i am just wondering--anyone in need of health care reform as much as i am? i read of the progress made every day..am i the only one?

you are not alone. I read the paper and listen to the news everyday in hopes that someone will come up with something that will help everyone and also be effective.

I hope and pray we could all have affordable healthcare.While my hubby and I made sure the kids have insurance-we cannot afford it for us.My kids qualify for a program offered in my state,but grown ups don't qualify.I only go to the dr if it is absolutely necessary,and for a yearly exam.it would be so nice to not have to worry.Lets all start praying tonight for a miracle-health care for all Americans,quality care with an affordable price!!

I live in Canada, but I do hope the US adopts some sort of program. It's truly sad how much the US government spends on war, and nowhere near that on healthcare.

People losing their homes to pay a medical bill is downright retarded!

No, not really. Not the new health care plan that is waiting to be put in effect.

We have health care in America in place already. We will end up with limited services.
If you think anything is free, you had better think again.

Reform” is code language for “rationing."



We pay for insurance now. We already have deductions taken out for health care.
We already pay high deductibles, and out of pocket expenses, and drug co-charges. Now, we are told that we are going to be taxed on what our companies are paying,too.


and...new taxes on sugar drinks! (coke & etc...and a fat tax...don't eat a McDonalds...you'll pay more.) No kidding on this one. Have you seen the stupid stuff that has recently been made law? Most people have no clue.


We already put in our share to pay for the Medicaid system. We are being taxed to death. Why should we work hard to pay for Joe down the street who is lazy and lives off the system?

I am also sick of us paying taxes only to see our money go to people who don't make as much as we do. They don't work as hard either. Yes, I watched a gal who made under a certain income level be rewarded. She got ALL of ther income tax back that she pain into our system (I agree...what she paid in, she should get back, but no more) plus she got thousands more back.

We basically paid her $200.00+ every month. She bought a big screen tv system at our expense. (we don't have one) Her daughter partied her reward away. Perhaps you paid her bonus? Is this Fair? NO. Does this make us want to work hard. No.



We should divorce, and have our daughters get pregnant...those who are working can support us all? It does not make good economical sense that we should be punished for working hard, so why work at all???? If we don't work, then we also get free college and etc! As for opening a small business...forget it. Why bother.

The quality of our health care will go down. We will no longer have many treatment choices...and if you are old, you will not be worth saving. LOL!

I do agree, however, that our current system needs an overhaul. Fraud needs to be addressed. ...and how many of us know of people who rush their kids to the emergency room because they have a simple cold? Perhaps walk in clinics could be set up for that???? (24 hours a day) Just ask any nurse...they have seen it all.

...and if you chose not to be in the health care plan, then you will be fined! I heard $1,000...but is this for the family? ...or per person? ....and will your children be taken away from you because you are abusing them by not being in the system?

These are questions that have yet to be answered.

I'm sorry, but I don't think that we should be paying for illegals health care either, and they should not be drawing gov. payments for food and etc. I watched one man who did not have id or speak English get a driving permit. My daughter had to show her birth certif., id, a piece of mail proving residence, and her ss card.

Yep...our system needs overhauled, but not at our great grandchildren's expense (who have not even been born, yet.)



So, no, I am not excited by the new Health Care Plan.

Rants and Raves LOL!

I have to agree here too. Shebee you make so many valid points. I've stated before, in other posts, that we definitely need some reform, but the current proposed one is NOT the answer.

You say "why should we work hard to pay for Joe down the street.....". Exactly.....where is the incentive to work hard? I hope the people of America will continue to petition their representatives not to vote for this proposal. It stinks.

Respectfully,
Donna

What about the people that do work hard, that can't afford the 1-2,000$ a month for private insurance for a family of 4?So, they go without?And for people that have pre-existing conditions that can't even get covered for insurance worth having??

I sure hope something comes about. Might or might not be better than what is offered?
Amber

Shebee,
Excellent post. I explained some of my reasons for not wanting the current health care proposal in a couple recent posts I made, so I won't go into it here.

They have been discussing national health care on and off for several years now, and I have been researching it for about that long.

