Medicare for all???

Which is very different than what RodB claimed.

 

Your first line clearly underlines the biggest issue to addressing our healthcare issues; this persistent faith, without proof, that healthcare is the same as any other business and the principles of capitalism apply there too. The fact is they do not.

People are always calling up thinking there is some fixed price for any given procedure, as if they were taking their car in for service. While there is an average price for a given procedure, there is no way to know for sure whether or not there maybe complications that can add to the final costs. Keep in mind, it is your doctor or surgeon that is making your medical decisions for you, whether it is your medications, diagnostic tests, or consulting with specialists, you are relying in your doctor's experience to provide you the care you need. While they understand, in theory at least, that costs are a crucial factor towards a successful outcome, it is not their job to completely care for your financial well being too. So with those two points being out of your hands, the basic principle of caveat emptor cannot really be accomplished and is compounded by your illness itself. When you are sick, you're main goal is to heal, not negotiate pricing with your medical doctor and his office. This is insane and the reason so many people find themselves in over their head in a very short time and eventually need to file bankruptcy. It's as if we are punishing people for being sick.

That is why your second statement is so dangerous.

Thanks to the current administration and their continual attacks on the ACA, they have removed the individual mandate. Not only is this foolish on a personal level, but it also affects everyone else. It is one of the many reasons why the ACA was started in order to curb the rising costs of healthcare. Too many people were foregoing routine medical care and eventually wound up in emergency rooms in acute condition over untreated chronic conditions, and because many of those people were underinsured or had no insurance at all, who do you think paid for those costs? Everybody else!

 

Exactly right.

 

Cut out physician and hospital contracts. Cut out employer based plans. The insurance companies will have to compete for the business of 300 million customers

 

No. Today we spend 3.6 trillion a year on all healthcare. What he is saying is for 3.6 trillion we can cover everyone. When you look at how many uninsured we have now and the profit in the private sector the math works.

 

It was rhetorical.
Everyone has their desire and it tells alot about the person.
How about you? Do you want to pay the same amount for coverage as the guy that earns 5 times your income?

 

Except that you want higher earners to subsidize everyone else through a tax based scheme, so they'll pay the bulk of the costs

 

Yes we know, you're rich and love to give your money away. I've never heard that tactic used on an internet debate forum before

 

I don't think 2% would do it for us.
What kind of tax are you speaking of?

 

That's kind of how our tax system works. Welcome to the real world.

 

Yeah, I'm starting to be known as someone who refuses to be exercised looking for links that prove obvious and self evident stuff.

 

Is he going to deny it for illegal aliens? Cuz that would be racist to exclude them.

 

The problem with that issue is due to the fact it is tied with the immigration issue, and any discussion of healthcare which is focused on reducing overall costs has to figure how do we cover undocumented people. Rather than getting all into the weeds over the immigration issue, we need to ask a simple question; is healthcare a human right?

If you say it is not, then how do we deal with undocumented people?

If you say it is, then we need to focus on how we include everyone and how to treat them before they wind up in an emergency room.

It's all about costs.

 

In a few contexts, all people are the same. One of them is health.

 

The costs are 2% of everyone's income. Obviously.

Remember, we've had it for decades. It works.

 

I suspect this has far more to do with it than many are willing to admit.

Not sure how Americans got like that, but it's a yuge problem.

 

People have a right to engage the free market to acquire health care for themselves. However, it's not the function of government to ensure everyone receives proper health care and treatment. And it certainly is not a function of government to provide foreigners with taxpayer funded health care, especially foreigners who violate our immigration laws.

 

1) They aren't options if they're not medically sound options. It has nothing to do with being old or sick.

2) We save money by running necessity level care only. No frills, no luxuries, no private rooms, etc.

3) Some people demand it here, also. And they can get it just as easily as they do in America ... via private insurance and private hospitals.

 

22 different studies suggest MFA will save $

Read it and weep: https://www.commondreams.org/views/...edicare-all-would-cost-less-profit-status-quo

 

How could that be, if funding is via a percentage tax levy?

 

Our system involves wait times for non-urgent procedures. But why wouldn't it? Why SHOULDN'T it?

 

Yes, I've always found that bizarre. It's an absurd system.

 

But it IS a function of government to wage war under fraud and invade the rest of the world?

 

No, it makes no sense. Should your employer also pay your house and car insurance? How about your travel insurance? What about your art collection?

 

red herring