DISQUS

lynchie · 1 year ago

Maybe it is as simple as "the Rich don't give a shit what we have or if we are sick and dying.

Bluestocking · 1 year ago

If the health care system in the United States is supposed to be the best in the world, then why do we have one of the highest infant mortality rates among the industrialized nations? According to an article published by CNN in May of 2006, American children are at least twice as likely to die in infancy as children in most European countries and three times as likely to die in infancy as children in Japan -- only Latvia has a higher infant mortality rate than we do -- and as might be expected, the rates are higher among children of minorities and economically-disadvantaged families. It's hard to believe that this is due primarily to the quality of the health care that's potentially available -- so what seems more likely to be the cause is the cost of health care and the fact that increasing numbers of Americans are losing and/or going without health insurance because they can't afford it. When we're one of the most prosperous nations in all the world and yet growing numbers of our people can't afford something as basic as health care and larger numbers of our children die in infancy than in almost any other industrialized nation, what does that say about our country?!? One thing which is says loud and clear is that we have our priorities in the wrong damn place.

Hack · 1 year ago

We're all still alive aren't we?
Stop yer bitchin

Bush_Bites · 1 year ago

Biggest fallacy: Socialized medicine rations health care but we don't.

When 40 million people are shut out of the health care system, you have de facto rationing of health care.

Hack · 1 year ago

"When 40 million people are shut out of the health care system, you have de facto rationing of health care."



At least we all know where we stand. <sn)

Bush_Bites · 1 year ago

lynchie
Maybe it is as simple as "the Rich don't give a shit what we have or if we are sick and dying.

----

And, unfortunately, this country's full of Poor Yahoos who have no problem with that.

purplegirl · 1 year ago

Saying we're the richest country in the world is delusional. We're nearly ten TRILLION in debt...how is that being wealthy? Take away the benefits most people now days need to survive and lots of folks would go hungry, much less do without health care. We've convinced ourselves that we're so great, maybe we used to be and have repeated the mantra so many times we still believe it, but if we, as a Nation, paid our bills and lived only on what we actually made, we would NOT be considered rich by any standard except third-world.

Dianne_in_DC · 1 year ago

Here's an article in today's Post about the health conditions in SW Virginia
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...
RADFORD, Va. -- Esther Britt lay in an oversize casket the color of an overcast sky.
She wasn't always so heavy, but relatives say a string of illnesses and unhealthy choices pushed her weight past 350 pounds and led her here Wednesday afternoon -- lying at age 56 in Stevens Funeral Home as friends and family gathered in the red-upholstered pews. Four days earlier, her breathing had waned and her heart had failed.

If you go to the end of the article you will see her problems started over 20 years ago when she was in an automobile accident and lost a leg.

OlderAndWiser · 1 year ago

The US Treasury is bankrupt. I guess I'm lucky to have Medicare, but still have to go to a public clinic because with less than $1K in income, I can't afford the copays; at least the clinic accepts the Medicare and doesn't charge me anything. I mean, when even simple blood tests are only paid partially (less than half in some cases), and you have several screenings, those copays and whatever the dr. charges above the Medicare payments are more than lots of us can afford. Figure more expensive tests in, like electrocardiograms, etc., and the amounts are much higher.

The problem with both SS and Medicare is that those programs assume that retirees (or even the disabled) are going to have retirement funds, 401ks, etc., and be able to afford other health insurance. For 21% of SS recipients, it's their only income, and for many others, it's 50%. Less than 44% have pension plans. I suspect that for many, "other income" includes that of other family members, not retirement or other savings. Of course, women as a group fair worse than men.

Of course, like I said, lots of us are lucky to have any coverage at all...or any care. Many doctors won't accept Medicare patients ("no openings").

http://www.socsec.org/feature.asp?issueid=%7B0A...

So, the rich and greedy can go on and have the best treatment, all the elective surgery they want--fake titties, face lifts, etc., while millions like the guy cited get the shaft and crappy care, at best. I just wonder how many doctors operate on the high end specialties, foregoing the family care or general practitioner route?