My husband is self-employed with a very small business. Our insurance is not good. We pay huge premiums for $5,000 deductible. I was forced to get my own policy because of pre-existing conditions, so I don't have the preferable BCBS ins that he and DS have. So it's 5K deductible for me alone. With my several trips to the ER, a few hospitalizations, doc visits, we are still making payments from visits a couple years ago, and I also pay out of pocket for most everything else until I meet the deductible. I don't work, so it's been a real financial drain.

Even so, there is no way I want gov't health care. I've seen the downside of it in other countries, that their choices are much less than ours, how they aren't allowed many of the drugs we use because the gov't has said they are too expensive, same with many treatments. Many women with breast cancer aren't allowed to use treatments that we use here that have been used and been effective. And if you are older, forget it. Your choices will be even more severely limited. But I addressed this in my other posts.

We live in one of the most modest homes in our neighborhood. We don't have a big screen TV, and are frugal with how we spend our money. We give up some things so that we can pay for ins. and medical bills. Yet many don't feel they should have to give up anything to pay for medical care, they want their vacations, their toys, etc., yet I am supposed to help pay for that???? Sorry, we worked too hard for what we have and I highly resent people wanting their cake and eating it too and expecting everyone else to pay for it. People have the right to the fruits of their labors without being forced to pay for cradle-to-the-grave entitlements for those who either won't work, or feel it's their right to use taxpayer money to pay for their own heath care or other entitlements, yet want to keep all their toys, big houses, and vacations.

Yes, there are some who truly are in need of help and I do not have a problem with helping them. But in my 56 years those are in the minority. The majority of those receiving gov't help should not be receiving it. They have expensive cars, blow the money they do have on eating out frequently, going to movies, buying video game systems, iPods, expensive clothing, etc. They have things we don't have, but have no problem expecting people like us to pay for them, and that is just not right by any standard. And I won't even get started on using taxpayer money to bail out those who bought the big homes irresponsibly while we exercised good judgment and bought a small home, even though we could have bought a much larger one.

If the gov't can't even weed out the millions who are scamming the system to save us billions of $$ so that the truly needy can be taken care of, why do we think they will efficiently run any program? Not to mention they have no constitutional authority for many of these programs, nor the money to run them.

At least I know have choices that I won't have under a gov't-run program. Can I always afford the choices? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I do choose to give up many things that others refuse to give up so that I can afford to have medical care. How did we get to the point where we think we should not have to sacrifice and do without so that we can pay for our own health care, or houses, or food, etc?

And so that I don't get attacked for being heartless and uncaring, please note I did not say that those who are truly in need should not get some kind of help. Just that there needs to be much tighter scrutiny of those who do apply for any gov't aid, and that those who made irresponsible decisions with their money should not be bailed out from suffering the natural consequences of their own choices.

The current health care proposal is fraught with many downsides and is being rushed into without adequate assessment and input from those who have excellent alternative proposals. Despite what we are told, eventually we will not have private insurance unless we are rich and employers will stop providing insurance. Most employers are chomping at the bit to drop health care coverage since it decreases the profit margin.

There is a reason that people and even gov't officials from countries with gov't health care come here for their medical care. And why doctors from those countries not only come here for health care but many move here to practice.

Speaking for myself (because I can't speak for Shebee), I wasn't refering to those unfortunate people who do work very hard and are unable to afford adequate medical care. I think we all know or know of those who do abuse the system and while I feel sorry for any children born to them, I can't help but being somewhat resentful in those instances.

Again----yes we do need reform, but not what is being put on the table.

Rant and rave away because you are SO right.

We truly are in the battle of our lives! Here are the facts on the new 1,018 page bill just released this afternoon. Unfortunately, it has all the bad ideas from previous versions, and more! For instance, there are new federal regulations on the rental of power-driven wheelchairs; new government rules on how providers are supposed to treat patients with dementia; and new regulations on smoking cessation, and everything in between.

In addition to the 1,000 pages of new federal regulations on health care, there are multiple taxes including in the bill because the government will need to raise more than $1 trillion to pay for these new regulations.

The bill creates a new government-run health plan that will undercut the private market pushing as many as 119 million people out of their private health insurance and be forced into a Medicaid-like plan. Employers will be pressed to drop their insurance benefits and send their employees over to the new government plan. This provision doesn’t apply to Members of Congress, who will be able to keep their health plan. (Interesting)?

