Based on your own family's experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America?

We have freedom to speak out.

Freedom to vote.

Freedom to travel, buy what we want, etc.

But what is that freedom worth if we don't have financial freedom?

I'm not talking about being poor, or not having enough money, I am talking about that $hit happens and even if the best of us planners plan for our future, they can still end up on the very short end, on welfare, food stamps and lack of medical care.

Example:

How many stories have I heard from people who have relatives, friends or themselves where their medical insurance ran out, their life savings depleted and forced to sell their homes and end up in bankruptcy?

Example:

A friend of mine has been coughing up blood. The hospital was not able to determine the cause until last week. The insurance company then sent him a bill for $40,000, saying it was a pre-existing condition.

Example:

Another friend of mine, who was repeatedly told, by the insurance company, that he was in fact insured, was then presented a bill for $85,000 because the insurance company said they made a mistake and he was in fact, NOT INSURED.

Example:

My brother in law, at the age of 22 came down with Multiple Sclerosis. He had just started a new job and his insurance had not kicked in. He was forced to sell his home he had just bought. Of course that money ran out quickly, he then had to seek relief from public welfare and the MS Society. It was a frigging nightmare, always battling the bureaucrats and his illness.

Example:

My Grandfather, who died a few years ago, had a very nice home, yet when he came down with a long term debilitating illness, he was forced to borrow against his $750,000 home. His only sibling, the sole beneficiary to his estate, my mother, ended up with a little less then $25,000 from the sale of the home after his death.

Example:

50% of all bankruptcies are due to medical costs and 68% of those had medical insurance. The key word is HAD, because their lifetime benefit ran out.

http://www.fixourhealthcare.ca.gov/index.php/facts...

Example:

It seems the ones that are against abortion will fight against Universal Health Care which would provide pre natal care for mothers and healthier babies. Now we have the dubious distinction of having one of the highest infant mortality rates of the industrialized countries.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-11-07-sta...

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world...

According to the CIA Book of World Facts, we rank at 180th, between S Korea and Croatia with Angola having the highest rate at number 1, Singapore at 221, Cuba at 182, Canada at 199, France at 216 and Germany at 210.

Why is it, the richest country in the world doesn't have universal health care, when every industrialized western country does? Why can they do it, but we can't?

Why is it that so many Americans are so selfish, consumed with their own self interest that they won't pay a dime for others health care, yet those same people, it seems, will fight tooth and nail for peoples rights in other countries and bankrupt our country in the process? That makes no sense whatsoever.

I keep hearing from the one size fits all personal responsibly crowd that supporting Universal Health Care is NOT THEIR PROBLEM, that they have prepared and why should they, as tax payers, pay for it? Listen people, this is very important to those that believe in that kind of selfishness, YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE.

Then factor in, that when I see posts about how bad Universal Health Care is in countries that have it, why are those coming mostly from 2nd hand sources? Yet when I hear from people how great it is, that comes from people who live under it.

Our constitution guarantees the welfare of our people, why do we ignore that? Why do we let corporate greed take over and jack up our health care costs to the point were we have the costly medical care on the planet? Yet the ones who are against universal health care fight for the rich fat cat who doesn't give one $hit for them or the horse they rode in on.

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We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,

promote the general welfare,

and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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There ya got it, Universal Health Care and protection from skyrocketing cost for needed services.

Our federal politicians have Universal Health Care that follows them to the grave. Why does the ultra privileged class have it, yet the very ones they are supposed to represent, don’t?

Plus, here is the final killer, we provide Universal Health Care to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since we provide it to two countries, why don’t we provide it to ourselves as well? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about our own people first?

http://www.gadling.com/2007/07/05/what-countries-h...

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Socialism with needed services is the answer

We already have that in the USA

Police, fire protection, judicial and prison systems, infrastructure, Military, etc, is socialistic. The only one that is not socialistic of needed services is Health Care. Except as pointed out above, our military has it, so does our elected officials and the two counties we went to war with and now occupying and paying for their health care.

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Ponder something about keeping people alive that are terminally ill for a few weeks. Right now, it cost thousands per day. What would it cost under a controlled bases where medication to cotton swabs are bought at wholesale, instead of jacked up to the point where an asperine costs $10?

In China where I live now as an ex pat from the USA, I had a very bad fall and ended up in the emergency room, CT scans, xrays, etc, and multiple follow up visits. Total cost came to $110 USD. In the USA an educated guess would have been 100 times that amount.

It does not cost 100 times less to live here.

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Peace

Jim

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just plain jim ,good points. WE really need to take health care out of the federals control. Back in the 90s when I was working my medicare payments were higher than my income taxes. Now we find out we are having to pay a premium when we start using medicare. I like to know what the hell I was paying for before.

On the politicians , maybe u mentioned it. WE pay for their health care , salary and their retirement for the rest of their lives. People who hate the illegals from Mexico keep saying their govt is corrupt . It is true but hell look at our govt . it is perfect for the politicians .

First - America includes this entire continent; thus, Mexicans, Canadians, Panamanians, Brazilians, Peruvians, etc, are all Americans technically too, soooo....I think you meant the United States ....

Second - take away the U.S. federal employee benefit plans, forcing all of those currently in a position to decide our health care policy issues to truly understand how it works.

Third - make all health care costs truly tax deductible; so that if one has any health concern all of their out of pocket costs are deducted from whatever their taxable income is.

Deport all illegals, build the fence, get rid of insuance and govenment interference. Make the manufacturers quit putting toxins and carcinogens in our food. Get fluoride out of the water - in other words - get everyone healthy so they don't need poison drugs and surgery.

We need a nationalized healthcare system. But we also need to be realistic in our expectations. Some things in life cannot be fixed. Why do we spend almost ninety percent of healthcare dollars on people in the last three days of their lives? What about preventative care? It is irresponsible to give a 90yo a transplant. It is irresponsible to treat terminal cancer with umpteen thousands of dollars worth of torturous treatment just to delay death by a few weeks. Use that money to vaccinate kids, provide dental care to people, etc. Don't just throw it away.

Healthcare here works for me because I go to work everyday and earn it. No compliants. By the way, even fast food joints like Mickey Dees offers healthcare. So does Wal Mart. The key is to go to friggin work everyday! It cures so many ills it's amazing!

Imagine if every american had full health care benefits and we were able to move on to tackle real issues like our addiction to petro.

Make a limit on what hospitals can charge people. Really, they charge $8 a glove, they even itemize cotton swabs, it's ridiculous. That's why they never get paid too. Then they don't even want to treat you.

what

Healthcare in America is the best in the world. It needs no improvement.