National Health Care Proposed

[midwestbroker]

I am not trying to start another thread like the one we had before on this topic, just wanted to share something I saw in the news.

Since the Democrats won the house and senate, the have mentioned that they are looking at a National Health Care Program, since they think everyone should have healthcare.

Has anyone heard anything more on this?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Tired of news like this. This could very well be a 30 year old thread since everytime there's been an election it's "we're gonna get national healthcare."

Listen, the closest we ever came to it was "Hillary-care" when Bill got elected. They didn't even get past town hall meetings and they got crucified.

I think the closest we'll ever get to it will model after car insurance. You have to have it, you can choose any private company, and no matter how bad your record it you must be offered it. In Maryland it's MAIF - Maryland Auto Insurance Fund. It's where you go with 10 DUI's and 5 accidents.

And by the way, we already have national healthcare. It's called Medicaid.

 

[Michael Haislip]

Who needs Constitutional authority?

 

[midwestbroker]

I too am tired of news like this, but when watching the rah-rah we won speaches one of the demos that won said that the people want a higher minimum wage and health care for everyone.

That is why I brought it back up. Pelosi already said that she is going to raise min wage within the first 100 days of her being speaker, and I know that the health issue is on the plate as well. Bush looks like he is going to sign off on the min wage issue, so how far is he willing to go to play nice?

I am not trying to beat a dead horse or start a political debate, but this is what they are talking about.

And you know how the public is about hearing things on the news...

 

[Zydo]

Back in the 40's and 50's they talked about some kind of program for the seniors. After years of debate, it became law in 1965.

One never knows.

 

[James]

I have no doubt that the Dem's are going to overplay their hands. Really, as close as all these elections were and all exit polls showing that Iraq and Scandals were the number 1 and 2 issue for the vote the Dem's yet have found a mandate for Minimum Wage and National Health Care, it should be a hoot for the next two years!

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Well, all I can say is it went a heck of a lot farther than that when Clinton got elected. National healthcare was one of his major platforms that got him elected. Right after he took office he tried to get the ball rolling to institute national healthcare. After that I've never seen such a major shift in attitude. Apparantly "the country" really didn't want any part of national healthcare when it actually came down to talking details. Support pulled back and Clinton has was wondering which bus had hit him.

I remember some of the televised town hall meetings. They were brutal. The ending sentence was that it simply cannot be funded. The government can't pick up the tab without taxes going crazy. You can't mandate that business provide coverage without small businesses folding.

England and Canada's systems are both train wrecks. Some smaller European countries pull it off. Their citizens are also taxed 50% of their wages and live very modest lives. You think you can tax "Joe Schmo" 50%? How would he pay for his cigarettes and large screen tv.

What Americans THINK national healthcare will be is their little $10 copays and seeing their specialist anytime they want. What it WILL be is a heard of cattle crammed into a sub-standard pseudo-ER facility as patients wait hours for care and 6 to 12 months for scheduled surgeries.....just like Candada and the UK.

Our healthcare:

Mother: "My daughter has a 102 fever and I'd like to bring her in."

Doctor: "You can bring her in at 11am."


National healthcare:

Mother: "My daughter has a 102 fever and I'd like to bring her in."

Doctor: "Is it life-threatening? If not I can see her in about 6 weeks."

 

[midwestbroker]

And that is just the problem John.

They are going to tell the public how wonderful the system will be with everyone having coverage. That we will all be better off and that we need to take care of each other.

However, if it is like Medicare, where private insurance companies are funded by the government to provide coverage, I am going to brush off the ol' health insurance folder and start that up again in April (when the Medicare lockin hits).

That could be very good for agents who are in the health field. It has been really good to the Medicare Advantage market.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

And just like Medicare, no doctor has to accept it. One of the wake-ups calls my parents go when they first went on Medicare was the very small percentage of doctors they could see.

So we can indeed go with national healthcare. But you can't force doctors to take patients.

Most likely, it would mirror the UK system. In the UK the poor and lower-middle get the free crappy healthcare. But the middle class on up buy private insurance and have quality care.

Right now you basically have to be indigent to go onto Medicaid. What might change is the income qualifications - lower-middle on down could now qualify for Medicaid. Go ask someone who's on Medicaid how fantastic that program is.

There is far too much wealth in this country for us to ever go with completely socialized medicine. Your lobby group against that would basically be every single person in this counrty who's middle class and above.

And by the way, I'm not against this entirely. There are huge loopholes in our system where the working poor can't get coverage. You have a lot of working families making $12 an hour, no health provided at work and cannot afford a policy. They should absolutely be able to have health insurance.

 

[James]

Oh well, lets face it with people like Rep. Stark (very anti market) Chairing the committee of Health in the House and Kennedy in the Senate the HSA and the MA is in serious trouble, of course likely the Rep's will fillibuster any bill that challenges or dismantles the HSA and MA and Bush will likely veto any bill that makes it to the White House. Yet I have no doubt the Dem's will attempt anything they can do to shut down the HSA.