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Being the only industrialized nation on earth that does not have universal health care is a cultural embarrassment; I have yet to hear a single Canadian, Asian, or European say they regret their health care system and wish they had ours. Because no one does.
Our health care system well ... it sucks. We have the best doctors in the world, but fewer and fewer Americans can afford them......We are becoming a health care boutique, the kind of place where the wealthy shop for their treatment while the rest of us find ourselves priced out of the neighborhood. And judging by the profusion of advertizing on cable, it's pretty apparent where all of our money is going when we pay extravagant prices for our medications.
Any for-profit endeavor is only interested in one thing: Profit. If the industry could actually make money by closing every hospital, they would - because making money is the ultimate goal. Actually helping people comes in at a very distant second. I guess that's why so many doctors' offices these days have a big sign when you walk in, a sign that reads something like: "Payment arrangements must be made before the doctor will see you."
A for-profit system works fine when you're selling televisions or couches, but it's a bad idea when selling life, and that IS what is being sold......
Insurance ... hah. What a business model, the ONLY industry that makes its money by NOT providing you the services you pay for.....
As far as: "Being the only industrialized nation on earth that does not have universal health care is a cultural embarrassment": It's not just a cultural embarrassment; it's horrible, awful, Ridiculous. And for the self-described "greatest country on Earth"! But I'd bet that at least 50% of all Americans don't know that every other civilized country has had universal health care for decades, that they spend half of what we do for health care, with better results on any # of measures; b/c they're so brain-washed that they think that providing health care for everyone is some kind of Socialist Nightmare, etc., etc., etc.
As far as the whole USA "medical system", the Insurance companies, Dr.'s, huge for-profit medical groups, that's a whole 'nother nightmare. Even if you're "lucky" enough to have health insurance, most big medical practices, at least around here, seem to live to force the patients into getting any & every expensive test they can find any excuse for. I've been trying to deal with that for 20 years, thru several diff. Dr.'s, with several diff. big medical practices. Worse, the patients have NO say: any Dr. can order any test, at any time, & the patient had better follow orders! They will hate you if you don't.
I'm being hounded right now by a Dr. I switched to less than a year ago, for another difficult, expensive, test. She's supposedly convinced that I may have something horribly wrong, even tho the last difficult (for me!) test on that part of my body showed nothing wrong. You know the "funny" thing, every Dr., & even a real A-hole NP, has tried to convince me that there's something so drastically, possibly wrong, on all diff. parts of my body. Every Dr. finds something that "could be wrong": the result--endless tests, & specialist visits, where: guess what! The specialist orders more tests!
And all that's for a fairly healthy (knock wood), somewhat older person who stays in pretty good shape, decent diet, N/S, conscientious about health, etc. Surely, Dr.'s in the USA wouldn't be forcing patients into endless tests & specialist visits just for profit (& do they have "quotas" or something?), would they?
For all the people saying how great their retirement is just remember we might be the last generation in the US to have a great retirement. We started our careers before most of the out sourcing to cheaper work forces. Companies still had pension plans and healthcare plans. Many/most people retired today, never paid their own healthcare, it was always a job benefit and now they are on Medicare. We spent most of our work lives in a great economy, we built up real estate equity in an unprecedented RE market, same for our retirement investments.
People starting out today have a much tougher employment market with very little manufacturing or union jobs available. Fewer jobs provide full healthcare and even fewer have pension plans. Fewer people will work for the same company or at the same job for their full career. Not many will buy houses for $50k and sell them for $500k. The divide between the top incomes and the average income has never been as great and much of the middle class is shrinking.
To be honest, as much as I would like to take credit for being financially secure, the reality for many boomers is, "we got lucky". So I have to wonder about all the people that think the US economic/social system has worked out great, do you have kids or grandkids? Because I doubt their retirement security is looking so good.
As far as: "Being the only industrialized nation on earth that does not have universal health care is a cultural embarrassment": It's not just a cultural embarrassment; it's horrible, awful, Ridiculous. And for the self-described "greatest country on Earth"! But I'd bet that at least 50% of all Americans don't know that every other civilized country has had universal health care for decades, that they spend half of what we do for health care, with better results on any # of measures; b/c they're so brain-washed that they think that providing health care for everyone is some kind of Socialist Nightmare, etc., etc., etc.
As far as the whole USA "medical system", the Insurance companies, Dr.'s, huge for-profit medical groups, that's a whole 'nother nightmare. Even if you're "lucky" enough to have health insurance, most big medical practices, at least around here, seem to live to force the patients into getting any & every expensive test they can find any excuse for. I've been trying to deal with that for 20 years, thru several diff. Dr.'s, with several diff. big medical practices. Worse, the patients have NO say: any Dr. can order any test, at any time, & the patient had better follow orders! They will hate you if you don't.
I'm being hounded right now by a Dr. I switched to less than a year ago, for another difficult, expensive, test. She's supposedly convinced that I may have something horribly wrong, even tho the last difficult (for me!) test on that part of my body showed nothing wrong. You know the "funny" thing, every Dr., & even a real A-hole NP, has tried to convince me that there's something so drastically, possibly wrong, on all diff. parts of my body. Every Dr. finds something that "could be wrong": the result--endless tests, & specialist visits, where: guess what! The specialist orders more tests!
