Says who? Did you even read Shaqs post? This isn't just about poor people! I know a number of working people that have experienced a medical calamity and were then sadly treated and/or dumped by their insurance company. Savings lost. Houses lost. Lives lost. Live long enough and you will see it too, Opie. Everybody should pay something for it, even if only co-payments for the truly poor, but group-rate insurance should be available to everybody and on a no-drop basis.
Well, start up your own insurance company. Or, as a moderate do you think the government should take over the insurance industry as well?
You know, i do recall that bible verse where Jesus said, take care of yourself, you don't want to fine, but dont come crying to me when god smites you. WTF? See this is why you cannot let conservatives run this country. Deregulation has destroyed this economy, and you can look at Obama all you want and scream, I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK, well, there are alot of us that have been screaming that for years. Nokia started out as a tire company, when they realized that they could make more money doing something else, they changed their whole business model, and became one of the most successful telecommunications companies in the world. Many companies have changed over the years with the times, and have continued to be succesful, its high time insurance and drug companies do the same, instead of stealing money that its patrons have faithfully shelled into them, just so they can deny them when they need it the most. Conservatives have proven, time and time again, that if you give them a free market, they will bleed it dry, no matter what, they will kill babies to make a dollar, unless you are a fetus. All you people want to cry socialism, but yet, i didn't hear you calling Brittian socialists when you wanted them to help in Iraq. What you need to get through your thick skulls is that we will have some form of socialized medicine, and if you don't want to be a part of it, if you think your country is being taken away from you, i will tell you like you told us the last 8 years, Get the FU(K OUT. We dont want you, we don't need you. This bill is not even close to being the right bill, but it IS progress, its a step in the right direction, and its about time.
There's a rational person for you.:dis: Socialized medicine is the worst thing that could happen to this country. Virtually every program the government has assumed responsibility for is in shambles. Social Security is bankrupt. Medicare is expected to go bankrupt by 2017. The inefficiencies of the Post Office are legendary. Mediccaide is running the states into bankruptcy. And now we want government to take of health care? Give me a break. A market-driven approach is much more preferable than socialization of the health care industry. As a side note, deregulation of the airlines, the trucking industry and the railroads have brought down prices and made them more competative. I remember when we had government regulation. It was used to keep prices high, innovation at a minimum and especially to kill competition.
I disagree that health care is not a right. The words "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" does not mean much without good health. It is a disgrace that so many people in this country cannot afford decent health care and that has to be corrected. But socialization of the health care industry would create more problems that it would solve. We need to find a good market-driven approach; several have been proposed.
No, that would be a European-type solution that no one is proposing here. I think the government should regulate the insurance industry better and require them to meet certain standards. If they will insure only the healthy, it serves us very badly. The overall good of the country is what is important, not protecting insurance industry profits. Not that I blame you for protecting your personal rice bowl.
That is why no one is proposing socialized medicine here. Deregulation of the mortgage industry led to rampant greed and unwise speculation.
First off, my company has nothing to do with health insurance so your snide comment is of no import. The current bill, as proposed, doesn't call for any type of "Socialism" but you are not looking down the road. The President wants to establish a "Public Option" for those who cannot acquire or afford private health insurance. He thinks he can do it in a deficit neutral fashion. It appears fairly certain that millions will "opt" (not all will be voluntary) for the public option so, assuming you have enough doctors, nurses, treating facilities, etc., the costs will be astronomical. History tells us (because this HAS been tried before) that rationing of healthcare will be unavoidable. Also, the private insurers will not be able to compete with the Government, so it will likely end up being a socialized type of system. These are valid concerns. Yesterday Obama was asked by an informed citizen exactly how private can expect to compete with public given the fact that The Government pays no taxes, property and otherwise, doesn't have malpractice insurance concerns and is not concerned with competitive pricing? Obama's response was: "I think there are ways..." WTF kind of answer is that? But that's a big problem I have with this whole matter. Obama has no answers. Only campaign type "ifs and buts and candies and nuts" crap. This is not an idealogical Republican vs. Democrat battle. This is real life and I'm not jumping on that wagon until I get some specifics.
