Health Reforms.

Earl Smith

I´m living in Germany (Europe) and I can watch CNN and the BBC overseas channels. There seems to be something happening in the US with your Health system. TV reports much blah blah blah but no real facts. ( Especially from CNN ). What is Mr Obama trying to do and is your health system really only for the people that can afford it?
Just interested on your opinions because from an outsiders view point it seems to be Obamas downfall.
Earl.

Flint54

In a nutshell our system is also a market based system. Also, ANYONE who arrives at a Hospital Emergency Room will be treated depending upon the severity of the injury/illness. All care has a charge, there are many forms of Health Insurance, some paid for by the individuals, some by their employers, some by State Government, Some by Federal Government etc. There are those that due to circumstances do not have any form of Health Insurance to assist in the payment of Medical Services, this can vary from not having an income that allows them to afford insurance to not wanting to pay for the insurance for personal reasons to just being a burden on the society because of their selfish indulgent behavior caused by drug/alcohol abuse, personality problems or whatever. Our liberal leadership believes that they can create a system where everyone can have Health Insurance. So far their ideas run along the lines of mandatory Socialized Medicine that the citizens will be required to buy or they will be taxed for not having Health Insurance. On top of that, just like other government medical systems there will be limits as to the care provided decided by designated Medical Boards, they will decide who will get what kind of treatment and a time frame as to when this can be done. Taxes will be levied on those with good health care to provide funding for those with low income who will get subsidies from the government to assist them in getting insurance. All of this will place a great burden on the economy, lessen the quality of medical care and my personal problem with it is that if passed will "REQUIRE ALL UNITED STATES CITIZENS TO PROVIDE SOME KIND OF PAYMENT TO LIVE AS A CITIZEN IN THE UNITED STATES!"

Robert Young

I think many of us in the US are just as confused... we don't know what the final program will be at this point. We at this company are fortunate enough to have insurance at the moment, but it did go up 17% this renewal year...I kept it because it actually had gone DOWN 2 of the past 3 years... so we still pay less than we probably could have.

We have HSA accounts which helps, so our money can accumulate and hopefully build into a large enough lump sum that one major illness or accident can take the FIRST day... lol.

We also are part of what is sometimes called "concierge medicine" meaning we pay a doctor an annual stipend just to have easy access... they dont have to accept so many patients at reduced rates since they are guaranteed a certain base salary depending on the number of people they allow in their practice and what they charge per annum.

Not sure what else we can do personally, just doing the best we can to be as responsible as we can as individuals, and will adjust accordingly to whatever laws and programs are changed or added.

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fwscreener

My opinion:

I will be 50 in a few days, but back when I was a kid, my parents had what was called major medical insurance. What this meant was if we had to go to the doc for the flu, sore throat, a sore knee, a runny nose, etc, minor things that many people go to the doctor for, they had to pay this out of thier pocket. This also meant many people did not go to the doctor for every little hangnail as we in the US do now, because back then we actually had to be responisible. On the flip side back then many people actually needed to go did not go because of the expense. As things evolved (and honestly I don't know how they evolved i think it had to do with premiums and doctors and insurance and more money for both) we now can go to the doc and pay nothing or a $25.00 deductiable, so people go to the doctors here if the weather changes too fast!

The bottom line is we don't need obama care, we don't want obama care, even our Democrat friends in Ted Kenney's old state (Dems 3-1 over Reps) voted aganist obama care! They sent a clear message and voted for a Replician!

What we need (my opinion) is to open up insurance's to go over state lines for more competition, not less. Right now as stated above every person in the United States of America has health care. If you have a hangnail you may have to pay this serve out of your pocket, I the the temperature drops 25 degrees over nite and you go to the doc in a box because you feel cold, you may have to pay this out of your pocket (and you should).
If you go to the hospitial for an emergency you will get taken care of! Today here in the US there are millions of people who go to the hospitial and pay nothing and this is wrong, because the rest of us pay for it!

What we need is competition across state lines, get rid of the lawyers and ambulance chasers and start charging people for going to the docs for a hangnail.

I love the United States of America! I love our Government (smaller not larger). Our Congress is actually involved in too many stuipd things, like are steroids being used in Major league baseball? What is the world ????

Sorry go sidetracked here.

American logoZ

As small business owners, my husband and I are firm believers in Major Medical insurance coverage. We choose to carry a policy without bells and whistles and with a very high deductible. This is very much like the major medical coverage our folks carried as we were growing up. My baby is in elementary school, and when she was born we paid for it a little each month throughout the pregnancy. Her major medical started the minute she was born. We go to the doctor when we are sick (not a cold, not the flu, not a headache), and we pay as we go. If a horrible situation pops up, we will utilize the insurance we have contributed to for all these years in order to hopefully avoid bankruptcy. But broken bones and sports physicals and sinus infections are pay-as-you-go at my house.

I have those close to me who have not been as fortunate, in large part because they gambled and lost. One friend chose to go one more year before purchasing the health insurance her employer offered. During that year she was diagnosed with lupus, spent many weeks in ICU, and now cannot work. She received every life-saving treatment necessary, despite having no insurance and very few assets. It has made life tough on them and the bills are piled high. But she's now on disability and living off government handouts. She lost the gamble, but it did not cost her her life. I understand that these situations are bad. Folks lose dignity when they go on gov't doles, perhaps education would help them understand the risk they are taking. Taxpayers end up paying their gambling losses, but we are a nation who doesn't turn our backs on humanity.

We each made our choices, and that should be our right as US citizens. Just because some folks gamble and lose should not mean that my family has to have some HMO or government plan shoved down our throats. Nor should we be fined or forced to provide even more of our income to go toward government handouts. There are systems in place. They work. I've seen them work. Are they perfect? No. I'd like to see the government completely out of the picture and force the churches to step up and provide charity, but that's probably no longer a possibility.

fwscreener

Hats off to American LogoZ, well said.....

AMEN

Flint54

DITTO & AMEN!!!