should the government be involved in our healthcare like medicare and stuff? why should they or why shouldn;t?

Question

do you also know where i can find more information regarding this topic?

Answer 1

No they shouldn't. My specific reason is that overseeing health care and doling out benefits and entitlements is not the federal government's job according to the constitution. Back in the day, you could afford a doctor and medicine because there were no HMO's and huge lawsuits and no government maneuvering of drugs going to market except for safety approval. Health care has become a behemoth and our government has the steering wheel locked into place. My grandmother, who is still alive and doing nicely at 91, is worse off with the last prescription drug changes they made. She doesn't have a lot and she doesn't draw a lot, but they are taking away more from her than they did. I try to help her when she lets me, but it's frustrating to see folks get promised the moon and stars over their lifetime just to get dumped on in the end.

Answer 2

If by "be involved" you mean socialized medicine, no they should not.
If by "be involved" you mean, should the government subsidize health insurance provided by private insurance companies for people who cannot afford it? Yes they should.
Why?
because with 47 million people without coverage in this country, a major outbreak would make the European Black Death plague, of the 1700's, look like a nice day at the park.
This in itself presents a national security concern.
then you think about all the diseases that are becoming antibiotic resistant? leaving this many people without access to preventative health care, is just asking for a very very bad situation, far worse than anything that happened on September 11th.
here are some facts:
http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml

by the way, that 47 million without health care, was in 2005, and has been growing every since. Currently it is probably over 50 million.
Sky high premiums is the result of health care costs going up.
health care costs going up is a result of people who cannot pay their bills causing losses to companies that provide health care. When any business suffers a loss, they make it up by raising prices.
as they raise prices, that causes more and more people to not afford to pay their health care bills....creating a cycle of costs spiraling up-ward, and the amount of people able to pay spiraling down-ward.

Answer 3

The government has to be involved because the system in the hands of private enterprise thus far is a total mess. Nearly fifty million people are without insurance and at financial risk every day. Government has been known to mess up but the original component of medicare does work. The medicare drug component is a disaster for patients because it was designed by and for drug companies. The existing for-profit system is totally inequitable. A procedure costing $1,000 can cost from $100 to $7,000 depending on the situation of the patient.

Read Paul Krugman in the NY Times. He is a Princeton University economist with a special interest in medical/health care systems. He knows of what he writes. His argument that US big business can't be competitive as long as most other countries with thriving economies have single payer health systems funded by the government while US firms must include the cost of coverage in the products manufactured, is a compelling argument.

Also our system is by far the most expensive with rather dismal results when we measure infant mortality, life expectancy, and other hard data.

Some seem to set out to prove that government can't work by naming goof balls like 'heck-of-a-job-brownie' to do important work. Of course they -- and government -- fail. It isn't rocket science to design a good system. We have a world of working models from which to learn. We need only the will. Qualified individuals with appropriate training and expertise will increase the probability of developing a successful health care system.

Heaven help us when we elect leaders who care more about political loyalty than professional qualifications. We end up with dysfunctional agencies and departments -- from defense and justice to consumer protection. Hmm: starting wars, politicizing justice and importing lead toys. Government just doesn't work.

Answer 4

Yes I believe they should. The profit motive should not be a factor in determining whether someone is rendered treatment for illness. Anyway, think about it. You already pay insurance companies hefty premimums for health insurance out of your paycheck. Whats the difference if your paying more taxes to the government instead of paying the premiums? People are afraid of loosing their health insurance because its connected to employment. If that was no longer the case, it would spur entreprenuership due to the fact lack of adequate healthcare would no longer be an issue if they left their job.

Answer 5

"That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves."
Thomas Jefferson

I believe the government should stay out of our personal lives as much as possible. Keep in mind that when searching out information on this topic, be aware of the political ideology of the author. You may want to see it from other points of view.

Answer 6

The government, in its present state, could screw up a wet dream.

Some examples:

War on Drugs, result: Failure. No fewer deaths from overdosing, no safer neighborhoods, millions of people in the US and worldwide now "criminals" based on nothing more than a personal choice issue. And let us not forget that the mafia/mob and the Bloods/Crips have become humongous
incredibly profitable businesses from the blessing the Feds have given them by fighting this "war".

Senior Prescription Coverage: Result: Many seniors pay more now than they did before (many of the major pharmeceuticals offered free & discount meds to those that couldn't afford them). And many more seniors are going without health care because of it. But the pharms & insurance companies are raking in record profits.

Welfare: Great idea, but, Result: millions of people choose not to work and still draw paychecks and have more children they cannot support.

I could go on, but I won't.

Here is what will happen when (not if, it will happen) the government gets involved.

Doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical and insurance companies will become bigger and richer and the cost of treatment will skyrocket.

The government workers' policies will continue to be sold to the goverment at a loss (insurance company actually pays more than it receives) and the burden will still be shifted to the rest of us to make up the premiums. Same as now. They will continue to have the best care our money provides for them, even if we can't afford that care/level of insurance ourselves.

More costs will be shifted directly to small to mid sized employers (less than 250 workers) who employ nearly 70% of our working population. As ever increasing expenses continue to force business owners to cut staff, this will result in millions of job losses and loss of raises/promotions and entry level salaries for those lucky enough to stay employed.

Those Americans that find themselves in the "donut hole" will continue to make "too much" money to be provided insurance, but will get to pay more for their health care than doctors and hospitals and pharms charge insurance companies/medicaid.

Trust me, the government only works for big business (lobbies) and not for the average "Joe". This will become apparent as mass layoffs (and minor non-reported ones too) and bankrupticies become the norm next year and leading into the next decade.

Our continuous demands for the government to mommy us has created a monster, and now the time is coming that the reality will no longer be ignored.

Coming soon to a home near you, unemployment and loss of standard of living.

Vote "anti-incumbent" and Good luck to us all.

Answer 7

My biggest problem with government involvement in health care is that the government does nothing well. Can you show me one government program that delivers good service efficiently or economically?

Answer 8

No they should,nt be involved...This is why it,s all screwd now...We are paying high premiums and the cost of medicine is sky high...Thanks to our government, it,ll be years to resolve this problem...Hospitals should not be in business for the money...People should not be turned down because they don,t have money...A healthy people is a healthy country...The u.s. is 34th on the list for healthy countries...Cuba,France,Canada, they are living longer than Americans!!!!Because they have better health care..

Answer 9

Everyone should have access to healthcare. It is in the public interest to spend a little cash in preventive care to stem the outbreaks of contagious epidemics.

Healthcare isn't about nannying people, healthcare is about ensuring the viability and efficiency of your workforce.