BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Democratic Party President's Health Care Speech

The main difference as I see it is as I said - the govt's job is to protect - not control. Protection is necessary only because we are not yet ready to govern our own actions - if so we would no longer need gun laws, equal rights laws, anti-hate laws, etc. because as a society we would beyond the violent, prejudicial and hateful way some people conduct their lives. Until then the laws are there to protect us from ourselves. In an effort to move beyond mere protection to an arena of support govt provided basic needs - health and food (closely related to health) should never be something anyone should have to worry about. That said I do believe people should have to contribute back so handouts are not the answer either, which is what the nay-sayers are so worried about - teach a person to fish etc. is what we should be heading for - ensuring that people do not suffer from treatable and diseases is the right first step toward securing a future where we all look out for each other.

Wow, everybody. Thank you for all the great thoughts and comments. I wish I could write more, but I'm sick (I hope it's not the flu) so I'll be brief and then go back to my rocking chair and my tea.

I agree that government should protect, and help when helping people is for the general good. As in my personal example: without government help for college, I could have stayed in the projects and gotten pregnant, gone on welfare, and gotten into drugs. Instead, I learned a skill and became a productive, tax-paying citizen. (Not to say that all people who stay in the projects, get pregnant, etc. You know what I mean . . . just stretching a point for example.)

To Angie, with reform, the government would not be "getting into the health care business." The government would not be setting up the "U.S. Doctor's Office" in every town. Government employees would not be looking at your prescriptions and giving pharmacists permission to fill them. The government would be, as the pres. said, holding the ins. cos. accountable, as gov. does with many other industries -- for the general good.

I'm fading. Please keep the conversation going!

Susan - feel better soon!!!

Great discourse here as always.

How similar our background is Susan but yet we are not anywhere in the same neighborhood.

What I meant about car insurance - you shop around for the best deal and the most coverage. We know why our employers provide health insurance and how it came about; perhaps if it was like car insurance, it would work as well. Even with Medicare, you need a supplement because it doesn't cover it all.

To your last comment - we'll see what happens.

I do hope you feel better soon.

There have been and always will be problems in this world.

The only thing the government has been doing of late is spending more of our money and our children's money and getting bigger.
They are trying (and succeeding)in controlling more of our lives and putting an end to the only economic system that has ever worked - Capitalism.
Take a look at health care in countries such as Canada, France, the UK, and many others and compare it to health care in the US.
It's an abysmal mess in these government controlled systems. People wait months for basic medical treatments and procedures where in the US it's much quicker and much more advanced. People with the means to do so frequently come into the US for health care from these other state run systems because they know they'll get the best care in the world.
Do a web search of popular newspapers in the US and you'll see hundreds of articles comparing the government health care systems to free market health care here in the US. Some of the stories I've read about health care outside of the US is extremely depressing.
Think of government run programs here like Medicare and Social Security that are nearly bankrupt and full of waste, fraud, and inefficiencies.
The current system is far from perfect here in the US, but it's also by far the best in the world.

I also thought the same things about the health care systems you mentioned but the faults you attribute to those systems are false once you really delve into some real research instead of the media propaganda. From my research - you may have to wait longer for elective care but emergency and critical services are there when you need them. The care is as good as it gets here and it costs little to nothing for those who seek such care. Our health should not be part of the capitalist venture - far too many less important things to generate capital returns.

How good is Medicare and Medicaid...both government run programs...right to the ground. Government has run everything to the ground so far are they going to do better with National Healthcare. I don't need them sticking their nose into my business and telling me what to do. And where is all this money coming from to pay for all of this. Please don't tell me that the illegals won't be taken care of either. Nothing will change except government getting more and more into your lives and soon we will loose what little rights we have left as slowly they are being taken away. I am happy with my healtcare plan.

Yes, Health care is much more efficient run by corporate conglomerates like the insurance, pharmaceutical and other bio-medical corporations. Yes, it is run much better in the free-market system. No need to worry about having millions of uninsured and under-insured people in America. There is no need to worry about rising premium costs and shrinking insurance coverage under the current system. Yes, it all works so well. Let's run health care the free-market way, not the government way. Let corporate America run our nation's health care with the same high efficiency exhibited by corporations like Enron, AIG, Lehman Brothers. Let's entrust our health care system into the hands of a financial genius like Bernard Madoff. Wouldn't we all sleep better knowing our future health care is in the hands of these compassionate and trustworthy people and not in the hands of the government.

When was the last time you got a bill for a visit to the emergency room? A visit to the emergency room easily costs hundreds of dollars. And if you can't pay the bill collectors start calling you. A visit to the emergency room Never costs "nothing". It usually costs hundreds, if your lucky, or thousands of dollars. The more medical care you need in the ER the higher the bill. Ask someone who's been to the ER lately how much they were billed for the treatment they got there. I will be amazed if, for even a minor injury, it is less than $400.