It costs money to provide healthcare? BS!
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ShadowWinchesterX81 — 16 years ago(March 13, 2010 03:38 PM)
You know what the difference is between those countries with free health care and ours? We may cost money, but you get what you pay for.
By turning healthcare into a private industry, it drives competition, encouraging every doctor to work thier hardest and every hospital to strive to offer the best care.
This competition has also drove research, as the desire to provide the best care has encouraged hospitals to put more money into research than they would otherwise, causing America to be the source of many medical breakthroughs. It also makes being a doctor a highly coveted job, with competition for jobs ensuring that only the smartest make it.
Many foreign patients come over here to get treated, becuase in many cases the United States does offer the best quality care.
This kind of hard work requires motivation, and there is no greater motivation than money. Take away that motivation and turn every doctor into a poorly paid beurocrat, and all you are going to get is a bunch of idiots who only work hard enough not to get fired. But atleast it will be free. -
m_smink — 15 years ago(April 25, 2010 12:47 AM)
sure because there are only 2 sides that are possible..
either the American expensive model where doctors receive ridiculous amounts of money for 'motivation', or the socialist free way where doctors get paid next to nothing right?
Look at some West European countries where there is "free" health care. But really it isn't that free. Everybody has to pay for insurance, which costs you an X amount each month.
But if you need surgery, you get it within a few days. Doctors (those performing the surgeries) are still one of the best earning jobs in the country.
Health care for everyone really isn't that hard to achieve.
It's not the case that either everyone has to pay for their own medical bill, or no one has to pay a dime for free care like Americans like to explain it.
The problem is, Americans don't like to pay for a service that is given to anyone but themselves.
Imagine, you pay insurance every month but have a healthy life so you rarely have to use this insurance. But the neighbor is unlucky and needs surgery quite often, and is using the health care that is paid for by you! That is just a nightmare of course.. -
richard-goodenough — 15 years ago(July 05, 2010 10:05 PM)
I think you're view of the American public is a bit narrow and short sighted, which isn't necessarily you're fault. If you live outside of the US then there are likely several things you haven't considered.
First, healthcare is provided for low income families by the states (in most states). Shifting this to a national healthcare program runs legal complications as (at least previously) this has been a matter controlled by the state, and states rarely like to shift power to the federal government. With the United States being classified as a federal republic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_republic), this can be a real challenge.
Second, we Americans generally pride ourselves on the many choices we have. We often see choice and freedom as the same thing. Free markets give us choice in the products and services we receive and who receive them from. Shifting to a pure federally run healthcare program would reduce choice in who provides our service, and for many Americans this is a deal breaker. There would also be no option to opt-out, further reducing choice. While it is generally agreed that opting out of health insurance is a poor choice, it is a risk-reward system that I believe should be decided upon by the individual, especially in the case of younger adults without a family.
Third, there are financial complications. Currently the total cost of health care is ultimately decided by negotiations between hospitals, physicians, and insurance companies. Larger insurance companies have more pull because of a larger subscriber base and help to keep health care costs lower, however this comes at the cost to the providers and therefore the staff. In the case of a single federally run program the government holds all of the leverage as if the hospital does not agree to the governments approved rate structure its only option is to move to cash payments only. Ultimately this will serve to reduce payments to doctors and nurses and the fear is that over time this will result in fewer skilled employees. Currently many hospitals and physicians will not accept the state provided insurance, and the patient is required to pay the difference or find a "welfare doctor" which has become synonymous with a lower standard of care.
Finally you have the issue of how to pay for the healthcare. Most likely it would come as an increase in income tax. This would mean that an individual that has worked hard through school or apprenticeship and receives a job making $100,000 per year would pay more for health insurance than a family of 5 making $50,000 annually. Individuals that have no interest in working and live off of the public welfare system would pay nothing and receive the same care.
