I understand your time is valuable..

If you feel I attacked you personally, I’m sorry.. I was simply stating the way I feel about the situation, not necessarily you… just in general.

I try to have a legitimate debate with you on very substantive issues, and it becomes, in your eyes, a “rant.” And then you throw in judgmental, condescending remarks to boot.

I’m sorry, but I thought this would be fun and educational. I guess I was wrong. I wanted political discourse, but all I got were these lousy personal attacks. I wanted to drink from a fountain of knowledge, but all I got was a dish of red herring.

Sorry, but that’s not worth my time.

The problem with your whole rant is that you feel its up to someone else to pay for your health care. It isn’t. Its your responsibility. Your children’s health care isn’t a commodity, its up to you to provide it. Just as you provide their clothes, their food, and take care of the rest of their needs. If you want them to have the best health care, you must prioritize that into your budget. Budget (that’s where you spend your money on paper, at the beginning of the month), I know liberals have a problem spending only the money they have/make.

Do you really think that you are going to get the “best care possible” when the government is in charge? On top of that, do you think you will be able to “demand” anything from the government? You are oblivious if you believe that you will receive anything less than the cheapest medical care possible. Ever heard the saying you get what you pay for? This is what you need to understand.. if you want the best, you will pay for the best, period. One way or the other, through taxes, or through the free market.

Have you done any research on countries that have socialized medicine in place? You know in Canada a 5 day wait in the emergency room isn’t unheard of? FIVE DAYS. To get into the regular doctor.. maybe a week or too… whoops, your cold is better by then.. on it’s own.

What kind of caps do you think a government run, “minimum” cost plan will have on it?

Yes, if you aren’t coughing “that badly” chances are you don’t need an x-ray, and you should have to pay for it. This mentality that someone else should provide your health care is crazy. Its not going to be anyone but you paying for it, do you not understand that? All you are doing is giving the government control of YOUR money.

So the billionaire that wants to self-insure himself should have to have medical insurance? That makes sense, right… someone that can afford any doctor bill he may have, should have to pay for insurance? I guess we should also require people to buy extended warranty on Best Buy purchases. Your premise is skewed.

On your point that when the hospital gets stiffed, it raises rates, and passes them on to us (even though I’ve explained to you that hospitals will put you on a payment plan).. What about the illegal immigrants who receive care and are never heard from again? We aren’t going to insure them, but if they continue doing this, the problem won’t be rectified.

I have an idea.. let’s remove the illegal aliens, and see how many of our problems are solved.

“Federally run health care is unconstitutional.” Well, wouldn’t that apply to Medicare? Hmm. And what about promoting the general welfare?

What I had said in my previous post that didn’t make it was this: welfare, in terms of the insurance debate, is a red herring. Most of the people I’m worried about are underinsured. They have insurance that they work hard for, but because it has a cap (i.e., a maximum amount the insurer will pay), they’re vulnerable.

If a cap is $1 million and a hospital bill is $2 million, then bankruptcy is the only option. A lot of us have $1 million caps. It’s rare to find an uncapped policy, and they’re expensive as hell — cost prohibitive, in fact, for anyone making near a median income. Anyone whose policy is capped is vulnerable.

“… Hold your insurance companies feet to the fire when hey try to deny you of service…” Were that it was so, my friend. But insurance companies don’t play fair. They refused to pay a $100 claim over a typo, and they were damn mean. Can’t imagine what it’s like to get $100,000 out of them.

Re: the car anology. “The way to fix our broken system is to get people in touch with the actual cost of health care by having them pay for these services.” Sounds good, but then you force people into the position of weighing health against cost. In other words, it’s a position of “Hmmm. Doc says I need the X-Ray, but I’ve got to pay for it myself. And I’m not coughing THAT badly.”

Cars can be replaced. I can drive a car with an oil leak. But if I’m sick or my child’s sick, we should demand the best care possible.

One more thing with that: just like car insurance, health insurance should be mandatory. If Johnny hits you and he’s uninsured, you pay the price. You’re out your deductible, and your premium rises. If Johnny gets sick and he’s uninsured, you also pay the price. The hospital gets stiffed, raises its rates, which in turn is passed on to the insurer, which is passed on to you.

Once more, I ask: Why should my children’s health be treated as a commodity?

Health care is 17% of the GDP. This is a power grab, plain and simple, and the government is playing on people’s emotions to help them achieve their goal.

“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.” –Thomas Jefferson

Federally run health care is unconstitutional. The Constitution clearly reserves for the individual states the right to see to the well-being of its own citizens, and forbids the federal government from interfering.

Health care is 17% of the GDP. This is a power grab, plain and simple, and the government is playing on people’s emotions to help them achieve their goal.

“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.” –Thomas Jefferson

This isn’t really about people on welfare. This is also about people who can’t get a cap on their insurance. If you don’t have a cap (a maximum amount an insurer will pay), you can easily pay $1 million or $2 million or $10 million out-of-pocket. I’m not talking deductible; I’m talking cap. And there is no payment plan for that. $20 a week, paying $1 million, let’s see … oh, hey, we’ll be free in the next millennium.

There are people who do everything right, and they still get abused by the system. You said: “If you don’t lie to the insurance company, they will never have a reason to disqualify you from being covered.” … oh, were that it was so, my friend. But it is not. Holding their feet to the fire? It’s easier to hold an elephant’s feet to the fire. Ever try to wrestle with your insurance company over a simple claim, say $100? They play rough. Now try it with, say, $50,000 on the line.

I agree people misuse the system, but the system often misuses the people. For instance, a person with no health insurance must go to the ER to seek medical attention for things like the flu or a fever or things like that. They can’t go to a walk-in the way you or I can; those places don’t take insurance. And while a lot of uninsured people have no one to blame but themselves, a lot can’t afford it or have been denied b/c of a pre-existing condition. Open up access to those people, and we’ll cut costs right there.

Ah, the car analogy. You said, “The way to fix our broken system is to get people in touch with the actual cost of health care by having them pay for these services (check ups, physicals, simple colds)… this will drive down the cost.” Well, the actual cost of health care is pretty damn high. And most people can’t pay for it. And when they’re sick — or their children are sick — they shouldn’t be placed in position where they’re weighing finances against health. (Hmm. Doc says I need he needs an X-Ray, but he’s not coughing THAT badly)).

One more thing: Hell, yes, everyone should have to carry insurance. Just like car insurance, we are all impacted when someone doesn’t carry insurance. If Johnny hits you and doesn’t have insurance, you have to pay your car, or your insurer pays you and then slaps a higher premium on everyone. Well, if Johnny gets sick and doesn’t have insurance, the hospital absorbs the cost, passing on to the insurer, who then slaps a higher premium on everyone.

Again, why should health be treated as a commodity? I really want to know.