Obama's speach
So President Obama gave his speach earlier today about health care and how he want a bill on his desk SOON! So what do you think? should the bill be passed? Should we be rushing this very important subject. What did you think of his speach? What would you do in his position?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ari Strudler on -
I would push it.
The british did it after WW2.
let's do it.
the only way to create change is to create big change.
every person should have the right to health care
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Permalink Reply by Sean Hadley on -
I think that if the government controls our hospitals then we will be really screwed.
The government owns our automobile companys...our transportation
The government owns our banking system...our money
The government owns our housing market...where we live.
Now the government will have control over our very lives????
If you want this enslavement, then you should just choose monarchy.
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Permalink Reply by Austin Bryan on -
The sooner the better! We need a government option and we need it now. There are millions of people (both unemployed and employed) out there who can't afford health insurance who need it. Delaying this important issue only allows more time for big pharma and health insurance agencies to kill it. If this is ever going to get done, now is the time.
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Permalink Reply by Ari Strudler on
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Amen austin amen.
Sean it is just health care.
If I get my arm cut off I don't want to be in debt to pay for it.
all the other countries have it.
we should too.
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Permalink Reply by Jenna Albert on -
I think the President should go through with the health plan. People need the help. Americans need to realize that we will have to pay more or other measures, and realize that health care is NOT free! It seems that many people have the mindset of children on this issue, they want the complete coverage but don't want to pay for it.... that perception needs to change.
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Permalink Reply by Hayden Christopher Muhs on -
We do need this option.
It should not be a mandatory thing, but it needs to be an option for people.
Medical bills hover around my family, I know what it's like to have a brain, open heart, and stomach reconstruction surgery laughing at you 10 years later, when you can't go to Florida that summer because of the bills.
We need to put this into perspective and think to ourselves "hmm... health care... shouldn't this be a public service? Shouldn't taxes be enough to cover this? Do we really need to re-pave I-5 again, (just a demonstration) when that money could save families from further grievances that AREN'T necessary?
It's not control, it's assistance.
Government for the people, BY the people.
And I don't think Obama is European, so we don't have to worry about our freedom.
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Permalink Reply by Cameron Ainslie on -
...but dont you see, Sean has a point. If the gov. controls the hostpitals, we are really screwed! My grandpa had a medicare doctor, that was only concerned about her profits and he didnt get the care he needed......because of this, he is in some very life threatening conditions. this is what's concerning about the gov. regulating who needs what services. Let's say that some kid's leg hurts becuase they fell hard and hit the pavement....so now the governemnt will be able to say that they cant go to the doctor to get it checked out because hey it's just a kid and a sore leg. But the backround story is the kid really had osteosarcoma(aka bone cancer) and this kid ends up in icu becuase the government thought that it was nothing.....well are the people who control the government doctors?!?!?! I dont think so. Do you want the government having access to your medical records?? being able to say yes or no to any dr. appointment, even a yearly check up?? Not so much. We should really slow this down and work on something that will be beneficial to everyone without all the hidden surprises. JUST THINK ABOUT IT!!
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Permalink Reply by Austin Bryan on
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Perhaps this will make a public option sound a little better. Insurance companies today already control and decide what health care an individual will get or won’t get. Too often a person who gets very sick and finally needs to use their health insurance in a big way is dropped by the insurance company for some made up ‘pre-existing’ condition (because they have all of your medical records from every time you visit a doctor and suddenly “an ingrown toe nail” becomes a pre-existing condition to cancer). By doing this, the health insurance company gets out of paying for the person’s medical bills.
By taking out for-profit insurance companies medical costs would go down. But that’s not even what the government is talking about. They are only looking for a vehicle to offer the option of available health insurance to the millions of uninsured in this country.
There should be rights and dignities we provide for the citizens of our great country including all that is in the Constitution and the services of the fire departments, police departments, education (via public schools), and health care.
The interesting data below shows the burden that the rising costs of health insurance and therefore medical costs has on the country and individuals. The cost of a national health insurance plan would be easily off set by reducing the strain and cost to the economy caused by the number of bankruptcies and foreclosures alone. People having medical care available to them would also be able to seek medical attention earlier so that less costly medical treatment is necessary in the long run.
National Health Care Spending
• In 2008, health care spending in the United States reached $2.4 trillion, and was projected to reach $3.1 trillion in 2012.1 Health care spending is projected to reach $4.3 trillion by 2016.
• In 2008, the United States will spend 17 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 20 percent by 2017.
• Although nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.
• Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Employer and Employee Health Insurance Costs
• Premiums for employer-based health insurance rose by 5.0 percent in 2008. In 2007, small employers saw their premiums, on average, increase 5.5 percent. Firms with less than 24 workers experienced an increase of 6.8 percent.
