Thoughts on Federal Health Care

[Baron Rana]

For those who have it, and those who don't.

Just as the thread says, what do you all think about it?

In areas where it's not available, do you think it should be? Or not?

I personally don't think so. I was just reading up about how it is in Canada, and supposedly like 4 out of 5 people up there didn't like it. Hell, I high up government official even went to the United States to have his surgery since it would be like a 4 month wait if he did it in Canada.

Discuss.

[Septimus Prime]

I think it's nice until you have to pay 15% sales tax for it.

[Sheng-Long]

For those who have it, and those who don't.

Just as the thread says, what do you all think about it?

In areas where it's not available, do you think it should be? Or not?

I personally don't think so. I was just reading up about how it is in Canada, and supposedly like 4 out of 5 people up there didn't like it. Hell, I high up government official even went to the United States to have his surgery since it would be like a 4 month wait if he did it in Canada.

Discuss.

I don't know about the 4 out of 5 statistic, I doubt its that high though, but about the surgery. It's not that he would have died if he didn't get it immediately. He WANTED to get it immediately, he would have gotten it on time before its too late but there lies the inherent problem when you only have a single tier health care is that it steps on your liberty if you are actually willing to pay for something extra to meet your services and you are prevented from doing so because everyone has to have the same health care (which is bullshit).

What a lot of Canadians want is a two-tier health care; having the option to go to private health care professionals when you want to AND willing to pay for it.

EDIT:
My previous post from the "How they (other countries) and why they live better than us (U.S.)" thread:

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showpost.php?p=3772579&postcount=44

RE: Canadian health care

Overrated.
How good is free health care when you can't get it on time because of the people who crowd the system (because they tie up the resources for unnecessary shit) and when you don't have enough Doctors and medical support staff in the country? (because a lot of Doctors from Canada go to the US to work). It sucks that the idea of a "two-tier" healthcare up here means Canadian Healthcare and US healthcare. It's great if you are a loser and can't pay for health care otherwise, if you really needed something done you have to endure long waiting periods even though you are willing to pay extra to get it done, you can't, unless you go out of the country.

[Nishiko]

Generally, the upside is that, at most, you only need to pay a premium per month to cover your fees for the service and what have you, eg. $125 will cover your entire dentist's visit, unless you need something particularly specialized, at which point whatever plan you're on will determine how much of it is covered. This also includes medication; my dad needed something that would normally cost about $150 or so per refill, but he pays like $10 at the cash register when he goes to pick it up.

The downside is that the lack of privatization means your ass waits for however long it takes to get a treatment, and unfortunately this applies to hospital waiting rooms, too, unless you're bleeding all over the fucking place. There have been times where people have died in the ER lobby, waiting for their turn to see a doctor. :bluu: It would benefit Canada more for people to have more options to choose from, IMO.

Edit: Beat me to it, SL. Hehe.

[Baron Rana]

snip

Oh, I see that both of you guys are from Canada Thanks for your input guys. Seeing as how I'm pretty much a noob about the whole federal thing up north, does that mean that it's essentially Communist in the sense that everyone's exactly equal?

[Nishiko]

^ Hardly. If you're some kind of public official and you need something, you get bumped to the head of the line automatically, and I don't think it even matters what you need. Pisses me off.

[Sheng-Long]

...except everyone is equal in the sense that if you run a business you are losing money by the minute unable to do anything else while in the same waiting room you have a meth-head hobo who needs to ask why he can't get an erection and hordes of psychosomatic cat-ladies who are on welfare, you all have to wait the same time!

Nope, no option to a private clinic even if you can afford it ! Gotta be equal! Even if you pay 1000% more taxes than that smelly pothead beside you wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt or that welfare mom with 5 illegitimate children having her cooch checked for ghonorrhea the 2nd time this month.

[AkumaTX]

Raise taxes, cut in medical profession wages, more reasons to keep people locked into their social status, yeah free health care can kiss my ass.

[sainthuey]

Raise taxes, cut in medical profession wages, more reasons to keep people locked into their social status, yeah free health care can kiss my ass.


so you feel that the cost will outweigh the benefits if it came to the US?

(sorry to be a thread necro but this an interesting topic:sweat:)

[thurst]

a relatively "easy" way to make a federal healthcare system work would be to allocate fund from the lottery, which i don't doubt are going towards complete bullshit to some sort of plan.

that said, i'm currently covered under my dad's insurance, but if i didn't have the choice to go to whatever doctor i wanted or had to wait crazy times to go to the dentist then i'd be mad pissed

[Monte]

the grass is always greener...

[Weeks]

I think it's a good idea, the federal government has a good history of managing things

[Phoenix Wright]

Universal Healthcare? why don't you move to china with that bullshit you damn commie.

[otter]

the basis of capitolism, in my opinion, is that you have the potential to get somewhere better than where you are with enough work. you can start out poor and end up rich if you deserve it, and vise versa.

the main problem in america is that many people are born under their parents health insurance and pretty much have free healthcare. they just want to protect the right to see people below them without the work part. just gotta suck it up!

