Does Healthcare need to be fixed?

Question

Why or why not?

In your opinion, how does quality, available, and affordable healthcare fit into your vision of a quality society?

And as always, state your political affiliation, if you wouldn't mind.

Thanks.

For the Record: I don't think the quality of our Healthcare needs to be fixed, but I think the business model surrounding it needs to be changed in a way that promotes wellness as apposed to sickness.

dagiffy- I agree with to a certain extent, however I disagree with you to a greater extent.

The US does have the best quality, no doubt about it, and that is a direct result of the profit motive a free market provides.

And yes, people come here from all over the world to seek our healthcare....

However, people all over this country can't afford the healthcare in this country, when citizens of other countries can. That's a problem to me. Healthcare is not a Mercedes, it's not a luxury, it's a necessity.

I suggest a system like Republicans propse for Education. A "Voucher" System if you will. The money is attached to the patient via government funding, and the doctors compete for your business. That way the profit motive remains intact, even magnified since there will be more money in the system... (that is pre-supposing the country spends the same amount on healthcare as it does already without also having to pay profit margins of insurance agencies.)

Sharia- The Democrats then were the conservative party. I guess you need to decide who you hate more, Democrats or Liberals.

Answer 1

I think you're privileged to be able to live where this is not a major problem. People in the lower middle class may be paying a quarter or even a third of their income for healthcare, and those with chronic ills can only dream of doing that. Also, if you're comfortable with your health insurance, you may not be if you find it's actuarially based and you have some major illness. A major restructuring is needed. The current system is not a system, and employer-based private insurance of the type we have now does not fit in with the flexibility needed for the modern economy.
I suppose you could call me a "yellow dog Democrat." Being normally pretty conservative about such things, I've slowly come to understand the faults of US-style private insurance, and I'm beginning to think we need a constitutional amendement to allow basic health services federally funded for everybody, though without restrictions on additional private co-insurance for additional care. Being an emergency physician, with at least 10% of my patients uninsured and a like number underinsured for their basic needs gives me a little different perspective, especially when I'm dealing with big things that could have been dealt with when they were little things if the patient could have afforded to.

Answer 2

YES

It's a mess. I don't think it should be a privilege for a chosen few. Insurance benefits from employers started during WW2 for unions to attract members and factories to attract workers. It's an outdated idea, why should an employer have to offer insurance at outrageous cost to keep employees? Why can't we have insurance without a third party? There is no reason why an employer should have to pay outrageous premiums along with the employee for insurance which is negligible at best. There is no reason why the employer can't either invest that money in the compay or pay the employee higher wages while we obtain AFFORDABLE QUALITY insurance on our own. Preventive healthcare for everyone would relieve society in the long run as astronomical ER medical bills will not have to be written off. If people had access to healthcare they would be HEALTHIER which would benefit all of society. It would relieve the stress of A LOT of hard working people that I know and I'm sure you do too.

What I AM against is a free hand out from the gov't, which I hear a lot of people bleating about on here. I can only assume that such folks are just plain ignorant, unworldly,or can't see past their own needs. If you think your insurance is so great you either are living with your head in the sand or you havent gotten sick.

I happen to think that if people had access to preventive healthcare, you would see a reduction in stress which is a major contributor to disease. You might actually see so called lazy people become productive. People might not have to take so many meds. They could actually channel their energy into innovation and creativity, thereby increasing the quality of life for many. Maybe crime would go down. The possibilities are endless. But it seems to me there are quite a few people out there who don't want folks to get better. There has to be a reason why, with all of our technology, we havne't found a cure of any disease since polio 50 years ago.

We should try to remember that if one person suffers from lack of insurance, then we all do, because sooner or later that person could be us. Whether you want to believe that or not

My political affilation is non affiliated-- Independent

Answer 3

The healthcare system in this country is top notched, despite the latest bleeding hearted liberal "study" saying otherwise. People from other nations come to this country for consultation and/or surgery every day because it doesn't get better than the USA.

The problem most people have with it is that not everyone can afford the healthcare. Not everyone can afford a Mercedes, either, but that doesn't mean we all should pitch in taxes so that everyone can have one.

The notion that everyone in this country deserves to have healthcare provided for next to nothing or for free is a relatively recent phenomenon which was started by liberals hoping to find another avenue to buy votes from the populace.

The conservative viewpoint, of course, is to take the bull by the horns and go after it.

The liberal viewpoint is that you cannot do it without their help, so elect them and you'll be ok.

This applies to every facet of life in the political liberal mindset, and healthcare is no different. The fact that most of the media in this country is owned and run by liberals explains why the liberal mindset is so prevalent. Fortunately for the liberals, we have a capitalist economy, which is the only way they could fun their socialist programs. Cuba, China, Venezuela, USSR etc is what happens when you have a socialist country without the evil capitalism to fund it.

No, healthcare is NOT a necessity, it is just like a Mercedes. It is a luxury. Nowhere in heaven or earth is it written that people ought to have free or accessible medical care, and for that matter for most of human existence there was no such thing at all for anyone. The very idea is one put forth by socialists, one that has taken root in this society also that has gotten more and more taken with the notion of entitlements.

Answer 4

Yes. Affordability has become a major concern.

As a solution, we need to look into:

- Removing the interstate restrictions on insurance companies to promote competition and provide alternatives to people in high cost states.

- Providing individuals with the same tax treatment as companies when purchasing health insurance.

- Limiting medical malpractice punitive damages.

Conservative...disenfranchised Republican

Answer 5

I disagree with the first poster...

Quality is good...but availability and cost is bad.

Case in point. My four month old daughter won't get to see a doctor until she is 6 months old !!!!.... why ?...because the doctor that currently sees my 1.5 yr old...isn't taking anymore patients. Called around everywhere, and it's the same story..."cannot accept any new patients at this time". Finally found a new doctor's office opening in my area, but they won't be open for another month, and won't start seeing patients until after the first month. Additionally, i'm paying about $400 dollars a month for insurance, and can't even get my baby to get her first shots. So after another 800 dollars, plus my 10 dollar co-pay....she'll get her first shots.

Does it need to be fixed ?...ABSOLUTELY !

How do we do that ?.....cut out the middlemen ! >(insurance companies), who are taking all of the revenue in the form of profit, from the healthcare market, that should otherwise flow swiftly and directly to the hospitals and doctors.

Answer 6

Ya Gotta laugh aAt Hillarious Clinton. She Went From 'choose Me' wellbeing Care scam Repeat, to...we are Gonna provide all of us wellbeing coverage via coverage agencies Ploy. The coverage agencies Went After Her Puppet Strings..

Answer 7

If you want to fix health care you need to have a single pay system and an end to insurance all together .

Then allow doctors to treat patients with low incomes for direct tax credits .

Provide free medical school and housing and an allowance to ease the pressure for those who desire a medical degree .

Answer 8

I think health care is too expensive but the quality and availability are good. The best way to lower the cost of heath care is by using the free market. Programs like HSAs that give people more control over their own health care can help to lower the cost.

Answer 9

Democrat. Available for purchase to all . . . the biggest problem facing health care . . . the administrator's that sit in a cubicle all day that are neither doctors nor lawyers yet do nothing all day but review the terms of your insurance contract and make life and death decisions about what type of medical treatment you receive.

Answer 10

the affordability of insurance needs to be fixed. I find it pretty funny though that some presidential candidates think that tax credits are the way.

If these are non-refundable tax credits they are going to be of no use to any person who can not afford insurance because they will have little if any tax to pay.