According to this the US spends the most per capita on healthcare in the world. This is ridiculous and is mainly because of the capitalist nature of our healthcare system. Without a government regulated system healthcare prices sky rocket due to the massive demand for healthcare. When you're terminally ill you don't care what it costs to make you better. Healthcare companies take full advantage of this by absurdly overcharging for even the simplest of care. It's incredibly unethical. If our government regulated healthcare, not only would our country spend less tax money on healthcare, healthcare would be cheaper for voluntary procedures. Our neighbors to the north spend half of what we do per capita and they receive the same level of care. Sure, sometimes they have to wait for less serious procedures, but at least they aren't afraid to actually get care. If you don't want to wait, you have to pay. Even then, you would pay a lot less for the same procedure when compared to the US. We shouldn't worry about whether it's mandatory or not, we need a complete re-vamp of the system.
Absolutely they try to take advantage of the situations. They are running a business with a little hippocratic oath thrown in for good measure.
In many parts of the world without public health care the costs for any kind of medical care are exceptionally high. This is because it is run for profit and not run for the good and health of the people.
Really, public health care is the only way that makes social sense, and oddly enough it tends to cost a lot less over all.
That statement is not true at all. Even the Government is not run for the good of the people and the US government is more about the few in charge getting very wealthy
Yes I see what you think your going to get with government controlled health insurance, but Cuba has it and they have 25 people a day passing away from a lack of care, but hey I guess that is jus the cost of having the Government administer something. I mean just look at the VA those guys are dying just waiting for service you can expect the same from Obama care want to cut the cost of health care you must first create tort reform and reduce government regulations which is killing us via job market its why you have no jobs and more people not working than in the late 70 when the 2nd worst president was in office Jimmy Carter.
The one thing about communist is everyone is equal that is they are equally poor, equally hungry, equally dying from service and government control.
If you really want to see how our government would run health care, look at the health care system they are currently in charge in, Indian Health Services. Where people live 5 years less than the general population, have more heart problems, where people say don't get sick after June because that's when the money runs out.
No This is why. Anytime something become mandatory the price goes way up. Just look at Car insurance prior to it being mandatory I could fully cover my vehicle new for about 350.00 per year in Texas. When Texas passed the mandatory car insurance law to make the auto insurance co happy my rate jumped from 350.00 a year to almost 900.00 a year. Who really benefitted from that the Insure companies. Who lost everyone who wanted to drive, but the biggest losers were the poor because although they may have been able to afford an old car to drive around in they were held back because they could not afford the insurance so they lost there license no longer could make it to there jobs and fell back. Health insurance is no difference. The problem with health care is not the Insurance its the cost of the care and several factors are in that. Tort which continues to be a problem in this country everyone wants to be a millionaire without working for it. Every lawyer wants that money and are part of the problem. 2 Test that doctors run in order to avoid being sued. The fact that the very Government who wants this law created a lot of this high prices for health care.
This is because the mandatory insurance is being run through corporations, NOT the government.
In other countries, the entire health care system is run through the government - single payer - NOT a hybrid system like in the US where they still leave control in the hands of private industry.
If you are going to have government run health care, you need to eliminate the private insurance industry as a control factor in insurance policy.
Yes I see what you think your going to get with government controlled health insurance, but Cuba has it and they have 25 people a day passing away from a lack of care, but hey I guess that is jus the cost of having the Government administer something. I mean just look at the VA those guys are dying just waiting for service you can expect the same from Obama care want to cut the cost of health care you must first create tort reform and reduce government regulations which is killing us via job market its why you have no jobs and more people not working than in the late 70 when the 2nd worst president was in office Jimmy Carter. The one thing about communist is everyone is equal that is they are equally poor, equally hungry, equally dying from service and government control.
We in Hungary have a "free" healthcare system, which is available to anyone. Anyone who have money avoid the system since its quality and handling of people is unacceptable. Still, you cannot just die due to uncovered healthcare. ...It'd just feel worse....
What I mean is "free healthcare" is just a question. First, healthcare have a cost which should be covered by someone, some way. Second, there is a question of what you get for the cost. Third there is the problem whether the quality of the free system is reaching (or above) the minimum required.
No. Healthcare should be free. Why should your capacity to not die when something bad happens to you depend on how much time you've devoted to a company that doesn't care much about you?
No - but if it is to be universal health care, then let's have the U.S. remove a few of the billions it annually gives to the "defense contractors" and put that money into making sure everyone has health care.
One important factor when it comes to healthcare in the United States, is that the federal government regulates it so that no one system can have coverage across state borders. If we had a unified healthcare system then there would be more money to take care of people and the rates would drop.
Another thing to remember is that some of these rates are too expensive for some people and what is to be done then?
For those of you saying that health insurance should not be mandatory, what should health care providers do if a person comes to them for help but doesn't have enough cash on hand to pay for their care? Should that person be turned away, even if he/she has a life-threatening illness?
What if you thought you had enough money saved to take care of your health care needs but then you find out you have cancer and what you saved wasn't nearly enough? Should the doctor/hospital treat you at a loss? Would you only accept as many treatments as you could afford, and if that's not enough would you be willing to just die?
Either health insurance should be mandatory or use a single payer system. A person never knows when they are going to need medical treatment that costs more then they make during a year or longer. If everybody was in the system them the premiums would be less for everybody.
While I'm all for socialized healthcare, I think it's a mistake to threaten to fine citizens who don't purchase a plan. If someone simply cannot afford to purchase a plan, do you think they're going to be able to afford to pay a fine? Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but how is that not an attack on the poor?
I think you're misunderstanding a couple of things about the situation. If you legitimately cannot afford to purchase a plan, you don't actually get fined, but instead you are provided with free health insurance. You are only fined if you make enough money and willingly choose not to buy health insurance.
How is that an attack on the poor now?
If anything it's an attack on our struggling middle class that doesn't qualify for free insurance but makes too little to afford the higher premiums.
Correct, I misunderstood that point. Thank you for clearing that up.
If, say a homeless person or undocumented immigrant uses the E.R. and doesn't pay, we all foot the bill through increased medical costs. We spend a ton on just this per year.