A universal, government-run healthcare system is not the solution, and would be far worse than the current one. Have you dealt with the typical government bureaucrat who "just follows the rules"? With a single-pay system, what is the incentive to provide good service?
I oversee a global comp and benefits program. Here's what I observe: the employees in countries with national/universal healthcare consistently rate their benefits as satisfactory or better in our employee surveys, describe themselves more frequently as in good health and don't complain about bureaucracy. While US healthcare is decent for those of us with good insurance, our costs of care and delivery are too high and the ROI simply is not there, especially when you consider the costs we're all paying indirectly (or directly) for those who are uninsured or under-insured.
I get tired of someone saying the rich come here for care. They do! They get offered care we never get offered. Our insurance doesn't provide it: so, it's not mentioned. Here's my blog on what I have seen in Texas http://fighttexastortreform.blogspot.com
The US would have had Universal Health Care long ago if they didn't have the lobbyists buying politicians. Fix the lobby system and then the government can start making decisions which will increase its citizens quality of life instead of being forced to pander to cash interests as a matter of political survival. Why? Because if you take the money out of politics, politicians will have to become accountable to the people who elect them instead of the cash contributors who got them elected.
This health care system almost killed me on one occasion. I had cancer, and my insurer denied the claim for surgery, which had to be put off. I paid for it myself, had it, and sued. Sadly for the insurer, I survived to follow through. If any individual withheld medical treatment, they'd be up on attempted murder, but the insurance carriers get off scott free when they deny coverage for any high ticket item (hoping the insured dies so they won't be held accountable). What a system! Europe, Canada, even Australia is looking better and better than this!
Excellent point. When find out you have Cancer, every minute counts. For your insurance company to throw you under the bus is nothing short of murder. I hope you burn them for every thing you can.
by vista8635 February 21, 2010 1:33 PM EST Life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.
In what universe? Of higher functioning mammals only humans do this to their own.
Health care is not a basic human right? So what? Neither is clean drinking water.
Actually they both are as decided by the majority of all developed nations in the world as the first action of the United Nations. Oh and so is having a job.
"It is no accident that one of the first actions of the UN was to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (UDHR or the Declaration). The Declaration was ratified by all then members of the United Nations on December 10, 1948. It is an extremely important document because it not only recognized the connection between the respect for human dignity and rights, and conditions necessary to maintain peace and security. The Declaration is the first international document to recognize the indivisibility between civil and political rights (like those enshrined in the Bill of Rights) on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. The UDHR is the first document to acknowledge that both civil and political rights are necessary to create conditions under which human dignity is respected and through which a person's full potential may be realized. Stated another way, without political and civil rights, there is no real ability for people to demand full realization of their economic rights. And without economic rights, peoples' ability to exercise their civil rights and express their political will is replaced by the daily struggle for survival.
The Declaration, although not a treaty, first articulated the norms to which all countries should aspire. It stated that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living. This includes the rights to: work for favorable remuneration, (including the right to form unions), health, food, clothing, housing, medical care, necessary social services, and social insurances in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability or old age. There has been a conspiracy of silence surrounding these rights. In fact, most people have never heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Full text of this article can be found at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/08/11-0
Full text of the UDHR can be found at: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
You better get a grip on the reality that the rest of the world has the power to bring sanctions against us at any time for our human rights violations based on the UDHR and if they come up with a universal money besides the US dollar they will.
I have a suggestion. How about we just sit back and wait to see how many medical tourists Vermont has once their system gets up and running. They are going to a statewide single payer system by 2014 at the latest. Sit back and watch.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes. Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes. Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes. Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes. Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes. Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes. Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
We have a failed system of predatory capitalism promulgated by the big corporations and GOP. It is NOT a problem with the government as the fascists are suggesting. We need to be protesting against the FAILED SYSTEM.
I believe the way forward for healthcare wherever in the world is to look to good nutrition: surely the best and safest medicine. Optimized nutrition - cooking good fresh, unprocessed food - both helps prevent illness and helps in recovery from illness. Minimizing salt/sodium intake helps prevent degenerative conditions including most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, dementia, stroke, osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improves your health in many other ways without drugs, hunger or expense.
At the same time, we can all go back to organic gardening so that we can manufacture wealth again in America. Decentralized food production as well as manufacturing for green items is the only way to save us.
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Life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.
In what universe? Of higher functioning mammals only humans do this to their own.
Health care is not a basic human right? So what? Neither is clean drinking water.
Actually they both are as decided by the majority of all developed nations in the world as the first action of the United Nations. Oh and so is having a job.
"It is no accident that one of the first actions of the UN was to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (UDHR or the Declaration). The Declaration was ratified by all then members of the United Nations on December 10, 1948. It is an extremely important document because it not only recognized the connection between the respect for human dignity and rights, and conditions necessary to maintain peace and security. The Declaration is the first international document to recognize the indivisibility between civil and political rights (like those enshrined in the Bill of Rights) on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. The UDHR is the first document to acknowledge that both civil and political rights are necessary to create conditions under which human dignity is respected and through which a person's full potential may be realized. Stated another way, without political and civil rights, there is no real ability for people to demand full realization of their economic rights. And without economic rights, peoples' ability to exercise their civil rights and express their political will is replaced by the daily struggle for survival.
The Declaration, although not a treaty, first articulated the norms to which all countries should aspire. It stated that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living. This includes the rights to: work for favorable remuneration, (including the right to form unions), health, food, clothing, housing, medical care, necessary social services, and social insurances in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability or old age. There has been a conspiracy of silence surrounding these rights. In fact, most people have never heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
Full text of this article can be found at:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/08/11-0
Full text of the UDHR can be found at:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
You better get a grip on the reality that the rest of the world has the power to bring sanctions against us at any time for our human rights violations based on the UDHR and if they come up with a universal money besides the US dollar they will.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
Story on Govt and Corp Greed : Responses/Venting : Nothing changes.
This, I submit, is the way forward.