Universal healthcare question?

Question

I am asking this a second time because I did not articulate the question properly. First , I do not believe in universal healthcare. However , the system as it stands is totally unfair. Having done electronic billing for a doctors office , I think I can speak from with some authority on the issue( that does not mean I know everything there is to know). Presently , we insure thru our tax base , all government employees , all people on social security retirees , and the military. Take a moment and think about that , thats a lot. We also insure people under a certain income(at least in california) ,and also pay some survivors benefits. People who fall thru the cracks and say make 8 to 20 dollars an houtr get screwed , because they are paying higher rates when they see a doctor for cash. As far as the insurance companies go , medicare pays excellent , PPO's pay good , and HMO's have a self balancing system whereas the doctors makes a little money or mabey breaks even. My suggestion is to leave private insurance as it is , and quit paying thru our taxes for everyonr else except for seniors , who most have lost their ability to make what they did when they were younger , although not all. The tax savings to us would allow every one to have a "tax credit" at the end of the year to pay for an HMO , or a PPO , if they are lucky. The prices of medical insurance would come down drastically if we got everyone paying something mabey a couple of hundred dollars a month. Everyone b*****s they have no money , but somehow people find money for Mdonalds , lottery tickets, tobacco and liquor , so I am sure everyone could pay something. This is a logical question , and I am a talk radio listener and far right in my opinions (Rush , Oreilly , Larry elders , michael medved , hannity , hugh hewett , and yes ,even michael savage ,a great writer.So please try not to invoke that stooge's name michale moore when answering. If I had my way , I would have run out of this country on a rail. Thanks to all of you who answered in a positive last time , and for the moron who got his panties in a bunch , go s***w yourself.

Answer 1

i live in the uk, where we have universal healthcare. we pay through taxes and thats fine for now - but the issue is that with an aging population who are more prone to illness and needs more care - it is getting too costly. the health service is millions of pounds in debt because the tax money is not covering everyone, as a result there is waiting lists and increased refusal for the best medicine.

and there will always be problems, if everyone pays the same % that means some people will feel they pay for something they dont use - for instance person A earns very little and yet uses the hospital twenty times in their life while person B earns a lot and so pays far more - but may never need to use the hospital. - person B will effectively be paying for something he never uses.

would you be willing to pay for something you never use?

tbh i blame the drug companies in america trying to always make a profit, to the cost of peoples lives. GREED

Answer 2

Okay, so your first question was not as articulate as you would have liked. Personally I don't think it was appropriate to use that level of language in your final comment to attack someone who is probably not going to comment on this question.

Why not do something more positive and start a petition to your congressman to see about getting a change brought about.

I happen to believe in universal healthcare. The problem is that it is grossly abused here in the UK. I'm quite happy to pay my taxes towards healthcare for everyone but the system is badly run and haemorrhages money so that it cannot take care of basic staples like cleanliness or patient dignity. It doesn't bother me that the people who truly deserve healthcare are being provided for from my taxes. I object to those who fly over for procedures and treatment to which they are not entitled or who arrange for family members in another country to fly to the UK for treatment to which they are not entitled.

We have the option of private healthcare here but the premiums are too high for most people in employment. The 'free' system works so why pay through the nose.

I think it would be far more prudent for all wealthy nations (and I include the US and the UK) to sort out their own problems with regard to healthcare, education and crime (as the top priorities) before they dash off around the world to mess around in the politics of other countries.