Healthcare - does the burden lie with the person or the government?

Question

It's without a doubt that the health care system in the U.S has received a lot of media coverage and is an important issue to politicians. According to studies, polls and research it's appearant that many people agree with its current state and many who feel they're not getting the best quality healthcare.

Are you, as a citizen of the U.S., concerned/worried about the current system we have in place and are happy with the healthcare you receive or are you for health care system reform and/or socialized health care?

Answer 1

I worked in the field of employer-sponsored health benefits for many years. At the beginning there were numerous insurance companies who sold group health benefits and I saw many employers who provided excellent health insurance to their employees.

However, as the cost of health care started to rise (and continued to do so) many insurance companies stopped selling health insurance. Those insurance companies that continued selling health insurance had to charge higher and higher premiums to simply break even.

For small employers (companies with less than 250 employees) it became impossible to find an affordable health care plan. Large companies started requiring their employees to pay a larger and larger portion of the health insurance premium. In order to make the health insurance plan affordable, the deductible and co-payments became higher and higher.

Today we have 45 million people who are uninsured. I am not willing to let those people be refused health care. However, when the uninsured receive health care, the cost is passed along to the insured. Also, those people without health insurance wait to seek treatment until they are very ill and need more expensive treatment than someone who seeks care earlier in their illness.


Our health care system is in such a disaster that I don't see any way to fix it. I know that a government-sponsored health plan isn't going to solve all the problems but at this point, I believe it is the lesser of two evils.

We already have two government-sponsored health plans: Medicare (for people who are permanently disabled or over the age of 65) and Medicaid (for people without jobs and no health insurance). If you ask any senior citizen, they will tell you that the government does a pretty good job at administering Medicare.

Answer 2

Why is it that so many say that "the government can't run health care?" The government runs so many other things in this country like, as said above, The military health care and the health care of the congress, judges and politicians and butt-loads of government workers. The Social Security dept. is doing a lot better than people think. The military in general is run by the nations government all those Army guy's battle ships and airplanes.(keeping all those conservatives so safe.) Must be doing a good job! How about maintaining those roads, bridges and interstate highways. Sure there not always the best, but hey! you still get down the road right? The list is endless, and the point is that the government runs a hell of a lot more stuff than most people want to think of. Just saying that the gov. can't be trusted to run health care is a cop out.

Our private system right now sucks to high heaven. It's chocked full of crap to make you go into dept up to your eyeballs and lose your house. Nobody in Canada has ever lost his home or filed for bankruptcy on the account of health care, but it happens in this country all the time! Go figure! Come on Mr. DaddyWarBucks rich American not everyone has bottomless pockets! Health care is great when you make a six figure income.

Answer 3

Since the advent of modern medicine, healthcare is not a luxury but a neccessity which should be accessible to all. This doesn't mean the government should run the healhcare system per se but rather that they should start to involve themselves when it comes to costs. The healthcare system in this country has become too emphasized on profit, just like any other business. For example, an appendectomy in 1930 would cost about $27.00; now it's about $2500.00 but the basic procedure has not changed at all (unless it's done laparoscopically). Where is the justification for such an increase? I'm not saying it should still cost $27.00 but come on, a 9000% increase? Please. No other necessity (food, clothing, housing) has increased by such an outrageous percentage, and quite frankly our government wouldn't allow it. They would have stepped in long ago if the cost of food had risen by 9000% due not to a food shortage but rather from lust for profit. It's interesting to note that in 1930 most people didn't have health insurance, so the insurance industry itself can be pointed to as a reason for skyrocketing health care costs.

The federal government does a pretty good job at limiting the costs providers can charge by setting allowables for Medicare payments. I don't see why they can't do it flat across the board and set the allowables for all payers.

Answer 4

The government runs health care for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines and the systems works.

I would think that they would be able to run a national system. The issue is that they are not managing the money we pay them in taxes well enough and they would want to jack up our taxes for this more. I think we as Americans have to demand more from our government. Business has to do more with less everyday. We cut staff / reorganize / deliver to our shareholders. Why should the government be less accountable. What makes them primadonas ?

