Who Do You Think Should Be Our Next President?

[Guest]

I know this will come as a surprise, but I agree with Al on this one. Our society has become conditioned to look to government for support AND we do not have the stomach to tell people that they can not get care even if they are irresponsible. Many have figured out that they do not have to buy insurance because if something catastophic and life threatening were to happen to them, they will be taken care of anyway and then just never pay the bill.

I will say that if were to take a 15 or 20% income tax increase to make it happen, forget it. We are already WAY over taxed (at least those that pay taxes).

Whether we like it or not, we are going to a single payor system where everyone is covered with the option for those that want better than basic care to purchase a private supplemental policy. Rationing care in the final months of our lives is also something we are going to have to acknowledge as necessary but if you want better, there will be supplemental policies that can be added.

In this idea of healthcare in America, doctors and hospitals would NOT be required to perform any procedures on anyone that this single payor guaranteed plan would not cover. Doctors and hospitals should be paid for every necessary procedure they perform on patients and today we are very far from that, which drives the costs up for those that do pay.

BASIC guaranteed care from birth to death with private supplemental care policies on top of that is where we have to go. When will we be forced to swallow that pill? My guess is in the next 4 to 8 years.

I agree too unfortunately that universal may be the only solution. So we will be in the sup biz, like over 65 now. The issue is how to put it in place, fund it, and implement it. Who's going to put all of this in place and make sure everyone is compensated properly (CMS?????)? Plus the issues that will come up when those who can afford supplements get "better" treatment than those who don't. And the end-of-life situation. That is a real bombshell, especially if it is your mom or dad that get denied a procedure that may prolong their life for a few months or days or whatever. None of this is easy, but all of on here already know that.
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Studying the results so far. 6 of you would vote for Obama.

I wonder how many of the 6 use to or still sell health insurance? I would think that every health agent would hate him now.

I started hating him more the minute he changed his schpeal (sp?) from "healthcare reform" to "health insurance reform". I used to know exactly what day that happened. But that was way too many beers ago to remember now.

 

[xrac]

I agree. I was looking at the larger picture of gaming the system, which what I thought we were discussing (at least tangentially) here.

Sorry for misleading.

My point is that until we have a universal care system we're going to have the mess we have now. None of you like the Canadian system or the UK system or the German, Swiss, or Japanese systems, but all are easier to deal with than ours is. (When I was in Germany this past August my wife got seriously ill with pneumonia and I got a look at "German engineering" up close and personal. The system works. Dave020 has spent years there so I'm sure he can attest to the fact that national healthcare (not sure if Germany is single-payor) is not intrinsically "terrible.")

Bottom line, no matter who becomes president we will get either expanded (say age 40+ on Medicare) or total national health care where everyone has the same insurance, or perhaps a two-tier system like the British.

One thing I'm certain of is that Obamacare will not be implemented because someone will see that the system would fall under its own weight and that it is not going to be much better or different than the mess we have now.

I would venture a guess that even if Obama is re-elected that he would happily junk his system for single-payor which is what I believe he wanted all along but knew he could only get incrementally.

If I were Romney I'd be pitching an alternative to Obamacare as opposed to just junking it.

Al

One of the problems with universal car is that the person wh needs $100,000 of surgery like Al's wife may find that it is unavailable for an extended period of time. One of the ways that government works is to drag their feet until an issue goes away if you know what I mean.

 

[YouGotMyMoney]

although I really don't follow the news or politics much I do have to say that I think a single-payer system is inevitable.

My thought on it is our government uses entitlement programs to stay in power.

From African-Americans to illegals to women the government insures that these demographics will vote for them (democrats).

If you try taking away any of the various entitlements from these groups there would be hell to pay.

I see Universal Health care as the next big entitlement.

 

[0b1kanobee]

although I really don't follow the news or politics much I do have to say that I think a single-payer system is inevitable.

My thought on it is our government uses entitlement programs to stay in power.

From African-Americans to illegals to women the government insures that these demographics will vote for them (democrats).

If you try taking away any of the various entitlements from these groups there would be hell to pay.

I see Universal Health care as the next big entitlement.

You don't have to follow the news, it's bogus anyway and politics, well......

Look, this country can't afford a single-payer system. It's economically impossible. When the rest of the world realizes our money isn't worth anything, it won't matter what system is in place.

 

[YouGotMyMoney]

i dont think we can afford it either, but that wont stop them.

 

[JAngelson79]

im not big into the news or politics, but i'd vote for ron paul

My fiance says the same...I like him...just not sure he's the right man for the job....not that the options are fantastic....

Justin

 

[stuy119]

When the rest of the world is implementing (or considering) diverging into a private/public system for health insurance, we're moving towards a public system for health insurance (with the possibility of having a private system). You would think we would take cues from the less-fiscally responsible and figure out how to make our current system work, when it's what everyone realizes is the only one that's economically feasible.

 

[sdmillar]

When the rest of the world is implementing (or considering) diverging into a private/public system for health insurance, we're moving towards a public system for health insurance (with the possibility of having a private system). You would think we would take cues from the less-fiscally responsible and figure out how to make our current system work, when it's what everyone realizes is the only one that's economically feasible.

Stuy,
Not sure who you mean "learning from the less fiscally responsible." We are fast approaching being the country that it the most fiscally irresponsible.

We've got a president that keeps asking for another 1.2 trillion like my daughter asks for $20 to go to the mall. A congress that can not cut $1 trillion even if it were to be spread out over 10 years. I'd say Greece, Italy, and the Unites States are not all that far apart in how irresponsible they all are fiscally.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be able to have the private market take care of health care, but it just is not working. Costs are skyrocketing due to many factors, but the fact that many receive care that they never pay for makes it more expensive for those that do. Malpractice is out of control so lawyers are gonna have to be reigned in. People that have pre-existing conditions should be able to get care.

The longer we live, the higher the health care costs are going to go and if we do not accept that the humungous costs we incur in the final months of our life are breaking us, then we are in denial. I am sorry, but thousands of dollars a day to keep a person with no chance of recovery alive for weeks and months is insane. Those dollars are just flat out better served on the front end. To some it may sound cold, but we have to get practical here and unless you have the private coverage or your own money to pay to be kept alive without a chance of recovery, its time to go out gracefully.

Basic level of coverage for all and for those that can afford more, let the private supplemental insurance market offer products that make a higher level of care for those that have the means to afford it.

 

[Yagents]

With the unemployment rate going down to 8.3% this morning, this poll no longer matters. He will unfortunately win. Not because of his anti market policies, but because the economy is its' own animal. Start preparing yourselves for another 4 yrs of teleprompter induced headaches. Only Iran/oil or a huge spike in interest rates can derail him now. At least he'll be around in 2014 to answer to the american people why PPACA failed.

 

[0b1kanobee]

At least he'll be around in 2014 to answer to the american people why PPACA failed.

OH, I can answer that one for him, IT'S BUSH'S FAULT!