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Author Topic: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick  (Read 66387 times)

mgod

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #150 on: January 26, 2011, 11:52:15 AM »

crazydoc wrote on Tue, 25 January 2011 23:10

This pretty much nails it. We Americans are unable to see that we live in a plutocracy where our legislators are shills for a corporate class, bought by campaign funding and payoffs from lobbyists. There is no other reason that a single payer plan was not even discussed, and the public option was never seriously considered.

Representative democracy in the US is a myth - our congress has been bought and paid for.

FWIW - for more than 40 years there is a guy who has been very precisely describing this gradual degradation. And both sides vilify him so that no one pays attention.

When he ran for President in 2000, the Dems made up figures to make it seem that he cost them the election. And when you give a Dem the actual numbers, they object because it feels better to blame him instead of the lame Dem campaign. He probably wouldn't have made a great Pres, but he can't be bought.

Pogo was right, of course. My only comfort is that we aren't uniquely stupid.
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Wireline

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #151 on: January 26, 2011, 11:56:51 AM »

Not really.  The one example that jumps out from memory is in Germany (when I lived there, anyway) was every male was required to spend 18 months in the military.  We don't have a national conscription anymore.

(Note that this may have and probably has changed)

Way OT - but we have certain freedoms of movement, freedoms of language (do European schools bend over backward to teach classes in other languages?  I took two courses at a local university, and had to bone up on German REAL quick)...the list goes on forever.

Plus, as far as I know, there aren't a different set of laws in Hesse than there are in Bavaria - they are pretty well all national laws, and as you know, we do things a tad differently here.

Again, round holes, square pegs.  They are both right, but one size does not fit the other.
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DarinK

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #152 on: January 26, 2011, 01:39:38 PM »

Wireline wrote on Wed, 26 January 2011 08:56

Not really.  The one example that jumps out from memory is in Germany (when I lived there, anyway) was every male was required to spend 18 months in the military.  We don't have a national conscription anymore.

(Note that this may have and probably has changed)

Way OT - but we have certain freedoms of movement, freedoms of language (do European schools bend over backward to teach classes in other languages?  I took two courses at a local university, and had to bone up on German REAL quick)...the list goes on forever.

Plus, as far as I know, there aren't a different set of laws in Hesse than there are in Bavaria - they are pretty well all national laws, and as you know, we do things a tad differently here.

Again, round holes, square pegs.  They are both right, but one size does not fit the other.



There is an assumption made by most Americans that health care in Europe (& the entire civilized world except the U.S.) is all centralized, and of course the U.S. can't have something like that (except for Social Security & Medicare).  But really there are all sorts of systems, and some are very de-centralized.  One example is Sweden, where there is tons of local control over health care: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Sweden

If the U.S. truly wanted the best system, we'd thoroughly study all the existing ones & come up with a hybrid system that would work best for us.  The problem, as stated before, is that the goal of the U.S. government is a system that is best for big money interests, not a system that is best for the citizens.  And by that measure we do have the best, most profitable system in the world, unfortunately.
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mgod

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #153 on: January 26, 2011, 01:42:40 PM »

This is what always come to mind with topics like this:

The Nine Nations of North America
http://bigthink.com/ideas/21226

As to European schools. I recall that my cousins in Budapest, who were high-school age in the 60s, spoke 6 languages each.
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mgod

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #154 on: January 26, 2011, 01:44:52 PM »

DarinK wrote on Wed, 26 January 2011 10:39

If the U.S. truly wanted the best system, we'd thoroughly study all the existing ones & come up with a hybrid system that would work best for us.  The problem, as stated before, is that the goal of the U.S. government is a system that is best for big money interests, not a system that is best for the citizens.  And by that measure we do have the best, most profitable system in the world, unfortunately.

Its only actually profitable if people play ball by dying before becoming expensive. Payment for costly bills is the last thing a shareholder wants to see.
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DarinK

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #155 on: January 26, 2011, 01:45:21 PM »

A system that could be acceptable to American may be something like the system in Switzerland, where private insurance companies handle everything, with some government requirements.  Everyone must purchase insurance, the companies must offer a basic plan with certain guarantees, that basic plan must be non-profit (profit is made on additional plans/services), the basic plan must charge the same for anyone, regardless of age/health, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Switzerland

It sounds like a good version of Obama's bad plan (which I think is a terrible giveaway to the insurance companies).
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jimlongo

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #156 on: January 26, 2011, 05:16:03 PM »

Regarding nationally run programs and state's rights, etc.,

Canada is also a federation of provinces.  Each province runs HealthCare in their own way.  The main federal points of insistence are transportability, coverage in other provinces while travelling, and minimum standard provisions.

However, the federal government is involved in financing the whole system through a system of transfer payments, much like MLB, the NFL and NBA, which I guess could all be considered forms of communism.
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Samc

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #157 on: February 07, 2011, 08:12:55 PM »

I lived in the US for most of my life and have lived in France for the last 10 years.  I have had the unfortunate experience of needing medical treatment of various levels of seriousness, from basic checkup to spinal surgery.  I always had medical insurance when I lived in the States (paid through the nose for it), but  after experiencing the medical system here I do not ever want to go back to the previous system...ever.

I have the freedom to see any doctor or go to any medical facility in the country whenever I want to, and I can fill my prescription at any pharmacy in the country.  Medical procedures do not require the approval of a third party and I have never been put on a waiting list for any procedure.

This type of medical care is neither special or exclusive, it is available to every resident in the country.  I don't really care if the laws that allow this type of care is regional or national, what matters to me is that I (and everyone else here) are are guaranteed first class medical care when we need it.  I don't want to worry about bankrupting my family if I get sick.

Oh yeah, kids here have the right to learn one or more foreign languages if they want to, in fact, quiet a few of them are fluent in several languages...  
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Sam Clayton

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Re: State of US healthcare - what we can do to not go bankrupt when we're sick
« Reply #158 on: February 09, 2011, 03:06:09 PM »

Samc wrote on Mon, 07 February 2011 20:12

I lived in the US for most of my life and have lived in France for the last 10 years.  I have had the unfortunate experience of needing medical treatment of various levels of seriousness, from basic checkup to spinal surgery.  I always had medical insurance when I lived in the States (paid through the nose for it), but  after experiencing the medical system here I do not ever want to go back to the previous system...ever.

I have the freedom to see any doctor or go to any medical facility in the country whenever I want to, and I can fill my prescription at any pharmacy in the country.  Medical procedures do not require the approval of a third party and I have never been put on a waiting list for any procedure.

This type of medical care is neither special or exclusive, it is available to every resident in the country.  I don't really care if the laws that allow this type of care is regional or national, what matters to me is that I (and everyone else here) are are guaranteed first class medical care when we need it.  I don't want to worry about bankrupting my family if I get sick.

Oh yeah, kids here have the right to learn one or more foreign languages if they want to, in fact, quiet a few of them are fluent in several languages...  


Ha!  Enjoy your socialist lifestyle, you commie!


Wink
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