Answer 5

Ok, for the people that constantly bring up the military: let me tell you a reality that you don't understand about it. Health Care in the military is much regarded as required maintainance, not as a luxury or a right. It's about keeping equipment running as efficiently as possible. AND, while enlisted, you are PROPERTY of the US Government. Doubt me? They do not have full freedom of speech or demonstration, association, belief, ect. They are indentured servants, which is the tradeoff the get for having the VA when they get out/retire, just like indentured servants of yesteryear got something at the end of the contract.

Health care is not your responsibility if someone else owns you and your productive capabilities. If you are a free person, then you are responsible for yourself and noone else is.

So choose, do you wish to be owned or free? That's what it comes down to, in the end.

Now, on the bigger issue of why is it broken, we'll that depends on how you define broken. Insurance companies, Wall Street, and Government are the big payee's of health care, and prices have adjusted to that reality. Prices inflated to what those entities could afford to pay, and for the kinds of services that they want. You want individuals to be more included on this? Cut the tax benifits that companies get, and this will force Health Care Insurance to start resembling Auto Insurance, were we choose who provides us care, and it will fall in price to levels that US incomes can afford, not buisness profit margins can afford.

Answer 6

I am a disabled American. I have no health care and Social Security says I should get a job even though my heart is only functioning at 36% of normal. My Cardiologist has preformed 3 heart surgeries in the last year. and told me that I had a choice continue to try to work and die from the next heart attack or if what I am doing is not enjoyable to quit and go do something else. Social Security Admin. Says you have 20 years experience as an Electrician and a four year degree in math and Chemistry. Go get a job..... What is wrong with this picture? 30 years of paying FICA taxes and 22 of them maxing out into the system while I met my obligations. When is our government going to meet theirs? Problem is they are giving more money to Illegal immigrants then they will give back to those who paid it in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Healthcare is a huge system with many competing interests. If the system works well, so that people have access to adequate healthcare, then no outside regulatory intervention would be necessary. When the system begins to break down--due to pulls from competing interests, then a bigger entity has to help put it on track--that's where regulations have been effective. The key is that we want a healthcare system that provides services to people that need it. When system failures occur, they need to be managed.

Answer 8

The socialist have slowly and methodically infiltrated and now think that we as Americans are at a "weak time" in our country's history; they want to see our great nation fall; they continually try to divide us with political "sides" and "race" i.e. Democrat and Republican, Conservative and liberal, black and white. We have to stop letting them divide us. We have to all stand together and say no more. We all have our own opinions and our views and we will always differ in some degree but that's okay because it is what makes America America. We the People have to stand up to the rich, greedy, lying government and say either listen to us and do what we elected you to do or we will remove you from office.......we should resolve all parties and start electing people based on their skill and their want to preserve the Constitution and our Declaration of independence. I say they do it our way or they are fired....... I see all of the different people on here who attack each other over being republican or democrat and I wonder how many of these (what I suspect mostly to be kids) even know what it means to be either. I am obviously a Constitutionalists and though I do not understand how some people think, I try to accept the differences and hope that no matter what when necessary we will all stand together as "We The People" We must stand together and forget the political party stuff. I'm just saying..........the tree of liberty grows thirsty. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" Thomas Jefferson

Answer 9

When we start sloughing off our cares and responsibilities onto our government, we open the door to allowing government to dictate to us how to live our lives.
I am NOT in favor of any socialist prescription (pun intended) for the US' health care system. The sort of people who run the DMV, the Post Office, and Amtrak, and have gotten us involved in endless wars in Bosnia/Haiti/Somalia/Middle East, are not people who are capable of improving our health care.
In the 1990s I lived for 2 years in a country with socialized health care. In a word, it sucked. I hope never to see more socialism rear its ugly head in the US.
If I could say just one thing to the entire government apparatus of the US, it would be this: Leave.Me.Alone! I can adequately manage the affairs of my life without your help or interference; your only mandate should be to protect me against force and fraud.

Answer 10

Both. The government should try to help protect the consumer from destablizing conditions that hurt society. The people need to make better choices about preventive treatment, rather then waiting to the last minute and expecting a miracle. End stage illnesses generally cost alot more, and require a longer length of treatment.