Thread: How should we solve the health care problem?

Hello..
I see here a lot of criticism of Obama's approach, but no alternatives. We have 40 million Americans with no access to health care. We have one of the highest rates of infant mortality outside of the third world. Medical bills are the number one reason for bankruptcies. What do you think we should do?

Originally Posted by gerystuart

Hello..
I see here a lot of criticism of Obama's approach.

I love it that spam bots don't even look at the forums theyt hijack!!

Can't see any of us here loading criticism onto another countries health care reforms!!!

Makes me Laugh!!!

NHS for me all the way!!

The thing is... For a spambot, it doesn't really work because it isn't dropping links in for back links - nor does it try to sell us anything!

That said, it does pose a valid question.

As an American - one of the over riding reasons why I have never considered moving home is the lack of Health Care. When I was a kid, I shattered my knee and it cost $150,000 to put right. My mom - who is a registered nurse in the hospital where I was fixed up - had insurance through work, but it only covered 80% of in-patient bills and only a stipend of out-patient. When it was all said in done, my mom was still on the hook for near enough $30,000 to fix my knee.

Whilst the capitalist in me screams that this is fair as everything carries a price, the parent of two young children in me is scared stupid in case they fell or got ill.

I think Obama's plan, despite the media spin (death panels et al), is fair. Have a national system so that everyone is provided for like the NHS, and still allow private carriers to exist for those who can afford another option just like BUPA.

Here, if I broke a leg, I'd have NHS fix me up. If I developed a chronic illness, my BUPA cover would then be used. <meerkat> Simples! </meerkat>

When Stephen Hawkings was visiting the US, the Republicans used the opportunity to say that if there was to a national system people like him wouldn't be around! To their dismay he then put out a press statement saying that it was exactly because of the NHS that he was around and he endorsed it thoroughly.

That made me giggle when I heard about them using Hawkings to generate debate in their favour and they didn't even know he was from UK!

Aside from that I would be petrified to find out how much it cost the NHS to keep DS alive for 16.5 weeks. I love the NHS.

I really really don't get why some americans don't want free health care!

**caution - the following is the random rambling of a very tired, sick, person just home from work... MumsOnline will not be held responsible or liable for any grammatical/spelling errors within**

being home during the summer when this stuff just started to kick off - it's down to the media.

There are very few 'balanced' media outlets in the states... You have the ultra-right Fox and the ultra-left CNN. When Fox reports things such as the Death Panels and the Hawkins story, the conservatives believe it lock stock, the left thinks it's a load of bollocks. When CNN run reports on the benefits of a National Health, they often neglect to inform the taxation implications that would be involved. The ultra-left public don't care and think it's a brilliant idea. Anyone not ultra left realise that they are being fed the "party line" by the omission of tax details and start to sway.

American media is fantastic at making a frenzy (a lá 45 minute deployment of WMD etc) so when the public is inundated with the ultra-right media, they usually are quite successful in capturing swing votes and hesitant leftists.

It also doesn't help that the administration hasn't really done a great job at explaining the new system. The first few opening gambits of a national health system never mentioned, or did so in the fine print, about private health care options. It started out life as a Government option and that is all. A fact that the right media capitalised on and that's how the spin started. When the administration tried to explain that the govnt option was to provide a modicum of health care to everyone - private options are/will still be available. The right then started to spin that the explanation was a back peddle from the govnt - further proof that these people can't be trusted to keep us healthy.

Additionally, a national health system is a socialistic model and the vast proportion of the US is staunchly against any Socialist/Communist ideal. I still remember being in 3rd grade, 7 years old, being told by the teachers to "be on the look out and report any communists". While Americans are some of the most generous people I've ever met and the majority will bend over backwards to help you - they are happy to spend their time/experience doing so - but don't tax them or you'll have a revolt on your hands. The Boston Tea Party wasn't us wanting to get rid of the British - it was the 1p tax that was going to be imposed. "No taxation without representation" has been a battle cry ever since.

Thanks for that - so basically they are all being 'paniced' by the media!