LoonaC · 1 year ago

I've recently been on a medical run-away-train, with a variety of diagnostic tests and hospitalizations required. I've been amazed to see the prices!

My hospital stay cost $30,000. But because I used a "preferred provider" they have a negoitated rate. Tha $30,000 that an UNINSURED patient would be charged, only cost my insurance $3,000. That's right $3,000. All the other bills are charged te same way.

The communist or socialist in me thinks this is so backward. Shouldn't the person with insurance be billed the $30,000 and the patient with no insurance be billed $3,000?!

An why does a hospital charge $30,000, if they are actually willing to accept so much less?!

peachkfc · 1 year ago

LoonaC, you raise an excellent point. Now here is another aspect of the problem: I've been undergoing treatment for breast cancer for nearly two years. (It's actually my second time with this; I had it on one side 15 years ago, was cured, then got it on the other side, a completely unrelated new cancer. Pretty sucky, huh?) In the middle of my multi-step reconstruction process, I lost my job and had to switch from excellent insurance (albeit very expensive) that covered virtually everything I needed at 100% to the really crappy insurance (though still pretty expensive) offered through my husband's part-time job. I need one more major surgery, assuming there are no complications, to complete the breast reconstruction, but my current insurance pays only a small percentage of the surgeon's fee, nothing towards any other doctor's fees (such as anesthesiologist,) only a small payment per day towards the hospital bill, only $50 (!) towards the cost of the implant I need, etc. I would then be left with tens of thousands of dollars in bills for this one surgery. The kicker is that my plastic surgeon told me that she would have been willing to waive her fee, but because her medical group has a contract with my so-called insurer as a "preferred provider," she is not allowed to waive or reduce her fee under any circumstances, or they could lose the contract--in other words, she has to charge me full price because I have this crappy insurance, whereas if I had no insurance, she could operate on me for free. (But then, of course, I couldn't get admitted to the hospital, so that point is moot, anyway.) This insurance is through a huge, national retail chain (not Wal-Mart, but just as well-known,) costs us over $5,000 a year for "family coverage" for our family of three, and actually covers almost nothing. For example, if I have a recurrence of my cancer and need chemotherapy, I'm screwed; chemo is not covered, period. But we can't drop this shitty insurance because my daughter and I both have pre-existing conditions and if we have a "coverage gap," we will never get coverage again. I could go on and on about my own situation and there are millions of people in similar and worse situations, How is this the best health care in the world? I don't think either Hillary or Obama really understand the problem, and McCain, of course, is not only clueless, he's an asshole.

DaveTheAngryRhodeIslander · 1 year ago

LoonaC - the answer to your question lies in those $150,000 Mercedes Benz's doctors drive around town.

I've been saying for years how we're quickly becoming a third-world nation, and the republican party is doing its best to hasten this along. Soon there will be only 2 classes in America - the rich and the poor. We won't have to worry about health insurance because only the rich will be able to afford it. The rest of us will work hard, and die young.

Quanshay · 1 year ago

Obama is the only candidate with a legitimate plan to fix our health care system. Billary failed in the 90's to force her socialized medical nightmare on the country but now she's trying it again. We can't let the Clinton's destroy the fabric of our society with their lame fantasies. No one wants to return to the nightmare of the 90's with the Clinton's endless scandals and Slick Willie almost bankrupting our economy.

maryinbelltown · 1 year ago

I'm unconcerned about the details. The congress won't adopt what he submits exactly, so don't sweat the details. I'm for Medicare for all, in stages. 1) Medicare for all children, pre-0 to 21. 2) All seniors 55 and over. 3) Everyone else.

jr · 1 year ago

Republicans are economic Calvinists. They think programs like Medicare and SCHIP are going against God's will

maryinbelltown · 1 year ago

Human have a right to survive. Food, water, a roof over our beds, clothing, protection from the weather, and health care. Too much to demand? Oh, and the pursuit of happiness.