How many freedoms are you willing to sacrifice in the name of helping the indigent?

Question

The Government already gives medicaid and help to those in need. There is a lot of waste and fraud in these programs.
Do we need national helathcare too? Will we lose the freedom to control our own health?

Liberals do not want our Government to listen in on International PHONE CALLS from potential terrorists, but it is OKAY that our HEALTHCARE system is regulated by the Government? Does that make sense - it doesn't to me.

Answer 1

You know, I've been trying to figure that out myself! I hear so much bleating from the left about how the government is invading their privacy via the Patriot Act...then they turn right around and bleat about how the govt needs to take over our health care. Why would you want the govt to have access to your most personal, private information??? I don't get it.

Not that I'm saying our health care system doesn't need fixing - it most certainly does - but having the govt take over is just not a viable option, in my opinion. We would do far better to implement a "loser pays" legal system to slam the door on frivolous law suits, which drive up the cost of malpractice insurance, which in turn drives up the cost of health care. So many doctors - especially OB/GYNs - are leaving the field due to the extreme costs of malpractice insurance.

Answer 2

I can give you an example of my situation. I have 2 jobs.

I can get health insurance for $300 a month. I would have a $5,000 deductible a year before coverage sets in.

I would then be responsible for $100 emergency room visits, $50 if admitted.

No maternity benefits, not that I need that.

I would then be responsible for 30% of everything after that. I woud have to get pre-approval for almost everything.

There are 47 million people uninsured. You can get life threatening emergency care, but that's it unless you can get Medicaid (welfare). I make too much to qualify for it.

When I did have medical insurance under my mom's policy (COBRA) it was $324 a month. After several back surgeries, 2 the insurance refused to cover, I had to file bankruptcy. This was 16 years ago.

This is normal in California, the main reason for filing that here is now over 40%.

Yes, there is a crisis in this country, it is not exaggerated.

Yes, we need something. No, if it's done right, you won't lose control of your health.

Answer 3

Oh, I suppose those thousands of children that just lost health care because Bush decided their health was a waste of money are indigent?

Exactly how does medicaid affect ANY of your freedoms?

If you value money over another person's life, I pity you. I'd rather my tax dollars go towards helping others rather than towards Bush's salary while he relaxes at his ranch.

The government can listen in on as many phone calls as they please, all they need is to get a warrant. If there is good reason to suspect a person is a potential terrorist, they won't have a problem.

If you would rather live in a dictatorship that feels it is above the law, feel free to leave the country. Or wait around, if people such as yourself continue to have your way it will certainly happen.

Answer 4

Almost all Universal Healthcare plans being suggested by democrats and liberals don't have the government controlling them. Massachusetts has a Universal Healthcare system right now that is not controlled by the government. Instead, it is only paid for by the government.

Answer 5

We don't want the health care system regulated.. and no one ever said you couldn't still purchase a private provider... we just want to bring healthcare to those who can't get it otherwise... that's not controlling the whole system.. that's bringing the system to a few more people.. that's all. So you go ahead and get that private care on top of the public care if you want, that's fine by us.

Answer 6

Medicare and Medicaid are MUCH more cost effective than private insurance. There is much more waste and fraud in the private healthcare insurance industry. If we simply expanded Medicare to cover everyone in the country we'd save tens of billions of dollars a year.

As for the govt. -regulating- our heath care, they do already. We have laws about what drugs need prescriptions, and some can't even be prescribed. Doctors and pharmacists have to be licensed, etc. etc. Do you really think that's such a bad idea?

Answer 7

One thing you fail to realize. medicaid is a socialized program.
The money paid for the program is taken out of tax dollars, while the government provides for every part of the program.
This is FAR DIFFERENT from the proposals of national health care program in many different ways:

#1 the government is very very slow at paying their bills.
This causes many private practices to not accept medicaid, so when people need treatment for minor problems, they go to the ER where it costs far more than a regular office visit.
This not only clutters up the ER with people who don't have emergencies, forcing them to hire more people to man the triage, but it also costs the tax payer 3-6X more per person than an average doctor visit.

#2 Almost all national health care plans involve providing access to health insurance from private insurance providers, not a socialized system as we see in Canada or Europe.
This removes welfare recipients from the socialized medicaid program and places them on a health insurance program that is accepted by private practices. This act alone will save huge sums of money just by creating more of an incentive not to go to the doctor for every little problem, and not going to the emergency room for treatment of non-emergencies.
This saving alone would allow 3-6 more people to have access to medical coverage than the failed medicaid system, for nearly the same amount of tax dollars.


#3 the universal health care/group insurance program, would reduce the amount of people filing bankruptcies caused by medical expenses, which is nearly 1 in 2 bankruptcies filed.
What happens when a person files bankruptcy?
The business has to eat the loss, until they can make it up by raising prices on the rest of us. This doesn't only affect medical expenses, but every company who provided a good or service to the person filing the bankruptcy.
So we are reversing the trend of losses incurred by bankruptcy to the company that is being passed on to the rest of us, who can pay.

SO WE ALREADY PAY THE BILLS OF PEOPLE WHO CAN'T IN THE FORM OF HIGHER COSTS FOR OURSELVES!!


#4 a national health care program involving private companies will reduce the amount of people the government needs to hire to deal with medicaid, saving even more tax dollars, while increasing jobs in the private sector insusurance industry. So not any real net loss of jobs, only more efficient use of tax dollars.

I could go on and on with how a national health care program would benefit you, me, and everyone else as long as it utilizes private health care insurance providers to provide the service, but it seems you would rather listen to right-wing gossip tell you national health care program and a socialized medicine one is the same, which it is not.

Answer 8

Do you ever READ the responses to your "questions?"

Obviously, you did not win this little "debate."

Do a little homework, will ya, eh?

Check out the Netherlands. Check out Minnesota Care. Both work quite well.

And, I could turn your own "argument" around on you quite easily.

According to cons, the government (trans: the Bush administration) is doing a bang-up, heckuva job regarding Iraq and "homeland security," but that SAME government could not (?) be trusted to administer health care?

Sorry, you can't have it both ways.

Either they are capable in general, or they are NOT. You can't just cherry pick whatever issues you like.

Makes perfect sense to me.

Answer 9

Giving a few dollars is never giving up freedom; it's improving our society and helping our fellow humans. You might need a basic review course in the tenets of Christianity.

The 47 million people who are without health care aren't indigent; in fact they are the working poor and middle class. They can't control their own health care very well, since they can't often can't afford any.

.

Answer 10

There's alot more waste and fraud in the Pentagon and in money going to the war than there ever was in the welfare department. Why is that o.k to you? You never make any sense RLP. Because you don't look at the facts of any matter. And, please tell us what freedoms you are sacrificing in the name of helping the poor? R U 4 real?