Universal Health Care?

[manu1959]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070917/...grY71BSe.yFz4D

mandatory actually

[bullypulpit]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070917/...grY71BSe.yFz4D

mandatory actually

Given that <a href=http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics_im.asp?imID=1&parentID=61&id=358>health-care expenditures in this country totaled some $2 TRILLION</a> in 2005, and have only risen since, $110 BILLION seems like a real bargain.

And in 2007, <a href=http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_health_insurance_costs_rise_near_09122007.html> health insurance costs rose nearly twice as fast as wages, 6.1% v. 3.7%</a> thus their costs have risen forcing a greater proportion of the costs of insurance onto their employees. And since only about 60% of employers in this country offer health benefits, a 9% drop from 2000, fewer Americans are covered. Those that are covered are forced to bear a greater share of the costs of health benefits in the form of higher employee paid premiums and co-pays, deductibles, etc. And those <a href=>costs are expected to climb another 6-7% in '08</a>http://www.healthdecisions.org/Healt...?doc_id=132630, forcing employers to shift even more of the costs to their employees.

<blockquote>Due to rising health insurance premiums, many small employers cannot afford to offer health benefits. Companies that do offer health insurance, often require employees to contribute a larger share toward their coverage. As a result, an increasing number of Americans have opted not to take advantage of job-based health insurance because they cannot afford it. - <a href=http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml>NCHC</a></blockquote>

The net result of this, as discussed elsewhere, is that more people are forced to resort to the Emergency Department of their local hospitals for their primary source of health care. As a result they are sicker when first seen...their hospital stays are MUCH longer and much more expensive. And a visit to the emergency room costs $800 to $900 v. $150 to $200 for a physician office visit. You do the math. In the long run we all pay the costs in terms of higher health insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles, which starts the whole vicious cycle all over again.

Another benefit to a national health system would be that employers would be freed from the burden of health care costs, witness what has happened to the Big 3 auto makers in the US. As a result, the capital saved to be ploughed back into the company raising productivity, lowering costs and making US businesses and products more competitive on the world market.

$110 BILLION for a national health care plan sounds like a bargain to me.

[KarlMarx]

Sorry Bully, but $110 Billion is what she is admitting to, that's a "blue sky" scenario...

The fact is that it's going to be a whole lot more....

Now, here's the problem. You are transferring a large part of the economy to the government and you'll answer... so what?

In order to keep costs down, the government will first start by telling the medical industry how much it can make in profit (and it won't be much).

Since the profit has been taken away from the medical sector, investors will look elsewhere to put their money.

Then, where is the money for new drugs and research going to come from? You've taken away all the profit from medical companies! Those companies won't be able to afford to conduct research for new drugs, new technologies and so forth.

That's for starters! Then, government bureaucrats will be telling doctors how they can treat patients and who....

I pity the poor soul that gets sick under such a system! But, I know one thing. Hillary Clinton won't be part of the system. When she gets ill, there will be a "2nd tier" of the new medical system, reserved for VIPs and much like the system we have today.

And she'll be laughing at the rest of us.... all the way to the operating room.

[Joe Steel]

This may be the end of Clinton's candidacy. Her health care plan is too little, too late. It's just a plan to subsidize the health insurance companies. America needs more. We need new ideas and new resolve.

[KarlMarx]

This may be the end of Clinton's candidacy. Her health care plan is too little, too late. It's just a plan to subsidize the health insurance companies. America needs more. We need new ideas and new resolve.

I find myself agreeing with you at least somewhat. We need new ideas. I believe most conservatives will also agree with the last part of that statement. Few people believe the system is fine the way it is. Liberals and conservatives both believe it needs reformation. We disagree on the approach. Liberals advocate more government, conservatives tend to advocate less government and more free market