Govt. Run Health Care

[RBBailey]

Been thinking...

If the government can run health care better than the private sector... why don't they?

If they can run it better, they would not need to raise taxes to do it, people would pay the competitive price in comparison to the poorly run private sector. They would make a profit, which is the only possible way to run a successful insurance system.

If government could run it better, they would not need to force anyone into it, people would voluntarily leave their private sector health care and go to the government run side.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

Money is of no concern to a government. Power is the only thing that matters.

I've been looking at things in a slight different manner lately. Rather than think about things in a conservative / liberal spectrum, I prefer to think of more government power / less government power.

Can anyone recall a government proposal that actually reduced the power of government? The only one I can recall is when Bush & the Republican congress lowered tax rates. Other than that, nothing comes to mind.

 

[Steve]

Anytime the federal budget is reduced there is a down-size but that doesn't answer your question. No power is lost. In the spirit of your question, Jefferson comes to mind when he repealed the whiskey tax, decreased the size of the government, defined judicial review and restored the law on aliens.

 

[RBBailey]

In other words, running a better system is not actually the main goal -- if it were, they would do it.

 

[ptschram]

Providing health care to its citizens is not a valid function of government.

Government does not exist to generate a profit, it exists to protect its citizens from force and fraud.

 

[pwp]

medicare and medicade are STELLER performers aren't they I don't think they post any losses. Plus I know at least a handfull of people over 65 that could very well pay for thier own private health care and they are just DELIGHTED that at age 65 you MUST move over to medicare.

The best part about government run health care is it will provide much needed jobs and salleries to a fine group of people where performance and a balance sheet at the end of the year is completely irrelevent.

 

[RBBailey]

Government does not exist to generate a profit, it exists to protect its citizens from force and fraud.

Bingo! Which is why the health care bill should be defeated! I'm not wanting to be forced into that fraudulent program.

 

[GotRovr]

Bingo! Which is why the health care bill should be defeated! I'm not wanting to be forced into that fraudulent program.

ditto

 

[Ballah06]

Having witnessed a government ran health care program in the former Soviet Union first hand, it is not something that i would be looking forward to.

 

[Discoinjapan]

Having witnessed a government ran health care program in the former Soviet Union first hand, it is not something that i would be looking forward to.

Dude! you can't compare the former Soviet Union to the US!

 

[apg]

Bingo! Which is why the health care bill should be defeated! I'm not wanting to be forced into that fraudulent program.

Good, 'cause no one is gonna force you into anything... 'cept maybe repeating more of the bullshit and complete fabrications from those on the far right. No doubt you believe Sarah Palin's outright lies about "death panels".... And that comparison to the former Soviet Union....:banghead: How about Cuba?

The fanatical self-interest (and perhaps self-destructiveness) of the health-care industry is staggering, considering the rapidly escalating costs. Remember, health-care costs for workers and retirees - not competition from foreign automakers - was largely responsible for bankrupting General Motors and Chrysler. In 2008, total health care expenditures in this nation rose by almost 7%, two times the rate of inflation. In 2007, total spending was $2.4 trillion, about $8,000 per capita, or a whopping 17% of the gross domestic product. That's 4.3 times the amount we spent on national defense. By 2017, health care spending is expected to increase to over 20% of the GDP. And no, all spending doesn't get us the best care in the world, hell, it doesn't even get us in the top twenty: we're #37, well behind Morocco. We're only #1 in terms of dollars spent per person, spending about twice that of the next nearest nation, Switzerland. This has to change....

 

[MarkP]

The slippery slope .....

Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare
Chuck Norris

...Dirty secret No. 1 in Obamacare is about the government coming into homes and usurping parental rights over child care development.

It's outlined in passages like Section 440 and Section 1904 of the House bill (page 838) under the heading: "Home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children," which would provide (via grants to states) for home visitation programs to educate parents on child behavior and parenting skills.

Home visitation programs? ...

....The bill says that the government agents, the "well-trained and competent staff," will "provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive language, social, emotional and motor domains … modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices, skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development."....​

which will lead to Britain To Put CCTV Cameras Inside Private Homes

 

[MarkP]

A good read that should be filed under

Reality Check​

Health Care
Bala Ambati
​

You will find yourself referencing back to this article as it contains real data vs. political points.

 

[gmookher]

my sig other is a surgeon, she shudders at the thought...

