Things to expect
- Thread starter Gonz
- Start date
MrBishop
Well-Known Member
Just cause you're paranoid doesn't mean that people aren't out to getcha
20 years ago, socialized medicine was laughed at & was tossed out the saloon doors on its ear.
Look, today, every single pol is promising some sort of government intervention into your medical life.
When these things are introduced, they are ridiculed for the crap they are. Then the society changing begins. So many people look at those who raise alarms, and keep the alarm up, as paranoid, or ideolgical, or kooks or whatever. Before you know it, we're hooked.
spike
New Member
Now that we've fallen behind behind 30+ other countries while spending more on healthcare per person than any of those countries those that laughed and tossed it out the saloon doors look like total idiots.
Turns out it was irrational paranoia.
paul_valaru
100% Pure Canadian Beef
Frodo
Member
Seriously, if you hate this form of government and want a balanced score board instead of a level playing field, why not move to a country that already has the form of government you want? Canada is a beautiful place. If it is too cold, why not England? Austrailia, France, Sweden,...there are hundreds of socialist governments in the world. Instead of trying to make the USA the 101st, why not move?
As for me and Gonz, this is it. We have no other country like this to go to.
spike
New Member
Who said that? I just want our healthcare to improve to the level of other countries.
It's like if I wanted us to catch up on some technology and you said "don't like being behind move somewhere else".
Well in a few days we're going to see what most people in the US want and if you don't like it you can move somewhere else with shittier healthcare.
Professur
Well-Known Member
I beg to differ. Your healthcare is second to none, world wide, as evidenced by the number of Canuck politicians who travel south for operations. It's just not free. That's your bitch, not the quality. Keep that in focus when you're comparing healthcare on a statistical basis.
chcr
Too cute for words
4th or 5th actually, according to most surveys I've seen. Far and away the most expensive, though. My favorite thing about it lately is all the people who think Obama is going to institute socialized (or some other type of universal) health care. He's never suggested anything like that. He has vaguely suggested some nebulous sort of universal health care for children. It's always amazing how people hear what they expect to regardless of what is actually said, isn't it.
spike
New Member
Nope, it's the quality and the general health of the population. We rank behind over 30 other countries. We also rank behind 30 other countries in life expectency and heart disease.
Remember I'm going off of facts not some anectdote about a couple Canadian politicians. Also remember that Canada barely beats us so it'd be nice if we could shoot a little higher than that.
spike
New Member
4th or 5th actually, according to most surveys I've seen. Far and away the most expensive, though. My favorite thing about it lately is all the people who think Obama is going to institute socialized (or some other type of universal) health care. He's never suggested anything like that. He has vaguely suggested some nebulous sort of universal health care for children. It's always amazing how people hear what they expect to regardless of what is actually said, isn't it.
Yes, that's strange. The information is easily avavilable.
http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2008/03/a-detailed-anal.html
MrBishop
Well-Known Member
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.2
- Economists have found that rising health care costs correlate to drops in health insurance coverage.8
- Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of the uninsured reported changing their way of life significantly in order to pay medical bills.9
- In a Wall Street Journal-NBC Survey almost 50 percent of the American public say the cost of health care is their number one economic concern.10
- In a USA Today/ABC News survey, 80 percent of Americans said that they were dissatisfied (60 percent were very dissatisfied) with high national health care spending.11
- Rising health care costs is the top personal pocketbook concern for Democratic voters (45%) and Republicans (35%), well ahead of higher taxes or retirement security.12
- One in four Americans say their family has had a problem paying for medical care during the past year, up 7 percentage points over the past nine years. Nearly 30 percent say someone in their family has delayed medical care in the past year, a new high based on recent polling. Most say the medical condition was at least somewhat serious.
- 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.13 Every 30 seconds in the United States someone files for bankruptcy in the aftermath of a serious health problem.
- One half of workers in the lowest-compensation jobs and one-half of workers in mid range-compensation jobs either had problems with medical bills in a 12-month period or were paying off accrued debt. One-quarter of workers in higher-compensated positions also reported problems with medical bills or were paying off accrued debt.14
- If one member of a family is uninsured and has an accident, a hospital stay, or a costly medical treatment, the resulting medical bills can affect the economic stability of the whole family.15
- 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.16
- A survey of Iowa consumers found that in order to cope with rising health insurance costs, 86 percent said they had cut back on how much they could save, and 44 percent said that they have cut back on food and heating expenses.17
- Retiring elderly couples will need $200,000 in savings just to pay for the most basic medical coverage.18 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.19
- The United States spends six times more per capita on the administration of the health care system than its peer Western European nations.19