work in a top 50 hospital in the US and cannot believe how poor the
quality of healthcare is. I can't imagine what inner city hospitals
must be like.
Why does everyone assume that the uninsured don't work hard? You all
seem to say people who can't pay for their healthcare must be unemployed
or work at McDonalds. I know people who went to college and have
decent jobs that still struggle to pay for healthcare! Social workers
for instance are often only paid $11-12/hour in my area. Most of them
have college degrees as well. I have a social worker friend whose
insurance premium is $75/month and she has a $800 deductable each year.
We aren't even counting co-payments. That's alot of money for someone
who works hard and is only paid $12/hr.
What about people who have cancer and are unable to work? The FMLA only
guarentees you can leave for 12 weeks without losing your job. You
don't receive any pay at this time. I work on an Oncology floor and
have seen many cancer patients who begin to develop anxiety disorders
because they are likely to lose their homes. Not only do the patients
suffer, but so do their families. This just isn't right. Why in
America would we allow the most vulnerable of people to suffer so
greatly?
To whomever said that we should look after our own family and let others
fend for themselves.....would you like to meet some of my cancer
patients and tell them it's too bad they got cancer. Do you want to
tell them sorry for losing their house and job, but good luck with the
chemo? You are one of the completely heartless people that makeup this
forsaken country. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd gladly
pay a bit more in taxes if I knew it was helping those in need. If I
should come down with cancer, I'd like to know that if I beat cancer I'd
still have my home and job to go back to.
Many European countries have more socialized medicine and do just a
well, if not better at treating their citizens. I hope some of you with
the "me only" attitude have the brains to actually research the topic
and talk to citizens in other countries. I think you'll find America
could do much better than the current system.
14 :
Bottom
line: Money. Everything else is just an excuse.
Too many people working in the health industry in the US (and not
generally the dr's and nurses) making a fortune off the misery and
devastation of the sick. Think pharmaceutical companies and medical
supply, the list is endless.
the last thing they want to see is their prices for services / medicine
go down. These people are a powerful political lobby.
Theres also a fear of higher taxes to the middle class who want to
maintain their lifestyle now. They fear a German style 75% tax
eventuality.
I have health insurance. I pay $250 a mos for it *thru* my employer, I
then have a $2,300 K yearly deductible. This will get worse and worse
each year. Eventually it will be cheaper to go in a nationalized
direction as this is just going to continue to pull more and more $$
from worker's pockets.
Its amazing how many people have mentioned free ERs. I know you can't be
denied, but how expensive the ER is! Its is so much CHEAPER to treat
those conditions before they get to that level of care needed.
15 :
Well,
look at it this way, If the US had public health care then
pharmaceutical and research companies wouldn’t have to strive to
compete over each other so we wouldn’t be able to make the strides in
medicine that we make all the time. Like Artificial organs, robotic
arms, miracle cures, and even cosmetic surgery (if you really go for
that sort of thing).
I have a perfect and easily understood example too… in a “free
health care†world, companies would have never developed lasik eye
surgery for bad vision. Think about it, you would be registered as an
individual with poor eye vision, be given a “free eye exam†(after
your 30-60 day waiting period) and have to purchase your own pair of
glasses… unless you REALLY want the government standard regulation
glasses that make you look like a dork. The government would never try
to develop something like corrective eye surgery with lasers because,
the government would see no need to evolve beyond their current system
of doing things. And thus- no medical progress is made, unless a
terrible plague breaks out, and it becomes a national matter.
Face it, in a country with free health care you will be stuck with a
hook, instead of a robotic arm, you will be stuck with glasses, instead
of real working eyes, you will be placed on a organ donation list,
instead of getting an artificial heart, you will be stuck with a horn
instead of a cochlear implant, for a hearing aid, you will be stuck with
a dissatisfied woman instead of an erection, you will be stuck with
dental cap, after dental cap, instead of proper fillings or false teeth,
you will be stuck in a mental institution instead of getting depression
pills. (some of these examples are bogus- but you get the picture)
Our advancements will surely come to a standstill… Your entire
healthcare system will be measured by social status.
It is because of the medical advancements in the United States that
makes your mediocre foreign free healthcare possible/ acceptable.
16 :
Umm..
No, it was invented in the United States read this article
(http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/laser_2.htm) this one
is also good (http://www.westchestervision.com/historyoflasik.html)
Also, the idea did not come from Holland at all, this is preposterous- I
did dig up a Holland Michigan laser eye surgery center (located in the
united states) the only thing that happened in Germany was the first
hotorefractive keratotomy which was first performed in Germany in 1988
(which is still 1 year after Steven Trokel). The Federal Drug
Administration did not endorse the use of PRK until 1995.
(http://www.lasersurgeryforeyes.com/history.html), That’s another good
link, sorry but all fingers of lasic eye surgery’s success points
towards the United States, sorry for the dual accounts.
Sincerely Ruiner.
... I wish we could talk in person, it's a shame but- in a sense you
will alwayse get the last word. This is my last account.
17 :
because
health care in our country is BIG BUSINESS that makes BIG BUCKS. We
no longer have doctor offices any more...they are medical corporations
who see too many patients a day with no concern for the patient but for
the almighty dollar.
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