The bill will also create a new federal health board, a group of government bureaucrats that will decide whether your health care is effective or not, which could endanger your ability to receive the health care you need.

To pay for the new federal health board, there will be a new “fair share” tax imposed on everyone’s health insurance to raise $375 million needed for the new bureaucracy. The government has not yet decided what your portion will be. there will be a new “tax on individuals without acceptable health care coverage.” In other words, if your health insurance isn’t government-approved you will be taxed.

Excellent points. Bottom line: restricted choices, much higher taxes (less money in our paychecks plus increases taxes on the things we buy), and rationed health care.

May I ask which countries you're refering to when you say this?

I'm just assuming here, so correct me if I'm wrong. I'm assuing none of you ladies here without health insurance ever had a serious illness.
I used to moderate a health board where women were fighting cancers, lyme disease, lupus etc and many people lost their homes, lost there insurance etc.

I would rather pay higher taxes(I pay $300 a yr off my pay for medicare) then ever worry that I would lose everything I worked for my entire life just to pay medical bills.
I know I can walk into a hospital at any moment and get a heart transplant wihout having to worry if my insurance is going to cover it or not.

In the US, medicine is all about profit and not about helping it's citizens.

I'm not going to debate which system is better, Canada's or the US, I just know up in Canada, we never worry about it!

No because the hospitals stick it to people with insurance so how does that help?

Has anyone ever watched the movie "sicko" by Michael Moore?Very interesting and worth watching....

It is so easy for those who have their "great" jobs with "great" benefits to talk about the rest of us like we are nothing, losers who do not work hard. Well, let me tell you, there have been many people who have been "up there" and have lost their job and, hence, their insurance...what now? Were they not hard workers? What happens if they get sick? Hell, maybe if I felt secure like some of you with my government jobs or stable job, who knows, I may not care about "the little people."

I have never heard on this board a European or a Canadian complain about their health care system, why are we bashing it? Hell, it is still BETTER THAN NOTHING. Isn't it???

I work 14 or more hours a day and I still cannot afford health insurance. Does that make me a loser? But then again, am just a single mother who is struggling ---am not on any government assistance. Bad me for being a single mom? Guess we cannot all be married (2 incomes), socker moms, big homes, husband to take care of us..Oh well, that's life!!

I completely agree.My husband works hard every day,his company offers insurance but we CANNOT afford it.We tried,the payments were high and so was the deductable-we never met the deductable so we were paying full price at the drs out of our own pockets.I hate insurance companies,they are scammers who have driven up the price of healthcare in order to line their own pockets-there is a special place in hell for people like that.My mother in law has cancer and even with insurance she paid over 600 a pop for her treatments.She is retired and the money is coming out of her savings.I am and always have worked to make my own way,so has my husband,we do not walk around looking for hand outs-Canada has health care as does England-It is time for America to stand up and do what is right.No one has the right to assume that all people who do nat have insurance are lazy-I am not lazy,and my husband works 40 hours a week in a good job,we still cannot afford healthcare-that is what is wrong.GOD-bless

Exactly.....people bash something they have no first hand knowledge of....they take what the "media" tells them as the gospel truth....that's why i mentioned the movie "sicko".....it has taught me alot.

Bchgrl,

I do feel for you and all others who work hard and are still struggling and unable to afford health care. No one here is calling you a loser and from what I know about these wonderful ladies her no one ever will.

Neither my husband or myself have "great" jobs. And noone's job is secure anymore in this economy. Our home is nice---it's not big. My husband works very hard but I don't rely on him to "take care of us". I have always worked to supplement our income. With 5 kids it has always been a necessity. I am a "soccer mom"----very involved with any sport or activity in which my children have or are participating. But that doesn't make me wealthy. We too are what you refer to as the "little people". Getting by, thanking God for what we have and trying not to dwell on what we don't have.

Maybe not so much on this board, but certainly evident in other venues is the displeasure of those from Canada and Great Britain with their health care system. I reiterate: We do need reform. We do not need or want the current proposal.

Peace,

Donna

this what I'm talking about.

I've talked to many people who have had to sell their homes and move in with friends in order to pay medical bills for their illness.
Not to mention paying for all their medications.

Up in Canada, NO ONE EVER goes without medications and or health care.........ever!

