But ya know what, Bro'? I think he's over-exposed. I'm tired of his lame explanations with the clipped-off sentences --and his halting rhetoric. He, like Clinton before him, reminds me of a student body presidential candidate with a shallow panacea for every problem.
Especially on health care. He said recently that the "public option" plan is supposed to "provide competition" and thus, make healthcare more cost effective/efficient, etc. Yeah, Barack, we GET competition! YOu are right about its value and effect --but NOT competition from the government! at tax payer expense! Who won't sign up for a program they think they are being taxed for and thus entitled to --a program they think will be free and unlimited --according to all the promises.
But so far, an awful lot of Americans are smart enough to know that there is no such thing as a free lunch --or free healthcare. And the question is, do we want to pay gov't --and choose your public option --over better care??? And yet, YOU KNOW that if you force a public option, no one will want to pay for the private one. Either way, we lose. We'll have to pay for the public option in taxes and the private one to get the best of care.
This whole problem of Medicare and Medicaid being in the red --and some people being uncovered (some by choice, not wanting to spend the money)--needs more study by lots of people --and they don't need to be paid a fortune to figure it out either.
I was sick to hear that Obama is letting the gov't bailed-out company heads keep their exorbitant million dollar bonuses. No, we don't like gov't telling corporations what to do but these guys have NOT earned bonuses until they pay back the tax payers!!!! Gee, Obama, you need a better business head on your shoulders!!! better advisors. SLOW DOWN. STAY OFF TV. GO HOME AND THINK!! and listen to your White House Comments line. I'm on there.
Citizens, call the president: 1-202-456-1111
Call the Capitol switchboard: 1-202-224-3121
"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible
4 comments:
PS --If I were on the health care policy team, I'd say:
make all paper work/faxes/ uniform in where they put the patient's name, doc's name, DOB, etc. Right now, an office worker has to scan the pages to find the name for filing. It may be on the left hand corner --on the right hand --half way down the page --doctor's name first --or 2nd.
Of course, really good computer formats/programs would be good --and should be uniform, also.
My husband hates the computer --and the way he used to have to wait and wait for a screen --or for a tech to fix the systems that are frequently "down." He scoffs at those who think the computer is the panacea for record-keeping--
but I think a good user friendly uniform system for all would be good --Microsoft should develop it and keep updating it.
The online testing system for the Am. Academy of Family Practice is abysmal --anything but user friendly and practical.
Tort reform is obvious. If memory serves me right --it was 30 billion spent on settlements to litigious patients --mostly settled out of court --in 2007. OBgyns are said to pay $200,000 a year in malpractice insurance. Call off those lawyers! They are causing the high cost of health care!
Quit telling patients to COME BACK AND see their doctors in a week --FOR EVERYTHING.
lET THE patients make their own appointments with specialists. Stop the referral system. Just refer them and leave it up to them to get the app't --unless they are having trouble getting one and then the primary care doctor rightly steps in.
BTW --with a gov't system, there will be a limit on doctor compensation, and doctors WILL work their 8 hours and figure they are entitled to a life, too. I hate to say it, but I think it's easier to be altruistic with your time if you are at least well compensated. That's where the WAITING for appointments will come in. Doctors aren't going to work like dogs --but instead will work their set hours.
It's what we've always known about socialism and communism --working for the state destroys incentive to work harder/longer. There is always resentment where there is no choice.
"But so far, an awful lot of Americans are smart enough to know that there is no such thing as a free lunch --or free healthcare."
Sure there is: Try -
Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, The People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Cuba, Chile, India, Israel, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, and many many more..
The USA is the ONLY industrialized nation that doesn't have Universal health coverage. Our health care ranking is like 38 or 39.. behind Cuba and Chile for goodness sakes!!!
We do have universal coverage in a sense.. it's called the emergency room, where ethically and by law.. they have to treat EVERYBODY regardless of their ability to pay. The only thing is, an emergency room visit costs 4 to 6 times as much as a visit to a general practitioner. So essentially we are paying to treat our poor thru cost inflation that we all absorb at 4 to 6 times the rate our taxes would be hit if we insured everyone thru some kind of socialized medicine.. Oh my God.. I said socialized.. I'm going to MELT!
I know one of those families who hangs out at the ER. It's more convenient to them than making appointments. Hard to believe, considering the waits.
Steve, you are not dealing with the fact that Medicare and Medicaid, along with Social security, are the biggest of the national budget items --entitlement programs.
If gov't provides most everything for me, why should I work? I have a friend who works the system and avoids job-hunting like the plague --and quits jobs all too readily.
A HUGE incentive to have a job is to get health coverage. Let's not remove that incentive to work!!!!
Steve, what is the tax rate in those countries you mentioned for their "free health care"? Nothing is free and you know that for sure.
Are you willing to have a 60% tax rate for federal taxes in order to have "free" health care? Then of course you have to pay the state and maybe your city or county for the "free" services there.
I see no problem in fixing the problem they have identified: that of the working poor and the unemployed to get the same kind of health care the rest of us get, but then we're talking about 45-50 million people instead of 300,000,000 plus. Lots less expensive.
And, if they want to "reform" our health care system, since none of the government leaders want to leave the "pool" Obama spoke about, then how about letting all 300,000,000 of the rest of us join the "pool" and lower the cost of those plans?
I spoke to my congressman's office about these things just Wednesday. It was as though I had asked her to violate something holy to allow us the same options at the same prices they have. I wonder why?
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