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I think there should be at least a choice to buy into a universal health care plan for both employers and individuals. We don't need to dismantle the entire system.
For those who are afraid of bureaucracy ruining healthcare, all I can say is you must not have an HMO. I have one and they have lowered what they will pay to doctors to the point that all doctor's waiting rooms are already like the DMV. I missed an appointment last week and had to reschedule. You know the next appointment available was in the middle of July! Then when it comes to what they will cover they give conflicting information and then try and gyp you afterwards. You would not believe how much time I have spent on the phone being passed around their various customer service departments and nothing is settled. This is one of the first HMOs in the country also, not some new inexperienced place. What they are doing is trying to save money by inconveniencing and improperly treating the patients. The problem with our healthcare system is that healthcare insurance is a "for profit" system, so their goals (treat patients and make money) are directly opposing each other.
Yes. Insurance companies do not belong between people and treatment. And putting it on the back of employers creates unfair situations, making some unable to compete with countries that have universal healthcare.
Just also wanted to say, being self employed and paying for it myself and going about 50% of the time without it, if companies stopped paying for everyone's health insurance and EVERYONE had to pay for their own out of their own salary, you would hear a major outcry and a change would come so fast your head would spin. It is like paying for another mortgage every month, big time.
Agreed. I'm self emplyed and the premiums are crazy.
Could you imagine the hysteria on LI if teachers, police and govt workers lost their subsidized health insurance and had to pay for it out of their own salary or taxes? That would be the only fair way to implement it. No exemptions, everyone must pay into the system according to salary. As Obama said :we've all got to have some "skin in the game."
Just a reminder, universal healthcare does not necessarily mean a government run system or even single-payer (there are several successful hybrids).
As it stands, outside New York (or Massachusetts) i cannot buy insurance on the individual market, because I have preexisting health conditions. In some states, I can buy a guaranteed-issue policy which will exclude my preexisting conditions and, because i have had a Caesarean section, may exclude maternity if that is even available. (All the HIPAA regs about preexisting conditions do not apply to individual policies; they can be excluded as long as the insurer wants.) In NYS, I can buy it, but not at a price I can afford.
At the very least, everyone should be able to buy insurance, and it should cover all conditions. In order to do that, carrying at least a minimal level of health insurance will have to become obligatory (the reason it is unaffordable in NYS is because they imposed community rating and a death spiral was created).
Just also wanted to say, being self employed and paying for it myself and going about 50% of the time without it, if companies stopped paying for everyone's health insurance and EVERYONE had to pay for their own out of their own salary, you would hear a major outcry and a change would come so fast your head would spin. It is like paying for another mortgage every month, big time.
We are both self-employed but have never made enough to start being able to afford health insurance, and the one option, Healthy New York, is a joke and a half. I also have friends whose deductible has gone so high through their jobs that they feel they might as well have no insurance.
Agreed. I'm self emplyed and the premiums are crazy.
Could you imagine the hysteria on LI if teachers, police and govt workers lost their subsidized health insurance and had to pay for it out of their own salary or taxes? That would be the only fair way to implement it. No exemptions, everyone must pay into the system according to salary. As Obama said :we've all got to have some "skin in the game."
In my opinion these public -- and unionized workers -- are the biggest screamers against universal health care. They don't get it. They call it socialism. Well, these guys have socialized healthcare paid for by the taxpayers. The non-public sector unionized employees are on board with universal healthcare because they know the reason they are losing their jobs is, in part, because of the explosive costs -- healthcare was/is GM's biggest expense.
I'm covered by my wife's insurance because she is a teacher. However, I know many people who either can't afford or who are getting buried by the ridiculous costs. This country needs universal health care, despite what Sean Hannity keeps telling everyone. It's amazing how easily people were suckered by the Insurance industry with their dishonest commercials in the 90's.
government care is just that the government DETERMINES who, what , when and where on YOUR BODY
and the cost is unthinkable....trillions of cost to whom YEARLY???....THE TAXPAYER
government care???? social security....broke
medicare......broke
medicaide.....abused and broke
welfare......abused and costing the ACTUAL TAXPAYERS
will UHC lower costs....no
will UHC keep people out of the emergency room???....NO
....why because DOCTORS, hospitals, etc STILL NEED TO MAKE A LIVING TOO......btw the AVERAGE ELECTRICAL cost to RUN a hospital is over 400,000 per month....imagine having a 400k a month electric bill......will UHC lower that cost....NO
everytime we turn around the government is taking MORE and more of our freedoms
france has NHC...its going broke
england has NHC...is is NOW saying certain people cant get certain precedures because of age, weight, smoker, etc
canada has a NHC,,,and its starting to PRIVITIZE
what we need to do is go back to HOSPITALIZATION....
where the cost of a MAJOR problem (where you are hospitalized) is covered....not every time you have a sniffle you go to the doctor and charge the health ins......that is the abuse that has driven the cost skyrocketing
you need to go to the doctor for a sniffle, a pimple, or a splinter....pay the $50-80 visit charge......
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