The reason for resistance is fear. The fear of the unknown and the good old reliable US news that brainwashes their citizens to believe that other courtiers are in bad shape

Like Moonlight said above, watch the movie Sicko. It depicts the REALITY of Canada healthcare, not all the BS and lies you hear in the paper or on CNN (aka Crappy News Network)

I feel like crying.I want healthcare so much.I do not trust our government,but my husband and I need affordable insurance.I will keep praying-that is the best thing I can do.I would love to be able to have insurance I could pay for myself,but we just can't do it.I would love to hear from some of our Canadian and British sisters,have they ever had serious problems with their healthcare?right now sI am starting to feel that something is better than nothing.GOD-bless

Unfortunately (or fortunately) those of us who are Americans do not live in Canada or Great Britain. The proposal being put before us may not be the same as in those countries. Read the above. It makes me think that government controlled health care in the U.S. is not what I am looking for. According to recent polls the majority of Americans share the same feelings.

I think everyone should read the bill themselves and then make a judgement.....

http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf...Text-071409.pdf

actually,here's a summary of the bill which is much easier to read and easier to understand....

http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf...MARY-071409.pdf

and i found this on another site:

General Health Care Features:
A. Up to 97 percent of Americans will be covered with federal health care and/or health insurance.

B. Medicaid coverage will be improved and be expanded to allow people up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. The Feds will pick up the added costs, not states.

C. Uninsured people with incomes above that 133 percent of fed poverty level (FPL) will receive federal credits (subsidies) to help purchase insurance in a new federal insurance Exchange. The feds will build the exchange, but states/regions can take over their regional operations if/when they're ready.

D. A national health insurance plan ("public option") will be one of the plans available in the exchange to individuals and small businesses that don't have insurance, with eligibility to others expanded over 3-4 years. It starts with Medicare rates for three years.

E. There will be new federal standards specifying the coverage that all plans, public and private, must include -- basic care, mental health, preventive, dental and vision (for kids).

F. A stronger federal advisory (regulatory) group, headed by the Surgeon General, will define the minimum standards. The feds will also promote new payment incentives to providers that will, over time, lower costs of health care.

G. Individual mandate to acquire insurance, with hardship exemptions for low income.

H. Employer mandates, based on "play" (provide insurance at work) or "pay" (8 percent) contribution to fund expanded coverage for the uninsured. Small businsses with payrolls less than $250,000 are exempt, but the contribution is phased in up to 8 percent.

I. Improves Medicare in several ways: It phases out the drug "doughnut hole," eliminates some co-pays, reforms the payment structure, and upgrades coverage.

J. There will be a cap on the total payments you're required to make yourself -- no more than 1.5% of income for those with the lowest income and phasing up to no more
than 11% of income for those at 400% of poverty, which means about $4,000 for them.

K. Objectionable insurance practices will be outlawed: rescission, prior condition exclusion, undue discrimination in premiums.

They are sticking it to your insurance in hopes of compensating for those who are uninsured or who CANNOT PAY!
If something is not done now, the circle will start all over...hospitals will increase charges, hence the insurance companies will increase premiums....you get the picture. We are paying outlandish premiums for a high deductible insurance who never wants to pay or apply charges to our deductible. Do you know the time it takes for an insurance employee to 'hound dog' a claim into rejection? Well, it takes as much in wages to deny those claims as it does just to go ahead and pay them. And let's not get started on preventative care. If that were part of a plan, chances are EVERY woman would have those mammograms or papsmears and lives would be saved!

Yes that's what I was getting at.

thanks

So if my family(two adults three kids)make less than 88,000 a year we will be covered without having to pay?That would be so wonderful,I do not mind paying a premium,as long as it is affordable.I will keep praying.Thanks for the info!!GOD-bless

As far as serious illness and people being ready to lose everything due to medical bills, there should be help for people in these dire straights. But for example, if my neighbor who has a mini-mansion house, goes on extravagant vacations every year, eats out frequently, has expensive vehicles, wears expensive clothes, chose not to pay for health ins. when clearly they could have, and then one of them gets a serious illness and stands to lose everything due to medical bills, then that was their choice and I should not be forced to pay to bail them out when I have been frugal and wise with my money and sacrificed some fun stuff to pay for medical coverage. In that case, they should lose their house and drive less expensive cars, and perhaps get some gov't help to live in a much smaller, modest home. And if anyone thinks they should have more than that, well, they most certainly should be the ones to donate or hold a fund-raiser event to help the family. It's sounds caring to express care and concern by asking the taxpayers to foot the bill, but too often people who want taxpayers to pay to help someone are unwilling to sacrifice to donate their own money outright. DH and I have done charity work and do contribute to help those in need, even in our circumstances. I don't need someone forcing me to be charitable, especially when most of the tax dollar goes to pay for beaurocracy and inefficient gov't administration. Charity is not charity if one is forced to do it. And it rightly belongs in the realm of private citizenry, not the gov't.

