Is Healthcare a Privilege or a Right?

[somarco]

choosing between paying for health care or eating is a common dilemma

And this happens in countries where health care is free . . .

InsureBlog: No Free Lunches on the MVNHS©

Right now health care is a privilege attainable by the healthy middle class on up,

Actually, no.

Health CARE is availble to anyone . . . most of the time without regard to ability to pay.

we're making huge progress in medicine, but it comes at a price

Of course it does.

And the US is practically the only nation contributing major resources to those advances.

"The United States produces over half of the $175 billion in health care technology products purchased globally. In 2004, the federal government funded medical research to the tune of $18.4 billion. By contrast, the European Union — which has a significantly larger population than the United States — allocated funds equal to just $3.7 billion for medical research."

InsureBlog: It's the Outcomes, Silly

 

[Winter_123]

Massachusetts & Maine methods appear to be working for them:

Texas Still Leads Nation In Rate Of Uninsured Residents - 8/27/2008 - insurancenewsnet.com

Mass., Minn. & Maine methods meshed with Mitt & McCain could save Medicare & Medicaid

Keep the Maine model out of it. It is a disaster. Guaranteed issue only led to some of the highest rates in the country and higher levels of uninsured. The program has gone broke and stopped accepting new clients a year ago. The original intent was that it would be funded through all of the savings from the uninsured care they provided and had to absorb so they put a tax on hospitals. The savings never materialized. Now the state is proposing a new beverage tax to help maintain the small busted down program that is still remaining. The problem is that petitions are being circulated for a referendum to overturn the tax. In addition, the hospitals continually sue the state saying that they were taxed with the idea that they would receive savings from havign to treat fewer uninsured but none of that happened. And so it goes.........

Is this the model you want nationwide. I don't think so. Look elsewhere and use Maine only as a bad example.

Winter

 

[Winter_123]

Massachusetts & Maine methods appear to be working for them:

Texas Still Leads Nation In Rate Of Uninsured Residents - 8/27/2008 - insurancenewsnet.com

Mass., Minn. & Maine methods meshed with Mitt & McCain could save Medicare & Medicaid

In addition, the data that you show does not take into account the fact that some states have achieved lower uninsured rates as a result of more private sector, group coverage. The question is, have the state programs made insurance more affordable for the private individual family market who is without insurance. It certainly has done nothing for Maine so you can't extrapolate over and say that a lower uninsured rate is a result of state policies. Believe me, it is not. In addition, you have large, large number of people with ten and twenty thousand dollar deductible with Anthem and Aetna who are just trying to preserve their estate in the case of a medical disaster. Those people count as insured. They are not.

Winter

 

[somarco]

Mass hasn't done any better . . .

InsureBlog: Line Forms to the Rear

InsureBlog: Cato Get's it Right

InsureBlog: Mass Tax

InsureBlog: Here We Go Again

Mass is a favorite topic of ours . . .

Along with the NHS, the Canadian system, etc.

 

[JMO Fan]

Mass hasn't done any better . . .

Mass is a favorite topic of ours . . .


Along with the NHS, the Canadian system, etc.

So devise a better system for Georgia.

Let Mass. & Maine deal with their own problems.

No, it won't. Not anymore than Obama's contention that if insurance were "more affordable" more people would buy it.

If it was $25 per month some people wouldn't buy it.

I didn't say they would buy it voluntarily; but if they don't, levy a tax penalty as big as the premium. Tax credits are a direct reduction in taxes, which clearly makes the health insurance more affordable. It would also make individuals responsible, rather than continuing the myth that my employer is responsible for my health care.

 

[somarco]

Show me a "universal" system that works. I haven't seen one yet. Everyone seems to want to follow broken plans.

Stupidity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

 

[Winter_123]

So devise a better system for Georgia.

Let Mass. & Maine deal with their own problems.

Unless Obama is elected. Then it's your problem too. Also, I dont know why any state would bother to get into any experimental programs knowing that the whole thing is about to become federalized. Even if McCain is elected you would want to see how the tax credit and other federal level initiatives play out before devising a state program to fill in the gaps. You dont know what they will be yet. It is not really in the hands of the states anymore. There may be block grant type programs where the feds will allow funding to go to state cerfified programs as an alternative to participating in a national program but still, you have see what the federal initiative is putting up for incentives. The states can't do it. All that have tried have failed because the dollars just get huge right off. The Maine program for example is a complete and total disaster today but if next year the feds want to kick some dollars into it maybe it can be salvaged. Don't know. The game has changed and will change more.

Winter

 

[somarco]

As it currently stands, insurance products are regulated at the state level. Exceptions exist for group health insurance but every other line is up to the states.

Can't recall the law, but there is a federal law that delegates authority to the states regarding insurance matters. For "federalization" to occur, that law would have to be repealed and a new jurisdictional body put in place.

I find it interesting that so many agents have already picked out a gravesite and ordered the casket for health insurance. I imagine the same attitude existed when Medicare was signed in to law in 1965. Yes, with Medicare agents will not play a role and they will have to find new jobs.

Show me a plan that is working, not one that is broken. I challenge you.

 

[Paradigm]

First: Healthcare is not a right

You have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but thats it.

Taxation at the hand of the majority (the minority that happens to vote) is sanctioned by legalized confiscation of the fruits of the industrious to pay for the underpriviledged of society.

Now this will sound harsh but I'll say it anyways---the poor and underpriviledged are responsible for their sorry state in large measure.

Either they:

1. chose not to get educated
2. made poor choices that bit them in the ass
3. had poor attitudes toward success or achievement
4. chose ajob that wasnt challenging and hence didnt pay well.
5. Snuck across the border illegally and marginallized their role in industry.
6. Got pregnant because they were too horny and wernt smart enough to use protection
7. Want somebody to support them.

I have sympathy and believe the poor who are disabled, or are veterans, or are innocents should be taken care of but the rest from a libertarian perspective should be on their own.

Defeat Barack Hussein Obama

The Rep. Dream ticket McCain-Hutchinson

Hillary energized the female demographic lets use it to our advantage

Now for any of you who happen to be voting for Obama, realize obama and hillary consider all of us the enemy because we dare to sell health ins rather than give it away for free.

 

[Paradigm]

there isnt a single successful esxample of agoverment run system. France, GB, Canada. A patient could die waiting in the cue for surgery.

And taxes have risen to confiscatory levels in those countries because of all these government nonfreebies