[Netology]

Canadian healthcare is freaken awesome, not having to pay when you go to a doctor or hospital should be a fundamental part of any free modern society.


Subjecting your healthcare system to the unstable dynamics of supply and demand restricts access to something that should be available to everyone.

[goodm0urning]

Oh, I see that both of you guys are from Canada Thanks for your input guys. Seeing as how I'm pretty much a noob about the whole federal thing up north, does that mean that it's essentially Communist in the sense that everyone's exactly equal?No more than public schools, the fire department, the police department, the highways, or any of the other services primarily handled by government agencies rather than by private companies.

Universal heath care is hardly as peachy keen as Michael Moore would like us to believe, but it's hardly bad enough to warrant the hysteria it seems to provoke whenever it gets mentioned. Everyone's worst nightmare concept of what universal health care could be like is, in the end, probably almost as shitty as our current HMO system.

[EvilSamurai]

There should be a minimum level of health subsidized by the government for those who cannot afford it but the health care system should remain private and not nationalized. The funded coverage should be small enough to make people seek private health care (no perpetually unemployed welfare whales). The federal government should also require employers (Wal-Mart etc.) to offer affordable health insurance. Safeguards should be in place so that non-retired/disabled persons do not receive benefits (no people who are so fat they cannot walk getting health insurance until they agree to get their stomach stapled or go to a weight loss "prison" until they are not morbidly obese. If Hutts starve to death alone in their beds because they refused to lose weight, then so be it.). As a previous poster said, no one wants the US to become like Canada where you have to wait behind the welfare whale, the methhead bum, and the cat lady. Also, welfare whales should be forced to have their tubes tied, perpetually umemployed persons to find jobs, Jim Bob Duggar-type people to be castrated and have their genitals burned before them, etc.

[Netology]

There should be a minimum level of health subsidized by the government for those who cannot afford it but the health care system should remain private and not nationalized. The funded coverage should be small enough to make people seek private health care (no perpetually unemployed welfare whales). The federal government should also require employers (Wal-Mart etc.) to offer affordable health insurance. Safeguards should be in place so that non-retired/disabled persons do not receive benefits (no people who are so fat they cannot walk getting health insurance until they agree to get their stomach stapled or go to a weight loss "prison" until they are not morbidly obese. If Hutts starve to death alone in their beds because they refused to lose weight, then so be it.). As a previous poster said, no one wants the US to become like Canada where you have to wait behind the welfare whale, the methhead bum, and the cat lady. Also, welfare whales should be forced to have their tubes tied, perpetually umemployed persons to find jobs, Jim Bob Duggar-type people to be castrated and have their genitals burned before them, etc.



DAMN YOU Soviet Canukistan, and your Communist Health Care system!!

Last time I went to the hospital to get my sprained ankle checked out, they told me I would have to wait 30minutes!!! 30!!!
And guess what happened? That wasn't right, cause within 10minutes they started examining me and took an x-ray....

those bastards were 20minutes too early! I was still reading a magazine...

DAMN YOU UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, THEY DIDN"T EVEn CHARGE ME!

[Higher-Jin]

Watch sicko.

You end up paying out the ass for insurance anyways. I'd rather put my health in the hands of people actually looking to keep me alive, rather than people trying to increase their profit margins. If you think insurance companies are looking out for you or your family's wellbeing, think again. A business in the U.S is bound BY LAW to turn a profit. That means if they have a choice between saving a few hundred dollars and saving your life they are bound BY LAW to choose the paltry sum of money over your invaluable human life.

Insurance companies only want healthy people to have their policies, not sick people (a.k.a. people who actually need it). It's just a big scam. The fucked up thing is even if by some freak twist of fate the healthy person actually ends up getting something serious, the insurance company will try to weasel out of it. They canceled a girl's insurance because she didn't report a yeast infection under pre-existing conditions. Conveniently, this was when they were faced with paying tens of thousands on an operation that could've saved her life.

I personally think federal health care is worth it, even if we end up paying a little more. In the long run EVERYONE will be safer, and that includes you. Not to mention we are losing money in the current system anyways. More and more companies are looking elsewhere to do business since providing health insurance for employees is very expensive.

[J-ride]

It is really ridiculous how much health care costs have inflated in the last few years. My dad wrote a check for my mom's hospital stay after she had me, and my granddad didn't even need health insurance until after he retired. I really wish the government would do something to make the costs manageable, I see no reason that I should need insurance for something minor like an ankle surgery.

[goodm0urning]

Watch sicko.And while watching Sicko, keep in mind that the majority of the evidence is purely anecdotal, and that no time is spent considering the upside of privatized health care or the downside of universal health care. It makes a valid case, but the information is incomplete and your homework is far from done.

[Grits'N'Gravy]

No free rides, fatty!