If you live in Canada, then you must be aware of the many news stories of people who could not get tests, treatments in a timely manner and suffered either permanent health damage or death? Just google it and you will find many stories, videos, etc. Yes, it's free, but there is plenty of evidence out there showing that the quality is lacking, as are the choices of drugs, treatments, as is the timeliness of care.

"In the US, medicine is all about profit and not about helping it's citizens. " Then why do your own doctors and gov't officials and many Canadians come here for treatment? Are you saying profit is bad? If you have your own business and are providing a service, would you continue to do it if you did not make a profit? That statement is simplistic and simply not based on any factual info. The free market and the ability to make a profit is what drives economic growth and success, spurs invention and innovation, and the competition it engenders benefits us all as businesses and doctors compete for our business. I'm quite weary of the whole "the rich are evil and profit is bad" mentality. It shows a profound lack of understanding of economics and what drives societies to prosper. Who do you think provides the jobs? Does it have it's problems? Of course, but you will never have perfection anywhere, and even the poor here are rich by comparison of the poor in many other countries. The problem comes when we can't allow imperfection and demand the gov't make everything perfect, but it will be at the expense of our freedom and will severely limit our choices. Nothing is every truly 'free'.

If you would rather pay higher taxes for your medical bills to be paid, by all means, volunteer to do it, just allow me MY choice not to do it and to deal with my own health care issues. If all the people who say they want 'free' health care were asked to be the ones to pay the extra taxes voluntarily, it would be interesting to see how many would do it. I would wager that they would be less enthusiastic about it. People who want the gov't freebies like to be generous with other people's money.

I'm glad you are happy with your health system, but so am I with mine even though it is a hardship on us.. There are lots of studies and information about the ugly underbelly of 'free' health care that anyone can find if you are truly interested in learning all aspects of it.

I have a problem with my hard-earned tax money paying for health care for people who clearly can afford to pay for ins., but choose not to because they want their big house, toys, and vacations, or of illegals that come here.

If you truly are interested in knowing the problems, there are plenty of articles here. Just pick the country and read:

http://www.liberty-page.com/issues/healthc...zed.html#canada

This is only one of hundreds of sources.

Unfortunately, this document is not including all the provisions in the bill, and doesn't tell the whole, true story, but it sure makes it sound good, doesn't it?

Please, don't rely on only a couple of sources, this bill is going to be a monumental tax drain that will contribute to further bankrupting our country and future generations. There is so much wrong with it and much better alternatives out there.

I can understand why US citizens want healthcare reform. At present I think that a sector of the population appear to get superb healthcare and the unlucky ones find it difficult to manage. I think that it is particularly appalling that families like that of Lady E are so vulnerable when it comes to accessing healthcare. Recently an American friend has admitted that it is time for her to retire but the fear of not being covered for healthcare in retirement is very real.
I can also understand why many are so skeptical about current plans for reform. Sadly I would need to study the healthcare models of the UK, Canada and the proposed changes for the US, with a lawyer by my side to make any firm judgements.
I would make the point that the healthcare system in the UK which used to be the envy of the world is now struggling very badly. The aim was to care for us from the cradle to the grave but recently awful flaws have appeared in the system. We all pay heavy taxes at source for our healthcare which in essence is not a bad idea. However in recent years it has become more difficult to access good quality care and the care levels within our hospitals have, in places, become pitiful. if you require a referral to a specialist it can take three months to be seen. I waited 6 weeks to be able to have an MRI and my recent smear test took 13 weeks to get the result. My mother was admitted to the local hospital with a fractured femur and her care was appalling. In our local hospital relatives often have to nurse their own loved ones. If they cannot feed themselves they are often left to starve.
I have been a patient advocate reporting directly to the CEO of my local hospital and found that the problems were very widespread.
I pay the highest level of tax in the UK yet when I needed care I was forced to go to London and had to pay privately on top of all the taxes. The taxes we pay are supposed to cover dental care but there are just too few NHS dentitst to go round and the majority of us pay huge amounts privately. Dental health in the UK is suffering very badly because of the problems and patients have taken to pulling their own teeth with pliers.
I know that if I fall over in the street the NHS will sweep me up but I have no confidence that if I were seriously ill tomorrow, a safe, clean, comfortable hospital with high standards awaited me. There is no doubt that in certain areas the NHS is fantastic and I am basically grateful for it but the care we receive has become very patchy.
Many of the elderly in my area admit that they would rather die in their beds than be subjected to the callousness of our local hospital. That leaves me in no doubt that something has gone very wrong with our present system. Most of our doctors either go privately or travel abroad for their treatment.
Have a look at these videos recorded in 2005 by an undercover nurse and with that I rest my case.