Your statement, "Americans don't like to pay for a service that is given to anyone but themselves," is partially true. Subsidized programs are fine when run properly. Public works programs that put people to work, road and infrastructure, education, aid provided for healthcare facilities, assisted living centers for citizens, public safety, unemployment insurance, and hundreds of other programs are happily paid for even by people who have never been able to utilize them. However when money is taken from hard working honest citizens and in turn given to dishonest citizens that do not wish to work, avoid paying taxes, or take advantage of programs they should be excluded from is where many Americans draw the line. If the failed or broken systems were fixed then there would be additional money availble to fund (an) optional federal or state run program(s) to supplement the current system. -
Blue_dresses — 15 years ago(February 20, 2011 12:25 PM)
I agree health should be every humans right and not be a money making industry but think about all the doctors who spend years and years going to school, spending their money to learn and taking all their time to learn, who have to make a living after they put all their hard work and money into learning how to become a health practitioner. You know how many years, money and time these doctors put into learning their trade and can't live on air! And the ex ray techs, nurses and all the help need to survive after living on mac and cheese and studying for so many years. You have to realize they gave up their lives, time and small money at the time to take years to learn to be a doctor, ect. They are not going to be poor and broke and not be compensated after all their hard work to learn the trade. Logically, everyone needs to eat and live, and the more time they spend putting into a education and learning a trade, the more they should be compensated.
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an-usurper — 15 years ago(March 08, 2011 01:58 PM)
i'm sorry but your wrong.
while i can agree with your altruistic view, it would be lovely if everyone had healthcare, but you're not thinking rationally or logical.
healthcare is a service and a costly one at that. things don't just arise from nothing, money doesn't just appear; things cannot function without fuel. something is going to have to power the machines, devices and tools to preform surgery and whatnot, and that has to come from somewhere. the only logistical way for a gov. to ensure care for everyone is with taxes. now, maybe you don't mind paying more in taxes, but you are not everyone, and you can't say that other people 'should'. just like you can't make people work for free.
essentially, you are wanting all of this to work and operate for free. -
tmo811 — 14 years ago(July 08, 2011 08:35 AM)
I would agree that some things need to be changed. If there were a way to regulate costs that would be great. I have no idea how to do that.
I also believe that people need some incentive to do things for themselves. The government is not responsible for our lives. If health care were free we would face long waiting lists for appointments, fewer qualified doctors and medical equipment built by the lowes bidder.
I am a military wife and I can tell you first hand what government run health care does to peopleThere is a long military history in my family and my grandfather died at age 55 because his blood pressure medication was changed because the Army found a cheaper manufacturer.
I have waited in the ER of an on base hospital with an actively bleeding child and an extremely painful bladder infection for up to 9 hours. The place wasn't even that busy.
When I opted to go see a private doctor for the same condition I was tested, treated and medicated within an hour. Yes, I paid a co pay for this visit, and I will gladly continue to do so because some things, even if they are "free" are just not worth it.
"I take a problem and chew on it til all the flavor's gone, then I stick it in my hair" -
obelix99 — 12 years ago(January 17, 2014 10:58 PM)
Health care is not a right. Why would you have rights to someone else's services? You have rights to your life, your liberties, and your paycheck. You have the right to keep what you worked for. You have rights to be protected.
But you have no rights to food, housing, cars, clothing, OR healthcare. If you don't have healthcareyou won't get treatment and you'll die. Guess what? If you don't have food, you'll starve, and again you'll die.
So by your standard, the food at the grocery store should be mine. I have the right to it right? After all, a man's gotta eat. If he don't eat, he dies.
The healthcare in the country is bad. We all know that. But the solution is not Obamacare. Anyone with half a brain will tell you that you can't have the government run your healthcare. They have no business running a business, let alone this one. It may work in Canada or France, but they have fraction of the population as this country.
the problem are all the freeloaders out therethe welfare lifers out there that are too lazy to take care of themselves and depends on others to do it for them.
Man the F up. Get a job. Go to school. Take care of your own family and don't depend on me, your neighbors, or your politicians to take care of you.