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the republicans just bash the healthcare reform and offer nothing new...the current system is not working..it has a lot of problems but we never heard answers from the right on how to fix it....spending 20% of the GDP on healthcare by 2015 is a problem...millions of american not being able to afford healthcare is a problem.
Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
why are we spending twice as much and its not even better healthcare...people is the US are not as happy with our healtcare as people are in those countries.
I do know that I am young and in good health, and I do what I can to stay that way. I have a good job and a pretty decent health insurance plan. But still, I'm losing my house to foreclosure and the cars are being repossessed and my credit is in the toilet because the amount of money that I have to pay for my wife's care each month exceeds our combined income. There are no federal or state agencies, no charities, no one to turn to for assistance. I find it hard to believe that our healthcare system can't do a better job dealing with these extreme circumstances. The health risks for the millions of spousal and parental caregivers in this country is a real social problem.
the republicans just bash the healthcare reform and offer nothing new...the current system is not working..it has a lot of problems but we never heard answers from the right on how to fix it....spending 20% of the GDP on healthcare by 2015 is a problem...millions of american not being able to afford healthcare is a problem.
Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
why are we spending twice as much and its not even better healthcare...people is the US are not as happy with our healtcare as people are in those countries.
Your premise is that it needs "fixing". But recent polls show that about 75% of Americans are happy with their health care insurance (that figure might be slightly lower — I don't remember the exact figure, but that is close enough for this discussion).
The problem with any government program is that the government will insert itself into every aspect of your life. You will be put on a waiting list for services, and if the government decides that you don't need it (or at your age, they won't give it to you), you won't get it.
Government "health care" in other countries that have it, is a disaster. It doesn't work, and the government gets to "dictate" what you can and can't have.
Do you really want the government in control of your health/life? I don't. We all know how well the government runs everything else.
Anything the government is involved in costs far more and services are less.
Tell your Congressmen to "shove it" (figuratively, of course)
This is just my opinion, so dont take too much notice of it - ok?
Healthcare that is controlled by the drugs companies is no good. They push the drugs that make them the largest profits. Insurance companies are only interested in making profits too, so they do not pay out when they dont absolutely have to. Doctors are often persuaded to prescribe certain drugs that the drugs companies currently want to "push".
There is no answer to healthcare systems unless you pay the people more in benefits and allow them to choose which drugs/doctors/hospitals/treatment etc they use. That would be placing the control where it should be placed.
The solution is to realise that many of the doctors and hospitals do not have the answer to the diseases they treat and they are merely prolonging your life at the expense of filling you up with their drugs they sell to you. The recovery rate for a large number of diseases is still not good and the effectivness of many drugs is not better than giving placebos (which is up to 25% effective).
Take control of your own health. Be responsible and seek out ways to sort out your own disease. For example, fasting was used by many to recover from all kinds of serious diseases, but, because there is not much money to be made by making people well in this way, the old clinics have mostly closed down. This kind of remedy was extremely effective - investigate it.
Read up about your problems, read others experiences, read widely about what is available that does not cost a lot of money. The Chinese have been using herbs for thousands of years, acupuncture the same. These do not cost an arm and a leg, but they do require you to monitor your own health and take these forms of remedy BEFORE it gets too serious. (acute appenicitis probably will not respond well to herbs for example! you would probably need to have an operation in that case.)
There are many things you can do - another example is if you have gall bladder problems, you may be able to sort it out with a series of liver flushes. Again, read up on it, investigate it, find out what it right for you and your body. No-one else should be telling you what to do, but they should be giving you totally unbiased advice so that you can make a decision for yourself. Take control. Be responsible.
Having said all that, there is a role for doctors and hospitals, but it is not under control of the state, insurance companies or drugs companies. If you need urgent medical attention, then currently, they have the monopoly.
the republicans just bash the healthcare reform and offer nothing new...the current system is not working..it has a lot of problems but we never heard answers from the right on how to fix it....spending 20% of the GDP on healthcare by 2015 is a problem...millions of american not being able to afford healthcare is a problem.
Health care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
why are we spending twice as much and its not even better healthcare...people is the US are not as happy with our healtcare as people are in those countries.
I believe lobbying by pharma and health care companies needs to be outlawed and many regulations need to be dropped. In addition, there needs to be tort reform which will reduce much of the unnecessary procedures (avoiding frivilous lawsuits) as well as reduce malpractice insurance premiums.
When I see a menu at my local doctor's office resembling something I see at a restaurant and you begin to see doctors offering warranties, I'll be satisfied.
Actually, the Bush Administration, and the Republican leadership in the Congress, DID put forward proposals several years ago, but the Democrats would not allow they to be debated in the Congress. This is absolute truth. President Bush even went and said to the Democratic Leadership - "here is our ideas, how about sitting down and telling us yours, and let's work on it". Never happened.
Here are a couple of the ideas that were proffered:
1) Allow professional trade groups (independent contractors) the right to create insurance pools (like the unions do) - and let those pools seek out affordable insurance for their members.
2) Allow health insurance to be sold across state lines (now being considered in the Senate Finance committee)
3) Change the rules on pre-existing conditions - limit these exclusions and allow more individuals access with pre existing conditions, access to insurance
4) Subsidize those in lower income levels so they can have access to insurance products of their liking.
5) Change the Medicaid rules (qualifications) so that those in lower income levels would have an easier time getting assistance (Medical) from Medicaid.
Again, the Democrats would not allow these to be debated.
For starters insurance and tort reform, I think mandating the insurance companies take everyone on at the same rate for the same plan would be a good place to start. That's not say we are going to limit options in plans but if they offer a plan anyone should be able to get it.
Reform in that area will lead to lower administrative costs which if I remember correctly accounts for 25% of health care costs, if your figure is correct that would be more than 5% of the GDP. That's one reason I'm very leery of any government plan, chances are they are half the cause for those administrative costs to begin with.
I think the perception is we have terrible health care but I think that's a false assumption, we have great health care but with that comes very high costs making it unaffordable to a lot of people.
Today, here are the areas being looked at to make access to health insurance more affordable:
1) Allow insurance to be sold across state lines - making insurance pools much larger which will result in lower premiums.
2) Create one regulatory body (in Washington) versus the 50+ that insurance companies have to deal with now
3) Eliminate Pre-existing conditions as a barrier. Allow the insurance companies to sur-charge for preexisting conditions - capping the surcharge - but those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage
4) Cost / Expenses related to health care, be it insurance premiums, co-pays, prescriptions or Band-Aids, to be tax deductible - every penny
5) Professional (independent contractor) groups would be allowed
6) Expansion of HSA's
7) Subsidize those in lower financial arenas - establishment of a means test
8) Health Insurance will not be mandatory
9) Streamlining patient record keeping
10) Public assistance (Medicaid) expansion / easier
There are a lot more areas being explored - these are but a few
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That's one reason I'm very leery of any government plan, chances are they are half the cause for those administrative costs to begin with.