I just think that it is very difficult to deliver excellent medical care. Canada does sound better than the UK.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbG2h18UoUA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjxhS3tIGgc


XIII

Sariah you are very wise and make absolutely valid points. The government hasn't taken away our freedom of speech and our right to express our personal opinions (YET!).

As with any controversial issue there will be those who agree and those who oppose. Obviously there are two sides to this issue and we all have a right to choose our side. Hopefully, this discussion will not turn into a heated debate. I have made my position clear and will now step down because it is not my intent to argue.

Have a great day everyone and let us hope that we will come to realize an effective plan that will insure our future and more importantly the futures of our children and grandchildren.

Donna

Hi Bchgrl,

Read the post by XIII at 3:09 today. It does give one something to think about.

Now I really am done.

Hi dcamp, thank you....I guess to sum this all up: Only the rich really survives in the "world" huh? If you have money, you are blessed. If you are poor, you are sh-t out of luck. The crap is all over. I guess it is not just America where the poor souls are sent home if they have no insurance, or better yet no money, to die (because they cannot afford the expensive tests doctors would need in order to take care of them), but everywhere in the world. Oh well, this goes back to ancient history.

God help us all. MONEY SPEAKS.

Also, you know what...it would still be better than nothing.

Let's hope that's how it goes....it would be nice to have free or affordable healthcare,wouldn't it?
As of right now,i have pretty good insurance coverage and i know i am lucky and i'm grateful for it....but there have been plenty of times in my life when i haven't had that coverage and couldn't afford to go to the dr. or take my kids to the dentist....

When i saw this thread,i kinda figured it would turn ito a heated debate(so far so good though)....i'm not sure i am for all of this or against it,but one thing i do know is people like you,Lady E,and my grown kids need free/affordable healthcare and if that happens,i don't care what i have to pay in taxes in order to help people that really need it but can't afford it.

Aren't we paying for that now? I can't afford to pay more!!

i truly appreciate your thoughts moonlight!I,too,would not mind paying a fair amount if it meant being able to go the dr,dentist,eye dr.Or if it meant my poor neighbors,friends could go.I have not been to the dentist in a year.I could take monry from our savings and go but that money is needed.I could cut things from our budget,but I get mad when you get charged over 100 just to get your teeth examined and cleaned.The whole system is wrong and needs to be fixed.I did not vote for Obama-but this could be the reason GOd allowed him to go into office,or it may not work at all.The point is something must be done.Thanks again and GOD bless.

I am not rich, nor are 99% of the people I know. But we all have access to health care, whether employer ins., private ins., or no ins. Many of us who do pay for ins. struggle to do it, but that should be our choice. There is NO ONE who cannot access health care. I am an ER nurse, I cannot tell you how many uninsured people came to the ER, both for emergency care, but mostly for non-emergency care. NO ONE WAS TURNED AWAY. And if they needed to be admitted, they were, and were given the same care as everyone else. And the hospital ends up eating the costs, because many do not pay. And many can afford to pay, they just would rather use their money for other things. Never have I seen ANYONE 'sent home'. or 'to die'

My husband is offered insurance at work-but it is so expensive we would have to choose between that and food,electricity,etc.So health care is not truly available to all.yes hospitals will see people,but I would never go sit in an er and wait hours on end to get care unless I absolutely had to.The last time I went to an er I was misdiagnosed.I am glad you have health care-but what about everyone else?Should my husband and I never have care because we can't afford it?What about my best friend-her husband was layed off-they can barely afford thier mortgage-they did have insurance,but now the job and coverage are gone.This nation has enough money to throw at re building Iraq and Afghanistan-why not pay for healthcare for its own people?

