Comments on: Kennedy Pushes For Universal Health Care

Mass. Senator Wants Federal Government To Require Everyone To Have Health Insurance

[bellal-2009]

Employers should get out of the healthcare providing business. When did all that get started anyway?

[bellal-2009]

Good point ber43, the same thing happened to me twice. Once with employee provided health coverage during a pregnancy and birth, 8K out of pocket. The next one was with a high deductible individual policy for a child hospitalization costing over $10K out of pocket. Now I get the most extensive coverage possible to cover all bases costing about $1200 mo. and it's well worth it.

[olgreyghost]

A man runs rampant through a Wal-Mart parking lot, robbing patrons at gun-point of their hard-earned cash before they have a chance to go in the store and buy their groceries and other essential staples. He then takes all his booty he has collected by threat of deadly force and gives it to a charitable organization that promises to "help" people.

Has he done an honorable thing or committed a crime?

[bergs43]

We have to be careful here with the term "health insurance" and "minimal coverage". Give them and inch and they'll take a mile. Sorry for the clichi, but the company I work for offers health insurance, great right? Wrong. It's one of those "minimal coverage" plans. I paid $100.00 a month and was allowed 5 doctor visits and 10 prescriptions a year. A plan...if a person doesn't need hospitalization. Guess what? That's right, I needed an operation. End result? I received a hospital bill for $17,000 of which my "insurance" paid a whooping $1,300. This is not counting all the other "little" medical bills associated with this surgery, for a total of $30,000. I make under $30,000 a year and live in New York. I make too much (ha!) for much help with these bills. I don't think it's news to anyone that I will be spending many years paying these bills off. The company I work for CAN afford to offer better coverage, they choose not to because, well, they don't HAVE to. After all, the top executives need their great, huge bonuses now don't they? I think we need to make companies and corporations more accountable here. Universal health insurance is not just a government issue, it could be supplemented by government but everyone needs to contribute something, instead of it falling all on the least who can afford it (like me).

[opinionfair]

If Universal Healthcare worked, it would have been implemented back in the days of the Clinton Administration. Quality of Care is an issue. HUGE!If the government would get out of the business of healthcare then maybe costs would go down. Let's use the drug companies as an example. Why doesn't the government get involved in lowering drug prices and regulating the industry better so costs will go down? Let's get to the real issue, not a bunch of white wash on HMO's. HMO's were created to lower healthcare costs. That worked out well eh. Mary

[meboard]

Yes processor2, the Kennedy plan does cover drowning women and rehabilitation for smart-azz conservatives. Sounds like a plan to me!

[cyberus-2009]

What we DON'T need is a national health care program, as mentioned in other posts Canadians come here to get care they need.
In my opinion if they are going to require health care it should be (1) paid for by a flat tax (no cap) and (2) people without insurance are put in a pool to be assigned to an insurance company (all companies required to provide a minimum plan and take a share of the "pool")

[processor2]

I wonder if Ted Kennedy's health care plan includes care for drowned women at the bottom of Chappaquidic.

..........

[bluestardad]

America needs this and I hope Mr. Kennedy gets it passed.

[carlylaine]

The reason for the current "HEALTHCARE CRISIS" is because the insurance companies wanted HMOs. They lobbied well and we got burned.

PROCESSOR2: That was a riot.