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Excuse me Einstein, but 400 billion divided amongst 43 million doesn't equate to 9k per person. You obviously divided 400 million / 43 million or something like that. 400 BILLION is being pumped into a system that treats 43 million people. It equates to several BILLION dollars per person. The fraud, waste, and abuse of the medicare system is well-known. The government also spends 100 billion dollars + a year to recover only 1.7 billion dollars lost in fraud. The government is wholly inefficient at running things.
I did the math without calculator, but 400 million to cover 43 million would be about $9/person. 400 Billion would be four hundred thousand million. In other words, the cost is about $9K/person, as I calculated (roughly). While there might be room for improvement to cut costs, I wouldn't raise an alarm for it. Do you seriously think those 65+ folks will get private insurance for less? IF they will be able to get one at all.
Ask your senator/representative, about how much does it cost to cover their family under the government run plan they all have, and the details to go with it. An average (employer sponsored) family plan thru private insurance runs about $13K/year.
Sicko is a good film. Back in 1971, I went to a doctor in Morristown, NJ. (Dr. B) His office visit was 7 dollars. He did a lot of tests himself, and wrote prescriptions. I cleared up a urinary infection, including medicine, and office visit for $12.00. That's what I call health care.
But because of Medicare and Medicaid (government meddling in the marketplace), it threw things out of whack, and health care costs started marching upward shortly thereafter.
Enter Ted Kennedy.
This idiot wanted legislation which became the framework our current health care system works off of. So, government created a problem, then allowed HMO's to come along and try to fix the problem the gubmlnt started in the first place.
ObamaCare is merely just another scheme for gubmint to say they're fixing a problem-one they created and messed up themselves.
I'd be interested if those who keep listing life expectancy comparisons to illustrate our sorry healthcare system realize that state to state comparisons vary wildy.
First of all, you're completely and totally ignoring predatory lawyers that are driving the cost of health-care skyward. Who do you think is REALLY paying for all those multi-million dollar lawsuits?
You're also ignoring the fact that most doctors now make LESS than politicians. Do you REALLY want doctors to become low-end, run of the mill laborers? There is a reason that we have all these foreign-born doctors practicing medicine in the United States. Think about it!
You need to do some deeper research into the NHS in the UK. Socialist health-care is NOT the answer.
And finally, you cannot find one single entity that has become more efficient and more productive as a result of being run by the government. Nothing.
Bush, when President placed a CAP on how much a person can sue, for a botched up operation.
The doctors from other countries that come here to the United States to practice is because they are paid so much money here compared to India or wherever they come from.
the World Health Organization's ratings of "overall health service performance", published in 2000, which used a "composite measure of achievement in the level of health, the distribution of health, the level of responsiveness and fairness of financial contribution", ranked Canada 30th and the U.S. 37th among 191 member nations.
Medicare works, social security works, unemployment works.
Having lived in the UK for many years, I can honestly give the NHS a big "thumbs up". While British hospitals certainly don't look like hotels, they are generally functional, efficient and there to treat the sick. I will not idly stand by and allow people to bash the NHS, because it does a great job and for a fraction of the cost.
Nothing Michael Moore said about the NHS was a lie. There are no billing departments in hospitals, having a child will cost you nada and doctors over there make a decent living and are given incentives for promoting healthy lifestyles, e.g. convincing a patient to quit smoking.
I've addressed the obesity problem in the US many times, but do you not realize that part of the problem *does* pertain to lack of affordable healthcare? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that many of the obese just happen to be lower income people, many of whom cannot afford good health insurance and don't have the information available, or the resources to make better choices. Many of them live in neighborhoods that are pretty much un-walkable and dangerous and they cannot afford gym memberships, nor do they have time to work out, since many of them have multiple / late night jobs.
Universal healthcare would give EVERYONE the ability to go for regular checkups and counselling for obesity issues. Doctors could be given bonuses to the # of people they treat and manage to convert to more "healthy" lifestyles.
You can blame the obesity problem in America on individuals all you like, but the fact of the matter is that the "for profit" system is milking the s**t out of it (and loving it too).
People aren't fat because they don't go to the doctor often enough. LOL. People are fat by lifestyle choices. A stat for you: in 1970 1 of 5 Americans were fat. Today it's pushing 3 of 4. Put it this way, 50 years ago poor people were still poor but they were skinny too. There was less junk food going around. What's the doctor going to do, perscribe TrimSpa, baby? Cripes, you know how many chubby doctors there are? Or has anyone ever seen a skinny nurse under the age of 25? Or look at Obama's pick for Surgeon General, lol. Is there a good explaination, someone give it to me, who hospital food is some of the worst things you can eat? Maybe it's just me... I don't think these are the people who should be telling us how to stay slim
And for the record, ironically, vegetable are dirt cheap at the grocery store.
p.s. Michael Moore is FAT, what does HE know about health anyway?