Maybe... but for some it comes with the risk of bankruptcy, long term debt, and various collection measures. My daughter had an illness in her teens that forever exempts her from private insurance. As you know, her employer cannot refuse her, but if her employer does not offer it, she cannot even PAY for it. While she was uninsured, all medical procedures came at an inflated cost because she was uninsured. If you're talking health care or death, yes, she could have been seen, but is that the right way to go?? We have a friend who was a victim of a violent attack. At 24 he has reached his lifetime max on benefits.

Health insurance should be available to all.

Also... many who may have access to health care, simply cannot afford it.

I for one, am going to be open minded to our health care reform. It's not going to make everyone happy, and it's not going to be perfect, but I'm willing to listen.

I believe she meant that health CARE is available to all.... maybe not health INSURANCE, but an ER wont refuse you if you are dying because you don't have insurance. Of course, you are still financially responsible for 100% of the care you receive.

Yeah, but did you see their BILL??? Okay.... I'm done

Technically, no they are not sent home to die if they go to a hospital suffering from a heart attack or something of similar ( because they do not want to get sued). But let us talk about chronic illness and some cancers. Do we really know the statistics of people with no insurance who stay at home and die because maybe a doctor may not want to perform the surgery without insurance???. What about those cases you hear about on the news where people are desperately collecting money from the public in order to get pay for surgery for a loved one, like maybe a transplant. I wont keep my head buried in the sand. People are dying because they have no insurance.......another instance is that they are not going to doctors for many, many, many years for preventative care because they cannot do it....Yes, if people go to the hospital they will treat them on an emergency basis, but if it is something that may not be IMMEDIATELY life threatening, I worry about that situation.

I never said nothing should be done, I said the present plan is going to have grave consequences, and those are conveniently left out of that glowing report that only highlights what it will do, but leaves out the inevitable consequences and unforeseen problems, which have happened with every 'free' gov't healthcare plan. They are trying to steamroll this through as fast as possible and refuse to consider some excellent alternative plans that will make ins. more affordable for everyone, that will allow people to pick their plans without the gov't telling them what must be in the plan, they address the problem of being unable to get ins. due to pre-existing conditions. There are excellent solutions to this that do not involve such massive gov't control and the inefficiency that goes with it. There is not one single program that the gov't has done that has functioned without massive waste or has not gone way over the predicted budget, or hasn't taken into consideration all possible consequences.

As for your inability to pay for ins, the gov't could offer excellent tax cut incentives to make it easier for you to afford it, and more tax cuts so the employers will not have to charge you so much. But the gov't is a parasitic behemoth, and refuses to cut taxes to the many non-essential, fluff programs so that they could afford to do this. There are many more excellent ideas to make it easier for us to buy and have our own insurance that would preserve our choices rather than restrict them or ration them.

History shows once gov't programs are enacted and in place, there is no going back.

All I'm saying is we all need to step back and instead of qucikly choosing a plan that can have devastating consequences on the economic stability of this country, the quality of health care, and our ability to choose for ourselves, we need to intelligently do due diligence, take the time to accurately assess all possible ramifications of the current proposal, and explore the alternatives.

Yes, I have health care, but as I said, we sacrifice to have it. That's what life is all about. And we make well under the $88,000 that is mentioned in the bill. We are not starving, we live humbly, but adequately. I would bet we have less material things than most other people. By carefully budgeting we are able to pay for ins. Almost everyone I know who tells me they can't afford ins., had better vehicles than us, better furniture, better houses, took expensive vacations, usually more than once/year, ate out frequently. And in their minds, I guess they can't because they truly believe they they shouldn't have to do without those things to pay for something as necessary as healthcare. The majority of people I know who do not have healthcare because they say they cannot afford, plainly could if they had their priorities in order. And there are millions like them all over the US. Why should I pay for them to live like this?

