Originally Posted by
Saje /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is true that here in the U.S. - medicine is one of the best money can buy and I can say that from personal experience with my family.
However, I must say that I know some people who cant afford the plane ticket to get here like my family, or if they did, would have used up all of their money to afford whatever treatment they seek out. This system supports those who can afford it. Its the capitalism survival of the fittest.
Its not like every person out there has some hardcore illness (which is why people would want to come here to the US for treatment) but when it comes down to common illnesses such as colds, fevers or even a check-up and what nots, why do I still have to pay up the yinyang for that?
I think that sums up my whole feeling best thusvfar.We do have the best resources, best doctors yada yada - but when it comes to like you said, "common illnesses" or check-ups/follow-ups, certain emergency stays - all that should be free. I don't mind if it's taken out of my taxes, I mean... a whole bunch of money is already taken away on I don' know what now. Fixing roads?
Everyone should be covered no matter what. Millions of us are living without it...if it cost billions of more out of our taxes in order for everyone one to be insured, so what? We're talking about the people who get declined treatments or can't afford it...we're talking about people period.
Forgot to mention, the prices are ridiculous high for surgeries and even simple visits. $300 for my TB shot? Oh, I'm so no over that... they basically take a tiny needle and blow air or something into my arm. And that's it. $300 dollars bill next week. My friend has anxiety and his visit to the Doctor cost him $100 for water and tylenol. Bah.
Here's a little exceprt from the Oprah show:
Quote:
Princeton University professor Uwe Reinhardt, one of the nation's leading authorities on healthcare economics, says the healthcare debate all boils down to a single question. "Should the child of a gas station attendant have the same chance of staying healthy or getting cured, if sick, as the child of a corporate executive?" he asks.
Professor Reinhardt says people need to decide whether medical care should be like public education—where every American simply has a right to it—or if it should be treated like a luxury good. Currently, he says healthcare is like fine dining…if you have the money, you get it, and if you don't, you won't.
When hurricanes or other natural disasters hit, Professor Reinhardt says the government steps in to help victims. "That's social insurance," he says. "It's a natural disaster, and I would say if a lady in Mississippi has breast cancer, isn't that a natural disaster, too?"
As Michael points out in
Sicko, Americans rely on many socialized services, like the police department, public libraries and the fire department. The U.S. Army even provides socialized medicine for all enlisted men. "I'd like to call it Christianized medicine because this is what Jesus would do, right?" he says. "He wouldn't let the child of a gas station attendant go without."
Quote:
As consumers, Americans shop around for everything from cars to clothes and computers, but Professor Reinhardt says we are powerless when it comes to buying healthcare.
"Suppose I took you to [a department store], blindfolded you, pushed you through the door and said, 'Find yourself a nice blouse that fits you and make sure the price is right.' That's roughly how we buy healthcare," he says. "If you go to the hospital, what do you know about the prices? What do you know you will get? Have you ever picked your own anesthesiologist?"
It's time to simplify things, Professor Reinhardt says. In addition to current plans, he says the government should mandate that every insurance company offer the same standard package. "[Then] there wouldn't be any question of what is covered or what isn't covered," he says.
To get healthcare coverage for every man, woman and child in the United States, Professor Reinhardt believes it would cost about $100 billion in additional government spending. That's the same amount the government spends in nine months to fund the war in Iraq, he says.
It seems like a lot of money…until you look at what Americans are spending billions on every year. According to our research, consumers spend $3 billion a year on custom ringtones for cell phones, $45 billion on lottery tickets, $94 billion on beer and $537 billion in restaurants.