Do you support socialized health care in America? Why or why not?

Question

Personally, I support it. I think that it is important for all Americans to be covered by medical insurance - and right now the laws are set up in a way that makes medical coverage very expensive for the average American. If a person gets sick/hurt, then their personal debt can skyrocket because of the costs involved. Pregnant women cannot get pre-natal care because their insurance doesn't cover it - thus adding to the embarassingly high infant mortality rate that America currently holds. Children are not allowed to play tag on the playground, because their parents cannot afford to take them to the hospital if they should get hurt and the schools are scared of being sued... Elderly people cannot afford their prescription medications... If we can subsidise oil companies, who are currently making record profits, why can't we do something to insure that our citizens can be healthy and do not carry an overwhelming burden of cost?

P.S. I am an American citizen who lived 33 years in the States. I moved to Austria about 18 months ago - we have socialized medicine here. I find that the medical care is actually better here than it was in the States. I can pick my own doctors, my pre-natal care has been outstanding, as has my 10 year old daughter's medical care... We don't have to wait for doctor appointments - we do have to have referrals for special care, just like an HMO. I was just wondering what the average American thinks about it. Also, I noticed that the taxes are about the same here as in America - as far as the bottom line between gross income versus net is concerned.

Answer 1

Absolutely.

Contrary to popular thought we do not have the best medicine in the world and our infant mortality rate puts us on par with Malaysia--a developing nation. Higher prices doesn't mean better care--it just means higher prices.

Answer 2

Our country would have a hard time implementing socialized health care. We are not set up for it. You can't just pass a law demanding that everyone have insurance because not everyone can afford it. You can't just give everyone who can't afford insurance coverage because the cost of decent health care is too high to pay without seriously raising taxes, which would put more people at poverty level income.
What we need to do is lower the cost of health care. Right now our cost is the highest in the world. We are almost twice as expensive as the second most expensive (per capita) health care system on Earth which is Luxemburg. Our quality of health care is among the lowest of industrialized countries. This is derived from the infant mortality rate, average life expectancy, and patient mortality rate.
Simple answer: The United States health care system is way to expensive for our country to afford and we are not getting even a portion of our monies worth. We can't afford to socialize it as it is now. If we fixed it we probably wouldn't have to socialize it because health care would be affordable.

Answer 3

In Economics, the health of the work force is a determinant of the overall level of income per capita [GDP/capita].

However, freedom and socialized medicine are at polar opposites and have diametrically opposed results on income per capita. As shown in East and West Germany, economic freedom leads to far greater standards of living than socialism.

As amply shown in multiple countries including Canada and Britian, socialized medicine always results in shortages of 'advanced' procedures [really, the expensive procedures] and overuse of simple doctor visits. This always inflates expenses beyond the ability of even government to pay for them.

Not to mention that socializing just medicine takes away from the providers of medical services the right to freely practice and decide for themselves what fees they will charge and quality they will provide. [Not that you can easily measure that quality anyway.]

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Btw, you can and should be skeptical of international comparisons of such things as infant mortality. Some countries do not count a child as born until it has lived 30 days, which vastly reduces their reported infant mortality.

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Oh ... and oil companies aren't making record profits by any standard except their past profits. MicroSoft, for example, is far more profitable per sales dollar and per shareholder's dollar invested than any oil company. So is Google.


I think you've been listening to way too many Democrats and/or the 'mainstream' media [which is heavily slanted].

:)

Answer 4

There is no such thing as free healtcare, even with socialized medicine, someone is still paying for it....the taxpayer. Now, I already have great healthcare for me and my family. I earn it. Just because I make great money, I dont think I should have to pay more taxes so someone who doesnt work as hard as me can get healthcare. Right now, I have the best healthcare in the world my money can buy. I think thats great. Quite honestly, I already provide enough great healthcare for my wife and 4 kids. Asking me to pay more taxes for someone elses healthcare is like asking me to reduce the healthcare for my kids for someone elses kids. I have a great idea. Anyone who is for socialized healthcare can check a little box on their taxes and pay more taxes earmarked just for that purpose. You want socialized medicine, you pay for it. How simple is that? I wish people on the left would quit trying to spend my money and spend their own.
As far as old people not being about to afford medicine. That is a myth. Did you know that every single pharmacuetical company in this country will give the elderly and poor free medicine for just filling out paperwork? This is one of the things the left and the media dont want you to know. Because socialized medicine is really not about helping those with less. Its about keeping people dependant on government. Which gives the politicians more power. Any person out here that doesnt think the this countries drug companies wont give the poor and elderly free medicine needs to do a little research. Call the companies and ask about them. Then ask yourself why do you suppose the liberals in this country dont want you to know about those programs.

Here is another thing to think about. In industrialized countries with socialized medicine the most profitable business right now is "PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE" In those countries the best doctors are going to private clinics where the more successful people can pay for their own healthcare. The socialized hospitals tend to get the worst doctors. So in reality the socialized system is actually putting more distance between the rich and the poor of those countries.



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Answer 5

Nope sorry, I don't support it. I do support Universal Health Care for children because they are unable to make decisions for themselves. Adults need to be held accountable for their own actions - and if you cannot pull it together enough to better yourself to a position with health care then it's not my problem. I mean for pete sake my daughter works at a chain clothing store and has access to benefits, yes she would have to pay a portion of the premium but she CAN get it.

People act like health insurance is an enigma no one can ever get their hands on and that is bunk - the reality is that people do no want to work for things or pay for things -- I pay a mint for health insurance for my entire family, and I consider that the BEST investment I make every month.

Answer 6

No, it never works. In good instances the private hospitals thrive, because people who can afford it would never go to a public hospital, and in other situations you must amply bribe your doctor. In China the medicine is 20 years behind, and they won't even offer chemotherapy unless there is a 90% chance of success.
Socialism never works, it relies on the benevolent nature of man, at all levels.

Answer 7

socialised health care = terrible healthcare
think about it if someone wants to be a doctor and tries his best to learn his trade is he not worth more than the guy who just wants doctors pay and cheats his way through school? if you socialise health care then you end up with only generic cheats that may have payed attention one or two days in med school

Answer 8

No!! I am retired and have Blue Cross which cost me $300 a month. I have had to pay for it. You want to give something to people and they don't have to work and earn it. That's what's wrong with this country now they want everything given to them.

Answer 9

No, the level of service would decrease trmendously and the cost would be unbelieveably prohibitive. Look at the cost in France and Britain of these programs.

Answer 10

I agree with Suzie D.

What a great Answer!