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Old 03-18-2010, 04:37 PM
 
Location: Australia
1,492 posts, read 3,224,915 times
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On the news down here in Australia today we were told that President Obama is delaying his trip to Australia and Indonesia because he is trying to get his health care reforms through the parliment.

I am writing here because I am curious about how parents view this. We get the idea that for some reason, there is a strong objection in the USA to government assistance in the medical area. It gets portrayed as comunist or government control. The fact that even in the US, the government provides other public services such as education, fire department but for some reason it appears that providing medical help is seen as comunist. Mind you there are those of us over seas who wonder if the government financial guarantees to the big end of town led to the financial crisis yet no governement assistance for medical seems to somehow be seen as the bets way to go.

Now down here is Australia, there is free government funded health care and also you can, if you have the money, have private health care. That way you do not get the situation where someone does not get treatment just because they don't have the money. Now its not perfect and at every change of governement they mess about with it but still we don't have the stories of people going un treated because they can't afford it.

Thoughts from parents?
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Old 03-18-2010, 04:38 PM
 
Location: Denver 'burbs
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This is probably better kept in the P&OC forum.....
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Old 03-18-2010, 04:47 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aidxen View Post
It gets portrayed as comunist or government control.
Ever hear of the silent majority? Don't let the loudest group fool you into thinking the entire country feels that way. Those with the greatest protests are usually in the minority of the population. Statistically, it's closer to half (46% vs 42%) the country doesn't agree with this particular VERSION of healthcare reform. It's not an overwhelming majority like you're being lead to believe in the media. The reality is that 75% of Americans want some sort of healthcare reform, and they don't want politicians to fail at coming to an agreement.
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Old 03-18-2010, 05:15 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aidxen View Post
Now down here is Australia, there is free government funded health care and also you can, if you have the money, have private health care. ?
Well...it's not 'free' You must have high taxes or something.

I don't understand the part about private health care. If you get free govt funded care, who buys private health care, and why? I'm just curious.
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Old 03-18-2010, 07:07 PM
 
Location: Australia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wanderintonc View Post
Well...it's not 'free' You must have high taxes or something.

I don't understand the part about private health care. If you get free govt funded care, who buys private health care, and why? I'm just curious.
The high taxes thing is always an issue. I imagine that there are people who write thesese on comparing Australian and US tax rates. I have no doubt that our tax rates are probably a bit higher than the US. But they are not so much higher that its killing us. If it were all those people who can move easily such as company exectives and scientists would move to the USA and they don't. In fact is seems that a disproportinate number of company ceo's here are actually Americans. So it can't be all that bad. Don't forget that in the US, you do have government funded schools and that seems to be OK.

The public system is here is called medicare. There is an explanation here
Health insurance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It notes that the extra tax is actually itemised and called the medicare levi and its only 1.5% for most people. High icome earners pay more. So the extra tax isn't all that much.

On the question of who has private and why. The why is that you get treatment for non emergency situations much quicker. Emergency and critical stuff is fine in the public system. The problem there is once you are not in danger of dying, you can find it takes a long time to get attention. Whereas in the private system, you get attention much quicker.

Who has private insurance, well most people who earn more than $70k ($150k for families) have it because if they don't then the govt charges them an additional 1% tax. I have it.

Personally, I think that we have a reasonable balance between private and public. I know people who can't afford private and it is great when they or their kids are sick, they just rock on up to the doctor or hospital and get medical attention. No money down.
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Old 03-18-2010, 07:47 PM
 
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To me the issue is, instead of the government butting in and taking over the patient end of things, they ought to be doing something to lower costs of health care on the other end.
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Old 03-18-2010, 08:17 PM
 
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Originally Posted by NoExcuses View Post
To me the issue is, instead of the government butting in and taking over the patient end of things, they ought to be doing something to lower costs of health care on the other end.
I agree - I'm his current plan for healthcare, but he should be trying to lower costs so the less fortunate can afford it.
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Old 03-18-2010, 08:18 PM
 
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I will be happy if they merely outlaw pre-existing condition clauses. That alone will allow people to have more options in chosing healthcare alternatives. I think it would be good for the healthcare industry because people could shop around for better policies than those offered by their employers.

High risk rates need to be eliminated. It is outright discrimination to charge more for people with illnesses and disabilities. We all could end up considered high risk at any point in our lives. And that point in our lives is when we would be in the least position to pay higher premiums since we wouldn't be able to work.

Kicking people off of private insurance policies after being diagnosed with an illness is another practice that needs to be outlawed.

I don't think the government needs to run healthcare, but these things need to be regulated with laws because I consider these practices I mentioned to be unconstitutional because it's discrimination against people who have illnesses or are disabled.
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Old 03-18-2010, 08:24 PM
 
Location: Up above the world so high!
45,218 posts, read 100,435,573 times
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Insurance reform is what is needed, no question. But socialist agendas, including free health care for everyone, go against the grain of the American way of life. Because you see, it's not really "free" - just like freedom is not really free - somebody pays and pays dearly.

Thomas Jefferson said it best over 200 years ago when the American Colonies were dealing with that English tryant of a king, George -

"The government that governs least, governs best."
-Thomas Jefferson

"A government big enough to give you everything you desire, is strong enough to take away everything you have."
-Thomas Jefferson

Right now with Obama in office our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.
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Old 03-18-2010, 08:35 PM
 
67 posts, read 107,326 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lovesMountains View Post
Insurance reform is what is needed, no question. But socialist agendas, including free health care for everyone, go against the grain of the American way of life. Because you see, it's not really "free" - just like freedom is not really free - somebody pays and pays dearly.

Thomas Jefferson said it best over 200 years ago when the American Colonies were dealing with that English tryant of a king, George -

"The government that governs least, governs best."
-Thomas Jefferson

"A government big enough to give you everything you desire, is strong enough to take away everything you have."
-Thomas Jefferson

Right now with Obama in office our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves.
Wow, this post totally describes how I feel! I agree 100 percent and you stated it quite well
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