Oh oh! I feel an ache coming on. Could be a pulled muscle, or it could be that I haven't gotten over that touch of pneumonia I had last November. I ought to go see a doctor, but how can I: "Healthcare" hasn't passed! Oh wait, excuse me. I forgot, I'm one of that 87% of the populace that already has adequate healthcare. I guess I just got excited about the "crisis" mentality the Democrats have been trying to foment on this issue. [gratuitous slam of Democrats now over, forwards to the main point of this thread]
I have suggested this before and have heard it repeated recently by Democrats. What makes a lot of sense is -- rather than a gigantic unmanageable healthcare bill -- a series of smaller bills each targeted to a specific weakness in the healthcare system. You know, the healthcare system is NOT crumbling and failed. Lots of people get healthcare needs fulfilled -- too many to say the system has crashed and burned. There is a problem with pre-existing conditions? OK, draft a specific law treating this problem. There is a problem with nuisance and excessive malpractice damage suits (you know, seeking a remedy for medical malpractice should not be viewed as playing the lottery where the objective is to pull down a $100,000,000 winning ticket), draft a specific law treating this problem.
You have 17% of the population who don't have healthcare and bad things come from that ((1) inefficiency from visiting emergency rooms for non-emergency issues because they can't be turned away and (2) maladies that would be treated simply and inexpensively if treated in their infancy become grave and expensive to treat in the emergency room later), deal with this problem in separate and limited legislation.
Some insurance companies aren't playing fair? Write limited and targeted legislation to deal with this specific problem.
Rather than scraping the system and starting out with a whole new system, evolve and refine the existing system. Anyone who has been involved in software engineering is well aware of the problems that come from fielding a big bad brand-new system. They are plagued with bugs. An early theorist, Brooks, actually recommended building a first system to fully understand the problem, throw away the first system, and build a second system that delivers the functionality that is really needed. This would be what we get with a massive new healthcare system -- a system plagued with major faults.
One of the things recommending the big huge project the Democrats pushed was the massive amount of power this would concentrate in the hands of government -- this in fact was the only justification for this approach, not the need to address real problems. The real problems are much more effectively and efficiently addressed by a series of small bills.
Oh wait, excuse me. I forgot, I'm one of that 87% of the populace that already has adequate healthcare.
At what cost? The PRIMARY problem is cost, period. I don't recall anyone suggesting that we simply don't have "adequate" health care. Yea, excuse you. You've failed to address the primary problem right out of the gate.
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a series of smaller bills each targeted to a specific weakness in the healthcare system.
If it were so easy, why did the Republicans never do it? But I would go along with you...if it were only as simple as you pretend that it is.
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There is a problem with pre-existing conditions? OK, draft a specific law treating this problem.
Show me specifics as to how you would address this particular issue. What you've posted is like saying, "Got problems with expensive energy costs? Go find free, efficient energy sources somewhere." Would that life should be so simple, eh?
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You have 17% of the population who don't have healthcare and bad things come from that ((1) inefficiency from visiting emergency rooms for non-emergency issues because they can't be turned away and (2) maladies that would be treated simply and inexpensively if treated in their infancy become grave and expensive to treat in the emergency room later), deal with this problem in separate and limited legislation.
Same as above. Grossly understated; presumes first and foremost, that legislation can cure COST problems. Show me specifics of how you would legislate people back into the system to preclude inefficiency in utilization and provide coverage for the uninsured and the uninsurable. How do you force people to get treatment, when they have no money and it is NOT covered anywhere but the emergency room? What, do you force physicians to provide care free of charge in doctors offices? Specifics, please. Then we'll actually have something to address...other than pie in the sky. HOW would legislate away this problem?
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Some insurance companies aren't playing fair?
First how are they not "playing fair?" Not sure specifically what you mean here. They've been accused of a number of issues. Which one are you referring to?
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... this in fact was the only justification for this approach, not the need to address real problems. The real problems are much more effectively and efficiently addressed by a series of small bills.
Your suggestions certainly did not address the "real problems" either. You're simply saying, "Just fix it." Sounds clever on paper, but doesn't hold water. Show me.
Specifics are not nearly as easy as you paint them. Otherwise your "solution" would be a done deal decades ago and we wouldn't be where we are at this moment in time.
You've failed to address the primary problem right out of the gate.
This is way to funny. A statement coming from someone who couldn't himself discuss the main reason we have our healthcare costs rising. Remeber VC, you dodged and ducked every question put to you on how do you control rising costs when the number one insurer, the US Government, refuses to pay their full bill and instead only pays 70 cents on the dollar forcing everyone else to pay that hidden tax. It should have been very easy for you to answer the question. After all, the papers have been full of the baby boomers about to retire and overburden an already broke system. Then again, you don't even see a problem that doctors are refusing medicare and medicaid patients more and more. Oh yeah, I think one time you responded by saying doctors were over paid anyway. Great thoughtful answer there VC.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
Lol, you may continue to fabricate whatever amuses you, FM. You failed to address anything pertinent in the last two threads. I have no logical choice but to ignore you until you can show some spine.