 

[brian4d]

For all the people that are for Obamacare. Can you please tell me how the government is going to control people jumping ship from their PPO or private insurer to Obamacare? The way the bill reads now anyone can switch to Obamacare. If I'm healthy why not switch esp. if it's cheaper. This will slowly but surly drive the private insurers out of business, their's not two ways about it. Speculate all you want it's simple economics..... Many, many jobs will be lost and the quality of health care will drop.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

APG, please. You crack me up.

Of course, nobody will be forced into the Government option. They will just end up there as the government option slowly kills the free market. Do you honestly think that for profit companies can compete with an entity that isn't concerned about making a profit?

It is also laughable that you think that somehow things will be different in the US with socialized medicine. Medicare and Medicaid are virtually bankrupt, the socialized health care systems in other countries are absolute disasters, but things will be different here. LOL

 

[Blue]

APG, please. You crack me up.

Of course, nobody will be forced into the Government option. They will just end up there as the government option slowly kills the free market. Do you honestly think that for profit companies can compete with an entity that isn't concerned about making a profit?

It is also laughable that you think that somehow things will be different in the US with socialized medicine. Medicare and Medicaid are virtually bankrupt, the socialized health care systems in other countries are absolute disasters, but things will be different here. LOL

Exactly....Obama has clearly stated in his lecturing monotone that "If you like your doctor you can keep your present insurance" (or words to that effect). Then out of the other side of his mouth he's saying that your present insurance will soon go out of business and you'll end up on the government tit. The end justifies the means.

Obamacare is just another socialist Obama plan, just like all the others, to spread the wealth around. Pure and simple.

 

[pwp]

: we're #37, well behind Morocco. We're only #1 in terms of dollars spent per person, spending about twice that of the next nearest nation, Switzerland. This has to change....

after Morocco based on what? you go to Morocco for brain surgery and lets us know how that works out for you.

 

[Blue]

Remember, health-care costs for workers and retirees - not competition from foreign automakers - was largely responsible for bankrupting General Motors and Chrysler. In 2008, total health care expenditures in this nation rose by almost 7%, two times the rate of inflation. In 2007, total spending was $2.4 trillion, about $8,000 per capita, or a whopping 17% of the gross domestic product. That's 4.3 times the amount we spent on national defense. By 2017, health care spending is expected to increase to over 20% of the GDP. And no, all spending doesn't get us the best care in the world, hell, it doesn't even get us in the top twenty: we're #37, well behind Morocco. We're only #1 in terms of dollars spent per person, spending about twice that of the next nearest nation, Switzerland. This has to change....

Good points. We need to let unions go the way of slavery and we need to rid our country of the infestation of frivilous lawsuits.

 

[SGaynor]

The fanatical self-interest (and perhaps self-destructiveness) of the health-care industry is staggering, considering the rapidly escalating costs. Remember, health-care costs for workers and retirees - not competition from foreign automakers - was largely responsible for bankrupting General Motors and Chrysler. In 2008, total health care expenditures in this nation rose by almost 7%, two times the rate of inflation. In 2007, total spending was $2.4 trillion, about $8,000 per capita, or a whopping 17% of the gross domestic product. That's 4.3 times the amount we spent on national defense. By 2017, health care spending is expected to increase to over 20% of the GDP. And no, all spending doesn't get us the best care in the world, hell, it doesn't even get us in the top twenty: we're #37, well behind Morocco. We're only #1 in terms of dollars spent per person, spending about twice that of the next nearest nation, Switzerland. This has to change....

Agreed. Now can you tell me exactly how Obama's plan will change any of that? His plan offers no cost controls, just an expansion to the uninsured. How does adding 40some million people to a wasteful system remove waste? Does it involve tort reform? No. Somehow reduce the cost to see a doctor/hospital? No. Does it lower the cost of drugs? No.

The only thing so far that has been some hazy offerings by the hospitals, drug companies to accept less in Medicaid/Medicare payments. Where do you think the costs will be shifted to? That's right, non-gov health insurance. (which is currently the case - doctors get paid more from private ins than from the gov programs).

If you want more, read Robert Sammulsen's op-ed:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/09/AR2009080902090.html
We're not having this debate. To engage it would require genuine presidential leadership, because, admittedly, these proposals would be hugely controversial. Medicare recipients -- present and future -- would feel threatened. Existing doctor-patient relationships might be disrupted. Spending limits would inspire fears of short-changed care. Hospitals, doctors and device manufacturers would object. Obama took a pass. He simply claims that his plan will do things it won't. What he's offering is an enlarged version of the status quo that, as he says, is already unsustainable.