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OK, maybe somebody can help me out with this one.
Who is responsible to pay my rent or house payment?
Who is responsible to make my car payment?
Who is responsible to buy my food?
Who is responsible to put gas in my car?
Who is responsible to pay my electric bill?
Who is responsible to pay my water bill?
Who is responsible to pay my phone bill?
Who is responsible to pay for my cable TV?
Who is responsible to pay my dentist bill?
Who is responsible to pay my doctor bill?
Am I responsible for my own bills or is the government responsible for my bills?
I answered you on another thread in similar post.
BUt I'll answer it here..
Housing is supposed to take up 35% of your income. If you can't afford a certain neighborhood, you move to a different one where the rents/mortgage is less.
All the other bills.. you're responsible for,.. unless of course you are below the poverty line (in which case that person gets free medical in the form of medicaid from the government)
but what abuot the working single mom? Let's say a hairdresser making around $40K a year... lets say she lives on LI becaus that is where she grew up, that is where her support system is (mother, father.. family members). She makes a respectable living.
BCBS with a deductable and copays can run approx $800/month (that is what it wsa for me..but I had a small business.. it would be more for her because, unless she owns the shop herself, she doesn't have a "small business") But we'll use that $800 number for this example.
that's 24% of her salary or $9600/year.
at 35% a month for housing she is spending approx $1100/month in rent (on LI you're lucky to find a 2 bedroom for that. .most likely she'll live in an illegal apt in someones basement for that )
That leaves $1300/month for car insurance, (she needs it to get to work), electric & heat, groceries, clothing and any incidentals she needs.. phone, etc.
The problem is.. those other things you list, beyond the roof over your head which is SUPPOSED to be your biggest expense, does not take up a huge percentage of your income.
But paying a health insurance premium is like paying rent or mortgage on 2 homes.. HOW MANY PEOPLE, HOW MANY FAMILIES can actually pay rent/mortgage on two homes???
But here's the thing.. health insurance IS NEEDED because the actual COST of healtchare would bankrupt even the most seemingly financially sound person (someone thatowns stocks, 401K's and their house).
That is the problem. Health insurance and healthcare costs have become beyond the reach of most Americans.. even the ones that THINK it is not beyond their reach. Get cancer without health insurance.. you'll be bankrupt and destitute in no time to fix it.
Healthcare isn't a luxury.. it's not a want.. it's a need. If we all had a choice, we wouldn't choose to NEED healthcare. we wouldnt' choose to be sick and see a Dr. we NEED to.
So, at this point who do we look to to fix this problem. We certainly can't look to the corporate greed machines of health insurance companies.. they don't care.. they only care to increase the money they make. That means denying claims, charging higher premiums. AFter all.. they promised thier CEO a multi million dollar bonus package.
See..it's not about getting something for FREE.. it's about getting a system that is affordable for people to pay. Those crying about a UHC aren't looking for a free ride.. t hose people are already getting it on medicaid (and hey , even in jail ).. we just want to be able to have health insurance/healthcare and take care of ourselves.. but we can't do it at the prices that now exist.
Why doesn't the United States have Universal Health Care??
Because the US has always been a country of people who took control of their own lives, took risk and enjoyed the rewards, didn't look to the government for every answer, didn't want to pay two thirds of their income to the government in taxes.
"Rugged individualism" was the basis for this country...explorers and immigrants who wanted to leave Europe for various reasons came here in search of a better life. Liberty, freedom, and small government was our foundation. "Government that governs least governs best" was a quote from the time of our country's founding, although the actual source of the quote has been disputed. Some think it was Thomas Jefferson who said it.
We've all seen the tendency of European nations to fall in line with royal, facist, communist, or socialist regimes. Question of government has never been a strong suit of Europeans. After WWII erupted in Europe, thanks to the blind obedience of the German population to their fuhrer, it was the US that spent it's money and blood to free the world. Since then, the US has spent a large part of GDP to keep the world safe and has acted in that effort. Europe and most of the socialist "democracies" of Europe have spent a fraction of their GDP in their own defense.
Even with that fact in evidence, those countries have still managed to spend 50% or more of GDP by government each year, and those two facts are the reasons they can provide cradle to grave "care" that is not provided here in the US. Someone has to pay for it. In the US we have 50% of the wage earners paying 98% of the taxes, and the other half taking.
1. a Trillion dollar or more increase in govt spending over the next few years. A budget increase of 35% just for 09.
2. Baby Boomer's about to hit a shaky Social Security system that can't pay them.
3. An outrageously expensive govt run health care system given to every illegal that can cross our border.
4. An out of control illegal alien program where Pulosi and company refuses to deport.
5. Lets absorb half the bad mortgages in the US since those folks really should not be panelized.
And where do you think the money comes to pay the bills for all the above? I know... let's crank up the printing presses.
If the govt could control our borders I might even vote for coverage of just US citizens.
OK, maybe somebody can help me out with this one.
Who is responsible to pay my rent or house payment?
Who is responsible to make my car payment?
Who is responsible to buy my food?
Who is responsible to put gas in my car?
Who is responsible to pay my electric bill?
Who is responsible to pay my water bill?
Who is responsible to pay my phone bill?
Who is responsible to pay for my cable TV?