But if it trips your trigger you may continue to contrive whatever "victories" you wish you had had and then declare them as having actually taken place.
Lol, you may continue to fabricate whatever amuses you, FM. You failed to address anything pertinent in the last two threads. I have no logical choice but to ignore you until you can show some spine.
But if it trips your trigger you may continue to contrive whatever "victories" you wish you had had and then declare them as having actually taken place.
Bye!
Thank god, are you for real this time? Your going to ignore me? Hey VC, you claim to be intelegent, why can't you address the cost issue caused by the predicted babby boomers retiring and the fact the government refuses to pay their full bill. Wouldn't that be much easier for such and inteligent person instead on stooping to insults. After all you make the claim that I duck the questions but you clearly have in this one as well as others. It takes many of poking and proding posts for you to address the actuall issues instead of attacking me. That doesn't back up the claim of a so call advanced degree now does it?
Also for the record, you did make the claim doctors were over paid. Remember, I responded with the claim "Contract Specialist" were over paid.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
VC, you hit the nail on the head with only 6 words while others have to babble paragraph after paragraph of nonsense. The problem is rising costs and the republicans did JACK for 8 years to address it. If they would had done at least something maybe they wouldn't have to worry about what Obama is trying to do now. No one's fault but their own for not addressing something that needed it.
VC, you hit the nail on the head with only 6 words while others have to babble paragraph after paragraph of nonsense. The problem is rising costs and the republicans did JACK for 8 years to address it. If they would had done at least something maybe they wouldn't have to worry about what Obama is trying to do now. No one's fault but their own for not addressing something that needed it.
Hey lookie a toadie. Hey steve, why is the cost rising? Don't you think soring government roles and refusal to pay their full bills has any affect on cost? Do you think all these years of warning about Medicare and Medicaid not having the funds to cover the baby boomers that we were lieing?
Here is a solution to your rising heathcare costs. Don't have any medical treatments.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
VC, you hit the nail on the head with only 6 words while others have to babble paragraph after paragraph of nonsense. The problem is rising costs and the republicans did JACK for 8 years to address it. If they would had done at least something maybe they wouldn't have to worry about what Obama is trying to do now. No one's fault but their own for not addressing something that needed it.
What Obama is trying to do now is make the political power grab to control 1/6'th of the GDP and aspects of our personal freedoms that the government has no right or business being involved in. If this is such an important priority that supposedly affects every single American, why then won't they let it go to a national referendum? Because they know the public won't support it. What happened to all that transparency that was promised, open and honest debate televised on CSPAN. Pelosi's answer " There's a lot of things said on the campaign trail".
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Obama=The Fourth Reich,
Just look at the parallels of the Nazi regime and the Obama Administration amazingly similar arent' they.
What Obama is trying to do now is make the political power grab to control 1/6'th of the GDP and aspects of our personal freedoms that the government has no right or business being involved in. If this is such an important priority that supposedly affects every single American, why then won't they let it go to a national referendum? Because they know the public won't support it. What happened to all that transparency that was promised, open and honest debate televised on CSPAN. Pelosi's answer " There's a lot of things said on the campaign trail".
Bush was president for 6 years with his party being the majority in congress. Why couldn't they have looked into healthcare when they had the chance?? But NOOO, they just pushed it all aside and now you have someone in power who really wants to reshape everything. If you don't address problems they can get worse, and this is what happened here. Many people sing this tune that 90% of the people out there are insured, but exactly how well are they insured and how much are they paying for this insurance? Years ago your company gave you health insurance for your whole family with minimal cost if any to employees. How many companies offer full family coverage for free these days? You may get coverage for yourself thru your company, but for family coverage you have to cough up some good money if not the whole difference between single coverage and family coverage. Where is this all going to go? I will tell you where. Just as company pension plans and other fringe benefits have gone the way of the dinosaur, so will health coverage. One will need to buy it on their own just as they do car insurance. And I will bet anyone any money that the cost won't be a penny lower than it is through employers if everyone has to purchase plans for themselves. Nope, none of my other insurance premiums have ever gone down, and this one won't either. The cost of health insurance has been rising up to 10 % or more per year for a good many years now. Not like this trend will stop if some things aren't addressed.
i do not like the healthcare plan that the Democrats pushed through the house and senate. However, they did try to do something. It would not have mattered what kind of healthcare reform the Democrats proposed, the Republicans in congress would have opposed it.
Every month i get a statement on the cost of my prescription meds which are paid for by Tri-Care For Life and Medicare. Last month my Dr. put me on a new medication. The cost for a three month supply (90 pills)was $694. Those 5 milligram pills cost $7.71 a piece. That is $1.54 per milligram. Tri-Care is trying to get me to use the Tri-Care pharmacy for my five meds. Problem is that they do not stock three of them, including the expensive one.
The cost of healthcare and meds is totally out of control in this country. Something needs to be done about it.