Should we repeal Reagans universal healthcare law?

[MiamiRob]

I'm amazed at how callous some of you are towards the uninsured or the homeless! As someone who comes from a family of doctors it is amazing to hear some of these attitudes.
A civilzed society takes care of it's own regardless of cost and yes that also includes emergency care.
If you worry about what we spend in this country perhaps we should stop launching Wars every few years instead!

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by sindey

As long as some people have health-care & can afford it, there will votes to repeal both.

The issue is not whether or not people have or do not have healthcare. The issue is how you provide the care to those who don't have it, and why they don't have it.

What we do not need is the gov't to take over the system and make those who have it lose their current policy and benefits, and tax them to provide care for those who don't have it.

What we need is to understand why some people choose not to have healthcare. Frankly, some just make a calculated decision not to buy it, figuring they won't get sick or they don't need it. Then they use ERs and other mechanisms when something happens. Others prefer not to make the effort and want to rely on the taxpayers to pay their way, through Medicaid or other programs. Still others are here illegally and should be back in their own countries getting care from doctors back home. Personally, I would not allow treatment for ANY illegal aliens. They are criminals and should not be here in the first place. The sooner we start treating these folks as criminals with no rights, the better off we'll be.

There are many ways to address the key issues without the kind of ill conceived law passed by the Democrats. We were told "if you like your current policy, you can keep it" but that has proven untrue. My company recenly announced that it is moving away (in 2013) from our current plan to one based on Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and a High Deductible Plan (HDP), presumably to avoid the taxes that will penalize companies who provide great benefits to their employees.

Obama-care will ensure mediocrity for all and make us pay more for the privilege.

[texdav]

Well actaully Obama's bill just changes the fact that those people will be put inot medicaid rolls. Reagan bill just mandated that the people get certain care to stablise;not insurnce coverage that gives much more. The difference i cost paseed on to insurerd is quite different. When you realise that in 2017 half the medicad increase will be passed on to sates taxpayers;that already hige sums are passed on to privtely insured on governamnt plans such as medicaire and medicaid already it will do nothing to cost. What in he new bill is driving up csot is that it has mandates on covergae that few even priovte insurnace has such as no lifetime limit which is like requiring everyoen to buy a extended warrnty o everyhting the buy. It just drives up the cost because the number needing it will be few really.Tha si what happens when mandates are included and chpoice is eliminated form anyhting.Ask anyone who has private insureance whose meploeyer decdied to adapt the mandates in the bill startign this month because of the grandfather clause.More cost with no changes in care is what they are seeing;especaily in co-pays;dedcutable and maximum out of pocket limits and huge changes for new hires on retirement coverage.

[Memphis1979]

Originally Posted by neil0311

The issue is not whether or not people have or do not have healthcare. The issue is how you provide the care to those who don't have it, and why they don't have it.

What we do not need is the gov't to take over the system and make those who have it lose their current policy and benefits, and tax them to provide care for those who don't have it.

What we need is to understand why some people choose not to have healthcare. Frankly, some just make a calculated decision not to buy it, figuring they won't get sick or they don't need it. Then they use ERs and other mechanisms when something happens. Others prefer not to make the effort and want to rely on the taxpayers to pay their way, through Medicaid or other programs. Still others are here illegally and should be back in their own countries getting care from doctors back home. Personally, I would not allow treatment for ANY illegal aliens. They are criminals and should not be here in the first place. The sooner we start treating these folks as criminals with no rights, the better off we'll be.

There are many ways to address the key issues without the kind of ill conceived law passed by the Democrats. We were told "if you like your current policy, you can keep it" but that has proven untrue. My company recenly announced that it is moving away (in 2013) from our current plan to one based on Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and a High Deductible Plan (HDP), presumably to avoid the taxes that will penalize companies who provide great benefits to their employees.

Obama-care will ensure mediocrity for all and make us pay more for the privilege.

Obamacare didn't ensure mediocrity.

Obamacare was an attempt to cut the cost of the Reagan mandatory universal healthcare plan that was never paid for. You can not continue to care for everyone, with no way to pay for it, its just that simple.

I've posted the cycle many times. Free healthcare makes insurance rates go up. As insurance rates increase, companies like yours cut the plan that you were on, because they could no longer pay for it.

Illegal aliens is a minor cost to the healthcare system, read the post earlier from a real nurse, who really deals with ER's daily. The numbers of illegals they treat is small. Its people coming in for the common cold, a hot meal, and other minor needs that increase the cost on the system.

We need some kind of paid for national healthcare. Whether thats a mandate that makes everyone pay, or some kind of universal basic care that is paid for by the federal government through taxes up front, it must be paid for.

Reagan didn't pay for it.

What I would like to see is a national health department program that gives a minimal amount of preventative care, and healthcare for those with the flu. Let ER's do what they are supposed to do. This would take the extra cost out of ER's, which would allow insurance companies to demand lower costs. I doubt insurance companies will start lowering their rates until a price war could begin, but thats the free market. At least we could stop the rise this way.

I know the plan that the President signed isn't perfect. To be fair, its not his plan, its Congresses plan.

Honestly, Insurance companies aren't going to let go of the mandate. That was their major win out of the healthcare battle. Any Republican who tells you they are going to repeal that is lying to you.

[old-school]

Originally Posted by Memphis1979

Republicans are blind to the truth if they believe they can just repeal healthcare with nothing else to fill in for it either.

Washington works like this.

Someone passes a bill with lots of stupid stuff in it, just to appease people to get it through. Then someone goes through line by line and fixes all the crap that was in it, to finally come up with a decent system.

Took over 40 years with welfare.

Honestly, you think the welfare system is "working"? If LBJ only knew his great society would end up like this. If we are gonna repeal something lets start out there and work forward. America use to be an actual working country. Now most live off the government and do so proudly. Unbelievable.