Who is responsible to pay my dentist bill?
Who is responsible to pay my doctor bill?
Am I responsible for my own bills or is the government responsible for my bills?
Yes.
And in a socialist nation the government provides all.
Because the US has always been a country of people who took control of their own lives, took risk and enjoyed the rewards, didn't look to the government for every answer, didn't want to pay two thirds of their income to the government in taxes.
"Rugged individualism" was the basis for this country...explorers and immigrants who wanted to leave Europe for various reasons came here in search of a better life. Liberty, freedom, and small government was our foundation. "Government that governs least governs best" was a quote from the time of our country's founding, although the actual source of the quote has been disputed. Some think it was Thomas Jefferson who said it.
We've all seen the tendency of European nations to fall in line with royal, facist, communist, or socialist regimes. Question of government has never been a strong suit of Europeans. After WWII erupted in Europe, thanks to the blind obedience of the German population to their fuhrer, it was the US that spent it's money and blood to free the world. Since then, the US has spent a large part of GDP to keep the world safe and has acted in that effort. Europe and most of the socialist "democracies" of Europe have spent a fraction of their GDP in their own defense.
Even with that fact in evidence, those countries have still managed to spend 50% or more of GDP by government each year, and those two facts are the reasons they can provide cradle to grave "care" that is not provided here in the US. Someone has to pay for it. In the US we have 50% of the wage earners paying 98% of the taxes, and the other half taking.
We need to understand something here.
As for the founding fathers.. you nor I can say how they would react in today's society.. period. They lived a very long time ago. Life on this planet, let alone this country, was very different.
That being said.. We are the most highly intelligent creatures that live and exist on this planet. We were created with an intellect that allows us to more far beyond our "animalistic" side. We were created to EVOLVE not only physically, but intellectually.
Just look how man has evovled intellectually since the caveman days. No longer are men clubbing woman over the head and banging their chest for the girl (yeah.. I know we can argue how some are) but you get my point.
Life 200 years ago was all about self survival. THey didn't have supermarkets for you to get your food. You hunted your own. That's just one example. We have far evolved since then. We haev medical technology that allows those that would have withered and died, live happy and productive lives.
The attitude of "if they can't afford it let them die" is ridiculous in this day and age. We are far more intellectually advanced to have that kind of attitude toward our fellow citizens and our society.
America can enjoy having a Universal health Plan while keeping with the principles of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
It's about finding a balance. anything in it's extreme doesn't work and can't exist..
American spends more money fixing other nations than the rest of the world.. and perhaps that is a HUGE mistake! We should be a little more focused on taking care of our own, then of someone else's.
Then why does the US spend so much more per capita on health care than countries with UHC, where the majority of "uninsured" in this country would be covered? How is this being done so cheaply here? Please show me.
Because we provide virtually instant services for everyone and health care is not rationed based on age, co-morbidities etc.
OK, maybe somebody can help me out with this one.
Who is responsible to pay my rent or house payment?
Who is responsible to make my car payment?
Who is responsible to buy my food?
Who is responsible to put gas in my car?
Who is responsible to pay my electric bill?
Who is responsible to pay my water bill?
Who is responsible to pay my phone bill?
Who is responsible to pay for my cable TV?
Who is responsible to pay my dentist bill?
Who is responsible to pay my doctor bill?
Am I responsible for my own bills or is the government responsible for my bills?
Well you are responsible for all those bills. However if you have to ask I now feel you are incompetent. So now I have a choice I either have to step over your rotting decayed body, while I'm going to dinner, or I have to feed you. Whoa is me feed you or smell you lordy lordy what to do.
I disagree...all you'd be doing is further lining the pockets of corrupt, greedy private insurance with taxpayers' money.
From a $$$ perspective, how would this bring costs down anyway?
You have a point God knows the government isn't greedy or corrupt and they are so well qualified to make health care decisions for me.
Costs would go down because of insurance companies competing for their business.
I am a pharmacist I was totally against Medicare part D but after seeing how much better costs have been controlled by the insurance companies versus state Medicaid it made a believer out of me.
As someone else noted, competition will help bring costs down - perhaps not enough down - but down still.
Even the discussion about radical changes in the Health Care delivery system has had a positive impact - major health insurance companies are now going to start either dropping the Pre-existing conditions or make it much easier to get into a plan.
Seems they are also pushing Congress to allow them to start selling their products across state lines - thereby increasing their insured pools, and thus bringing down costs.
People! Debate is a good thing! Everyone can make a difference.
Then why does the US spend so much more per capita on health care than countries with UHC, where the majority of "uninsured" in this country would be covered? How is this being done so cheaply here? Please show me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shorebaby
Because we provide virtually instant services for everyone and health care is not rationed based on age, co-morbidities etc.
Well, you'd be surprised. It's (not) virtually instant in all cases, and some decisions are made on the basis of age, co-morbidities and the like. The US spends $6000 per capita per year on health care. The next highest cost country is Luxembourgh (and I don't know what kind of a system they have), at ~$5000, or 83% of US spending. Norway is next at ~$4000, 2/3 of US spending. If we kept spending at our level, we would not need to do any more rationing that we already do.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 03-28-2009 at 02:12 PM..
Reason: Add (not) to post.
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) but you get my point.