I will read the plan, but I'm just a citizen without specific training in health care systems, therefore no expert.
Nor am I.
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Do the experts, especially the doctors/patient advocates, all agree that a single payer plan will not work here? I'd like to hear more evidence and opinion weigh on on that. I'm open minded, but Medicare works really well and I wonder why ramping it up wouldn't serve our needs. By cutting out the middlemen and trimming program efficiencies and reducing layers, we would realize significant savings.
I can only speak for my doctor who is totally agaient this becuase she takes Medicare and she said it takes forever to get paid. She also is not sure she can handle the influx of people that she would be required to see. She also is concered that there will be more red tape to get tests and procedures done. Now that is one doctor.
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This may be a ticklish topic, but whatever changes are ultimately adopted, it makes sense to me to have a component of the new system provide considerable incentives to wellness and personal lifestyles choices..smokers, non-exercisers, alcohol and substance abusers, and those who have no health reasons for being overweight, should have to pay higher premiums...I want to see much more preventative care, wise nutritional decisions and personal responsibility on each our parts.
There's a precedence for this: Drivers who have frequent accidents pay higher premiums, drunk drivers have their licenses yanked. Good drivers get insurance discounts or reasonable premiums.
I think those who care and make efforts to protect their well-being shouldn't be penalized by those who don't.
But first, hands-on educational, nutritional and meal preparation mentoring and free/low-cost, safe recreational and exercise facilities have to be available for all...many cannot afford a gym, many only have convenience stores in their neighborhoods with few or no vegetables or fruit--but lots of junk foods and sodas...food equity leads toward healthy food choices.
And thanks for the interesting link, it's a pleasure to dialogue with you...
I agree. I do think the plan that I gave you the link to is a good alternative and could work. It is perfect? No I am sure it is not but it did get a better report from the CBO by way of cost then the current one.
People aren't fat because they don't go to the doctor often enough. LOL. People are fat by lifestyle choices. A stat for you: in 1970 1 of 5 Americans were fat. Today it's pushing 3 of 4. Put it this way, 50 years ago poor people were still poor but they were skinny too. There was less junk food going around. What's the doctor going to do, perscribe TrimSpa, baby? Cripes, you know how many chubby doctors there are? Or has anyone ever seen a skinny nurse under the age of 25? Or look at Obama's pick for Surgeon General, lol. Is there a good explaination, someone give it to me, who hospital food is some of the worst things you can eat? Maybe it's just me... I don't think these are the people who should be telling us how to stay slim
And for the record, ironically, vegetable are dirt cheap at the grocery store.
p.s. Michael Moore is FAT, what does HE know about health anyway?
....in a country that puts more "crap" in its food than anywhere else on earth (high fructose corn syrup, for example).
Healthy food is NOT more affordable in this country and add to that, this is the most car-centric on earth. Do you blame Michael Moore for that too?
Maybe Mr. Moore's next target should be the food corps and the FDA itself.
As for obesity, it's big business here and many are profiteering from it.
Are you suggesting that you can't find a healthy meal for your family at the grocery store at a lower cost than McDonald's? Because I do exactly that every day for my family of 4. 4 extra value meals is what, $20-25? I haven't been there in years, that's got to be close. I can cook an excellent meal for half that. Organic spaghetti and sauce, with breadsticks = $10. Chicken quesadillas, my own recipie with lots of ingredients, $15 and plenty of leftovers. I made cedar plank salmon with brown rice and red potatoes yesterday for $15, and I have enough potatoes and rice left for 3 or 4 more meals.
Granted I put up a stink about grocery stores myself, 9 of 10 things in 'em is crap (I know cause I've read all the labels, seriously) but it is absolutely possible to feed your family very well and keep them in great health on a budget.
p.s. you're hitting the nail on the head but may not realize it, the problem with health care isn't health care at all, IT'S THE FOOD!! But Michael Moore need not apply, he's hardly the shining example of what not to do. Watch Super Size Me or Fast Food Nation instead.
I pay about $9 a month for my health insurance (my employer picks up $265)... I went with the cheapest plan cause I am young and relatively healthy... so its about $275 a month... x 12 months is about $3300... I wonder if the 43 Million people who don't have health insurance will have a better health plan than me... if $9k per year is correct, they should have a way better plan than me... and I am paying for it??? Something doesn't smell right... unless the public plan is really offering a $2k plan and the "public" insurer pockets the $7k... sounds like typical government, taxing me and then giving money to private companies... it is corporations who are writing the laws and regulations for the public health care option... guess who the losers are...
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Huh?