And all that's for a fairly healthy (knock wood), somewhat older person who stays in pretty good shape, decent diet, N/S, conscientious about health, etc. Surely, Dr.'s in the USA wouldn't be forcing patients into endless tests & specialist visits just for profit (& do they have "quotas" or something?), would they?
No! The gloom-and-doom you describe happens to people who aren't informed, interested and/or strong enough to be their own best healthcare advocates. That's a lesson my wife and I (not married in the early years) both learned many years ago as state advocates for seniors which included healthcare issues and about which we both did a lot of public speaking, community education, etc. to pass on to seniors. I also had many print media and professional journal interviews, and made a number of television appearances regarding this subject. Both of us testified before our State Legislature's Health and Human Services and other policy and fiscal committees more times than we care to count and provided our Governor's office with detailed analyses of related legislation throughout the years and "worked" bills through the Legislature; those that we didn't try to kill in committee, that is.
The bottom line is that people only become "victims" of the various, disparate "systems" if they permit themselves to be and especially for seniors, there's help and advocacy available in every state.
For all the people saying how great their retirement is just remember we might be the last generation in the US to have a great retirement. We started our careers before most of the out sourcing to cheaper work forces. Companies still had pension plans and healthcare plans. Many/most people retired today, never paid their own healthcare, it was always a job benefit and now they are on Medicare. We spent most of our work lives in a great economy, we built up real estate equity in an unprecedented RE market, same for our retirement investments.
People starting out today have a much tougher employment market with very little manufacturing or union jobs available. Fewer jobs provide full healthcare and even fewer have pension plans. Fewer people will work for the same company or at the same job for their full career. Not many will buy houses for $50k and sell them for $500k. The divide between the top incomes and the average income has never been as great and much of the middle class is shrinking.
To be honest, as much as I would like to take credit for being financially secure, the reality for many boomers is, "we got lucky". So I have to wonder about all the people that think the US economic/social system has worked out great, do you have kids or grandkids? Because I doubt their retirement security is looking so good.
Not sure we are claiming great but are content and grateful for what we have and not complaining. Again most of us are participating in the here and now discussing current issues for us seniors. As far as kids go should we take your comments as being a reflection on yours? I am not trying to be mean or anything but I am always amazed by what post post in here and implications suggested about themselves.
Not sure we are claiming great but are content and grateful for what we have and not complaining. Again most of us are participating in the here and now discussing current issues for us seniors. As far as kids go should we take your comments as being a reflection on yours? I am not trying to be mean or anything but I am always amazed by what pope post in here and implications suggested about themselves.
I have no idea what you are trying to say in the bolded part, not sure how a discussion of economic reality is a reflection on my kids or why you would be amazed by my post. And what are you suggesting it implies about me?
What I am saying our generation (baby boomers) had economic advantages that future generations are unlikely to have. So to suggest that because the American economic model worked for our generation, it should work for all generations is a fallacy.
I have no idea what you are trying to say in the bolded part, not sure how a discussion of economic reality is a reflection on my kids or why you would be amazed by my post. And what are you suggesting it implies about me?
What I am saying our generation (baby boomers) had economic advantages that future generations are unlikely to have. So to suggest that because the American economic model worked for our generation, it should work for all generations is a fallacy.
You asked if we have any kids or grand kids and if so you doubted their retirement was looking very good right now. Many posters post with a ethnocentric/self centered view of the world. That can lead to assumptions valid or not about the poster. This forum is full of reader assumptions about other posters.
I'd love to know the methodology though. They have the US ranked #21 for health and the UK #22. The NHS is far from perfect but for someone retired and on a fixed income, it's far superior to the US system.
The US has the most expensive healthcare in the world and it also has people who have to file for bankruptcy due to healthcare costs because they could not afford insurance but made too much for medicaid.
Every single person in the UK is entitled to the same healthcare even if they never worked.
As far as: "Being the only industrialized nation on earth that does not have universal health care is a cultural embarrassment": It's not just a cultural embarrassment; it's horrible, awful, Ridiculous. And for the self-described "greatest country on Earth"! But I'd bet that at least 50% of all Americans don't know that every other civilized country has had universal health care for decades, that they spend half of what we do for health care, with better results on any # of measures; b/c they're so brain-washed that they think that providing health care for everyone is some kind of Socialist Nightmare, etc., etc., etc.
The NHS in the UK was born the same year as my husband - 1948. He was one of the first babies born in an NHS hospital.
The US has the most expensive healthcare in the world and it also has people who have to file for bankruptcy due to healthcare costs because they could not afford insurance but made too much for medicaid.
Every single person in the UK is entitled to the same healthcare even if they never worked.
I think we get it. You like and admire where you are. That's great. Inexplicably, some of us here like where we are too.
Guess you haven't heard of Medicaid. By the way, there is a UK forum where you can gloat.
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