• The annual premium that a health insurer charges an employer for a health plan covering a family of four averaged $12,700 in 2008. Workers contributed nearly $3,400 or 12 percent more than they did in 2007. The annual premiums for family coverage significantly eclipsed the gross earnings for a full-time, minimum-wage worker ($10,712).
• Since 1999, employment-based health insurance premiums have increased 120 percent, compared to cumulative inflation of 44 percent and cumulative wage growth of 29 percent during the same period.
The Impact of Rising Health Care Costs
• National surveys show that the primary reason people are uninsured is the high cost of health insurance coverage.
• Economists have found that rising health care costs correlate to drops in health insurance coverage.
• A recent study by Harvard University researchers found that the average out-of-pocket medical debt for those who filed for bankruptcy was $12,000. The study noted that 68 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy had health insurance. In addition, the study found that 50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses. Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
• A new survey shows that more than 25 percent said that housing problems resulted from medical debt, including the inability to make rent or mortgage payments and the development of bad credit ratings.
• About 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every year due to unaffordable medical costs.
• Retiring elderly couples will need $250,000 in savings just to pay for the most basic medical coverage. Many experts believe that this figure is conservative and that $300,000 may be a more realistic number.
• According to a recent report, the United States has $480 billion in excess spending each year in comparison to Western European nations that have universal health insurance coverage. The costs are mainly associated with excess administrative costs and poorer quality of care.
• The United States spends six times more per capita on the administration of the health care system than its peer Western European nations.
If you want sources to this information I have them.
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Permalink Reply by Jordan Moeny on -
Cameron--
See, the thing is that if we don't do this, then that kid with bone cancer ends up in the same situation or a worse one because his parents have been laid off and can't afford insurance, so because they would have to pay for it out of their own pockets, they say, "hey it's just a kid and a sore leg" and tell him to put some ice on it. See, this works both ways.
Sean--
The government will not "have control over our very lives". Ask anyone who lives in...mmm...most industrialized nations if the government is actually controlling their lives and how things are for them. This is not enslavement. This is something completely different.
All of you who are opposed to this plan, I have a question for you:
What would you do instead?
The founders of our nations rebelled because they felt we had certain inalienable rights. The first and foremost of these rights is the right to life. The government is given its power so that it can protect these rights. Can we truly say that is happening if people are dying every day because they can't afford to see a doctor? The answer is no.
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Permalink Reply by Sean Hadley on
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I am a monarchist. I believe that beurocracy causes too much trouble. Nothing can get done when everyone has to look over there shoulder. I think that we are halfway between any workable governments. We want everyone to have a say but that isn't happening.
Obama will make this an ignorant monarchy if this happens. It will create the equivalent of a monarchy but without giving people time to learn how to make good decisions in their new post, a 4 year monarchy. It will create a socialistic society worse than any before.
I am fine with a health care plan, as long as we move to a monarchy. But if we use this health care plan now we will just go in a downward hill
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Permalink Reply by Jordan Moeny on
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By "monarchy" are you talking about something with one leader or something with one leader where power is passed from parent to child? The latter is what's generally referred to as a monarchy and is, no offense meant, a fairly stupid idea. Choosing rulers based on bloodline instead of actual qualifications? No thank you. The former is properly termed a dictatorship, although I would guess that you're thinking of a benevolent dictatorship.
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Permalink Reply by Cameron Ainslie on
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1. but what your saying is, your assuming that the parents are laid off. and how does it wourk both ways?
2. i know what it's like to be that kid. when i was younger, I was diagnosed with cancer. what happens now with the new health care system that obama is pushing??? I may not even be able to get insurance becuase of my medical history. and to me, that's not right. So what happens if i ever do, and im not saying that i am, but if i do relaps or get a different type of cancer, what do i do??? the gov. will choose my doctors and my treatment path, i dont know about you but that would suck.
if you could make up your own health care system, then what would you do?
3. sometimes you have to look at different perspectives to understand if everyone would agree with you. Obama just needs to slow down and maybe look a little more into this before the bill is even written up! but that's just me.
Jordan Moeny said:Cameron--
See, the thing is that if we don't do this, then that kid with bone cancer ends up in the same situation or a worse one because his parents have been laid off and can't afford insurance, so because they would have to pay for it out of their own pockets, they say, "hey it's just a kid and a sore leg" and tell him to put some ice on it. See, this works both ways.
Sean--
The government will not "have control over our very lives". Ask anyone who lives in...mmm...most industrialized nations if the government is actually controlling their lives and how things are for them. This is not enslavement. This is something completely different.
All of you who are opposed to this plan, I have a question for you:
What would you do instead?
The founders of our nations rebelled because they felt we had certain inalienable rights. The first and foremost of these rights is the right to life. The government is given its power so that it can protect these rights. Can we truly say that is happening if people are dying every day because they can't afford to see a doctor? The answer is no.
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