So I am also a 'little people' and I highly resent the politicians forcing something on us that they have admitted they would not use themselves, they would be able to pay for far better care than you or I. Yet we are supposed to trust that they have our best interests at heart? I think not. Instead of plans that elevate our level and quality of coverage up to their level, they've instead 'equalized' down so that those who are happy with their insurance will be forced to take something they don't want.

sure,people can go to the E.R. for treatment...you're right,they're not sent home,they do get treated....but,if an uninsured person goes to the E.R. and has a broken leg,they may get x-rays done and a cast put on,but then where are they supposed to go for follow up care?Where do they go to get the cast taken off?Where i live,you can go to the E.R. but they always just tell you to follow up with your dr....they basically just put a band aid on and get you by until you see your dr.

Don't' think for one minute that anyone will stand for that! No, they need the same privileges as everyone else. LOL!

Sariah...I read your other post; the were excellent and I agreed. I did not comment, however, because I thought that you said it all very nicely.



Yes, I think most of us here have had many times that we were without insurance. ...and many of us have worked very hard to pay our debt.

Government health care is NOT free...and not cheap. I want to be able to choose my own doctor and what treatment that I feel is best for me. In case of an emergency, I want options.

And, I don't think that our unborn grand-children should foot the bill. If we were just talking about $300.00 a year, I would be overjoyed!

..and yes, everything is about profit in America. We even sell our own blood and receive gifts for doing so! LOL! (Although this is true, I am only kidding.)

...and I think that we have all been taxed to death. Let's take an UNFAIR Amount (Extra) from the rich and give to the poor, because it is MANDATORY! How is this right? Why should anyone bother to work or try to get ahead?? If you your income goes up, it is taxed away? Something is not right about this.

Please don't get me wrong. We really need health care reform for our nation. ...and How about tax reform, too? I am not oppsed to paying into the system, if the system is reasonable. I wnat to see our families in America have good health care.


bchgrl65..It is so easy for those who have their "great" jobs with "great" benefits to talk about the rest of us like we are nothing, losers who do not work hard. Well, let me tell you, there have been many people who have been "up there" and have lost their job and, hence, their insurance...what now? Were they not hard workers? What happens if they get sick? Hell, maybe if I felt secure like some of you with my government jobs or stable job, who knows, I may not care about "the little people."

I really do hate when people slip through the cracks. I'm sorry. I also want to say that I admire women who work and support their children. It is very hard. We do have an unemployment system and health care is available to most families. (So is college through pell grants.) ...and no job is Secure.

...and please don't assume that everyone has big, beautiful houses & etc. Probably most women here has been or are a single moms raising kids.

My point is that most families are struggling, too. Our system needs an overhaul, but what is being crammed down our throats is not the answer. (Just like the stimulus...do you personally know of ANYONE who has benefited? I don't.) ...and if perchance you are fortunate to have a big house and money to go with it,it did not come without a price. Very few people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. They have sacrificed dearly to get an education & etc. You do not get high paying jobs without putting in your time.

Let's put this in a ridiculous way...Please step into my Little Red Hen Garden. I tilled the ground, I planted the seed, I worked every day in the hot sun pulling weeds. Finally it is harvest time! Then someone steps in and demands a good sized portion. But, I protest." Why should I do all of this just so you can eat? Why would anyone think that I "owed" it to them? Why should I be forced to give them the substance of my labor and dilligence?

The health bill sounds great on paper, but do you think that your grandchildren and great grandchildren can afford it?

Now Ladies, these are my opinions. You have yours and with them, you have some very valid points.

We will Just have to Agree to Disagree on this one. LOL!


...and to love one another, anyway. You Gals are Great!

By law, the doc they refer you to MUST see you at least one time. And that is normal procedure for everyone who has a broken leg, the ER is only there to stabilize it until follow-up with a specialist. My adult son, who has no insurance, recently broke his elbow and went to the ER. They did x-rays, put a cast on, and then on the discharge instructions they have to give you an orthopedic doc as a referral. And that doc must see you regardless of ability to pay. Any visits after that will there is a charge. I have found I am able to negotiate with them by telling them I have to pay out of pocket, and they will usuallyr reduce the amount and work with me for a payment plan that will work with my budget.

well,that's not how it is where i live....