when will republicans realize universal healthcare is cheaper for EVERYONE?

Question

the main reasons health care costs are so high are

insurance administration fees
premiums increasing due to uninsured claims

with a universal healthcare system, administration, paperwork, and all that crap would decline, making the #1 reason for increases a non issue. 2nd issue is the uninsured, who go to the ER where a basic medical procedure costs 5-10x more. By everyone being insured, uninsured costs would go down.

Thus, universal healthcare reduces the premiums of EVERYONE, including the wealthy .

Why is this so hard to understand?

Answer 1

I doubt many will. The facts are there to show that healthcare cost less in countries with a national healthcare system, and outcomes are better. There is a big difference between want and need first of all, and second of all, while people in Canada may have to wait for treatment, at least they get it. If people in the US get such great care, then why are the health outcome figures so bad? Unfortunately, some people have been brainwashed, and that can be hard to reverse. And you have hit the $10 nail on the head with the $100 hammer! Healthcare costs more in the USA because money is wasted on insurance admin fees, and also a lot of money goes not to health care, but to dividends for sharholders.

I live in the UK and work in the NHS (our universal health care system). It has problems, but not as many as the US healthcare system has. Despite spending much more per head of population than other developed countries, the US has worse health outcomes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics Life expectancy and infant mortality figures in the US are worse than in other developed countries, despite more money being spent (and wasted) in the USA.

In the UK there are waiting lists for routine problems. Problems that can not wait are treated as emergencies. Also, in the UK, people can also have private health care.

I can understand Americans being proud of living in the richest and most powerful country in the world. What I can not understand is why Americans settle for an expensive healthcare system where babies die that would have a better chance of life if born in another developed country.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2167865,00.html

Answer 2

I am not a republican but i have a response.

1. We already have health care for the poor. Medicare and Medicaid and there is ANOTHER one in use now called S-CHIP.
2. We are already having trouble paying for Social Security.
In addition we are paying hundreds of billions for TWO wars right now. The dollar is declining, there is a mortgage crisis, jobs are being outsourced overseas, we have an enormous national debt and a huge trade deficit. Universal healthcare means paying for 300 million people INITIALLY and by definition the rolls would expand with the population, including illegal immigrants making the costs MASSIVE and sure to grow.
3. Since the poor are already covered and the rest of us CAN pay for healthcare, especially if we PRIORITIZE our budgets putting health before new SUVs and fancy video games and cell pones, there is no reason the government should have to pay for it.

4. When the government pays it is really the people paying throughnthe government via taxes. So what you are suggesting is that the people as a whole should be giving some kind of health welfare to the middle class and the rich.
I do not support that.
5. In countries like Canada that do have this universal healthcare the people are not exactly thrilled with it. They often have to wait WEEKS to be trated for a sprained ankle.
Here in the U.S. emergency care, while not free, is immediate and available to ALL even though many cannot pay.

There are flaws in our healthsystem but socialized medicine is an expensive and very flawed method of solving it.

I hope this answers your question.
PEACE

Answer 3

That makes absolute sense. I who go to the doctor MAYBE twice a year have to pay for myself, as well as a person who doesn't have a job and contributes zero money to my health care, I can see how that'd reduce the cost.

Assuming the government took control of health care I'm sure THEY wouldn't have any administration costs, or paperwork or filing time. Also we know how well the government spends money $10,000 for a hammer is pretty reasonable and I know that I wouldn't mind spending $10 on a nail (the government actually did this!).

It would be so comforting leaving my health care in the hands of the same organization that brought us the DMV, the post office, the DNR, public schools, and other such crack organizations.

Answer 4

It is hard to understand because I think for myself. As a frequent visitor to Canada I know the real cost of "free" healthcare. Let's start with the 15% sales tax on almost everything you buy but cars which has a higher rate. Then we can move on to their confiscatory gas taxes which make gas 1.75X more than it costs here. If you smoke you pay another 3 dollars a pack and if you own a car you have a yearly user fee. Your income tax will go up significantly and if you want hillary care you will pay another 1800 per member of your family.
Now let's look at actual healthcare. Need heart surgery? The line is only 6 months long. Unless you smoke in which case you will probably be dead. Need kidney dialysis? I hope you are not over 54 years old cause if you are you are dead too.
There was a joke circulating in Toronto last summer.....If America adopts universal healthcare...where will canadians go when they get sick? On their local tv there are ads for a cancer hospital and a heart hospital both in the US. Why do you suppose they advertise in Canada. There is also a current scandal in Canada. It has been discovered that one of the MP's within the Canadian government recently went to California for surgery instead of the "free" healthcare afforded there.
If you want that plan, move to Canada, we are happy with the best medical care in the world.

Answer 5

Do you really think that anything the government does is going to involve less paperwork? Let me know after you do your taxes that are coming up. The only two things that I know that the government does decent at is Military and the Post Office. Not really sure about the Post Office, there are a lot of companies making money in the private sector delivering packages. Go visit your local school and your local housing and let me know if you want the same people running your healthcare.

Answer 6

Universal Healthcare just means the bums who don't want to work and live off the state will have insurance. The only way the healthcare industry will get fixed it to:

1) Outlaw HMOs
2) Force Insurance companies to insure according to needs and not according to profit.
3) Force the healthcare system and drug companies to charge a resonable amount, insted of mark-ups exceeding 200%.

Why this won't happen? Because the people in the federal government get large "contributions" from all three of these areas not to. They've done this over in Europe and their medical fields are better than the US and they didn't need a Universal Healthcare system to fix it.

Answer 7

First off, socialism is never cheaper for everyone. I used to live in Europe where they had "free" universal healthcare. The care was third rate and they charged the government 15 grand for the birth of my daughter. Here in the states, my insurance paid 3500 dollars for a clean environment and a private room. Oh yeah, also look into the income tax rate of all those other countries with their "free" healthcare. 55% income tax is the norm for all of them.
So your 60k a year job only brings home 25 grand! Do you used 25 grand worth of medical per year? Every year? Or, is paying 3000 a year for insurance too much?

I'll leave a link to a lesson in socialism for you.

Answer 8

Yes lets put it in the hands of the people that have screwed up social security, Amtrak, education, and pretty much everything else government touches. Great idea. I think it will be great having to wait 6 monts for an MRI like in Canada. Where are all the Canadien Doctors?

Answer 9

I would like to ask you one question before my statement. Who is it cheaper for?
Think about what you are saying. Do you honestly believe that any government controled program would be efficiently and cheaply run!
You also said this would be cheaper for the rich as well. If this is true than where is the money going to come from to insure the people that don't work or have no insurance.
as soon as the government takes over health care and the other insurance companies ( that provide thousands of jobs ) go out of business nation wide, Who is to say that the government wouldn't screw us over. I know the government has been so trustworthy and honest in the past but something doesn't seem right with this idea.
With insurance companies I have a choice! if I don't like the service of one I can switch. If one is too pricey I'll go to another. FREE MARKET
Most important of all I am in controll of what I have and not our government.
I know that I'm paying for me and my family. I should not be required to pay for the health cost of others. That would be punishing me and other working Americans simply for working.

Answer 10

Well beyond the fact that it fails everywhere it is tried, i can't imagine why anyone would be against it. Besides if we did universal health care then where would the British and Canadians and us for that matter go for health services when it is denied here are to expensive or to little chance of success. Besides when you take the profit out of it then their is no desire to create anything new. That would be great we wouldn't have to worry about any new pesky drug or procedure saving more lives.
Lets do it all with me vote Hilary........................or think for yourself and don't
remember every system that the government has decided to do better has failed..................great track record i say we let them even more of our money