Is the USA ready for Universal Healthcare?

Question

Please don't make false claims about how Canadians hate their healthcare in your answer.

You can ask Canadians on here about what they think, like this:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Akn3.zxJSCQc6gMUMQ1BNjbty6IX?qid=20070623225538AAcdktp

Also, do not make these same false claims against the French, The English, Cubans or any other civilized nation with socialized healthcare. It is flat-out NOT true.

Please restrict your answer to whether it would be GOOD for United States citizens and whether you think we would vote for it.

Answer 1

To answer the question: yes, the citizens are ready (claims of impending socialist doom aside); as many have noted, that the US is home to millions of people who are un- or under-insured is shameful. That the quality of our healthcare in general has sunk below that of most "industrialized" nations is pitiful. I suppose the real questions are: is the government ready or are the pharmaceutical companies ready to possibly forego billions of dollars of profit under a system that would almost assuredly seek to control prices? Remember, many of our leaders sit on the boards of these companies. And it's not just pharmaceuticals, it's the medical supply companies in general; it's the insurance companies. I have been in healthcare for 2-decades; even those within the system agree that it is broken and that major changes are looming.

And someone posted that in Canada when they seek treatment in the ER there is 20 min to 1 hour wait. In most US hospitals the average wait time in ER is 1 to 4 hours.

Answer 2

I'm on the fence
The reason we have had so many advances in Medicine is because of all the money that can be made. Big profits lead to big investments which can lead to a cure.
If you tell these companies what that u r going to curtail their profitability the investors will go elsewhere.
Also everything our govt touches seem to only lead to more trouble and makes everything take a lot longer. Look at the great job its doing with education. How would it take to get a referral. I went to an eye specialist in 1993 that was studying law because he was afraid of the Clinton's stand on universal healthcare. He is a great doctor,and we may have a great drop off in the quality of people becoming doctors.
OK that's one side, the other is health care cost is KILLING this country. I don't know the figure but the American Auto Companies spend like twice as much on health care as does the foreign companies. So we can't spend as much on research and development as they do.

I do think something needs to be done, not sure what , but something

Answer 3

NO!!! the value for wellness care would flow way uncontrolled an analogous way nursing abode expenses have skyrocketed considering that Medicare began paying for it. the government bureaucratic device would initiate "Feeding on itself" and grow to be an pointless marketplace all of its own. expenses that don't serve or heal one single affected person would quickly be greater than the value of the wellness care it relatively is supposedly offering. Then they might "Privatize" the administration of the wellness care device and huge firms would take over the administration and poor mouth the individuals as they get richer and richer. I artwork for a central authority protection contractor and that's precisely what is going on interior the protection marketplace.

Answer 4

I'm not so sure the country is ready for it. Between the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies, not to mention doctor salaries, it won't work right now. Maybe in the next millennium...

As far as being good for our citizens, how could it not be? There are too many children and elderly with no medical insurance coverage! And sometimes only the wealthy are getting special treatments where the poor only can die. Everybody deserves the same medical treatment!

Good question though, I'll give you a star for that!

Answer 5

America has to be ready for it, because as it stands, the American form of health-care is much too expensive and way too ineffective. 40 or 50 million people are falling through the cracks, and many millions more are paying premiums they can't afford... to get inadaquate services. And they're afraid to use it... for fear their premiums will rise even further.

That's a formula for success... but only for the insurer.

Universal health care is absolutely the way to go. Most modern countries have gone to it... because it's cheaper, fairer and considerably more effective for 95% of people.

The uber wealthy might complain about getting the same treatment as the middle-class... but...tough. If they want better treatment than 95% of the population, then they're just taking up space anyway.

Answer 6

I think that depends upon how it is done. If "socialized medicine" means the government taking over and running every hospital and being the only employer for every doctor, I can't see people going for that.

I think more people would support a government run system in addition to the private system. This is like governments providing police protection, but also allowing people to hire private security guards or bodyguards.

If it is ok to spend public money, and lots of it, to protect us from people who might attack us, I don't see how it can be wrong to spend public funds to protect us from diseases that attack us. Sickness and injury hurts us as much as crime.

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Answer 7

I can't speak for any other Americans besides myself...but I am more than ready for it. If the best model is used, it would be a godsend to the people...All the people. I think, though, that the people should be given the chance to read through as many different models as possible, and to research them, and then the people should be allowed to vote on the model they want...in a clean election! *sm*

Answer 8

I live in Canada and we have universal health care here. I find it great, for instance if I have a kidney transplant or heart attack, I get treated and my cost is $0. I can see a specialist or a doctor or go to a walk in clinic, my cost is $0. Typically in emergency, I do live in a large city, I wait 20min - 1 hour on average. Emergency surgery is also available for $0. Homeless the working poor and the ultra rich all pay $0 for hospital visits. I do not notice my taxes going up much every year, in fact we have a booming economy. I have found all hospitals I visited to be stocked with new machines, and the latest equipment. Universal health care is the way to go, and it provides for the poor putting them on equal footing with the rich when it comes to health care, both get treated equally. Americans will be very happy if they are lucky enough to have this system. America is beyond ready, they have millions millions without any coverage, that is unfair.

Answer 9

If Universal Health coverage means limiting law suits - then don't hold your breath. As long as our present system allows for huge damages, lawmakers (lawyers) will not allow change.

Answer 10

Universal health care has to be paid for by someone. If the government decides to put a tax on the Pharma co's, they will lose their incentive to create more and better drugs. Taxes will HAVE to increase, again, someone has to pay for it.

I don't believe socialized medicine is the way to go.