Anybody who believes a public government run healthcare option is a win for all Americans is either horribly misinformed, retarded, too busy gulping the Obama kool-aid or some combination of the three.
The government public option would eventually become THE only option once the government used it's massive power to achieve price control. Once that happened, the private option would become relegated to a pay for service, black market healthcare, where only the very rich would get the best doctors and procedures. This doesn't take a genius to figure out.
This government healthcare scare has already chased some doctors into offering separate fee for service plans and out of mainstream healthcare for good.
The government run option didn't even cover tort reform. If you are wondering why this is, it's because you can continue to sue private healthcare while you can't sue the government. This becomes even more of an arm twist to get everyone in the public fold.
All I have to say is thank God that enough Americans woke up to realize that we were on the precipice of throwing away the BEST healthcare system in the world. We work our whole lives to make sure of our financial security (where paying into government social security is about to yield us nothing as it fails), why would we also place our health security in that same basket? Haven't we watched government run every social and public program into the ground or into bankruptcy? Our public healthcare would have become the VA.
Isn't it much better to be a customer with choices of healthcare options with insurance companies vying hard for your business? Competition breeds performance. The government would have turned healthcare into every other institution it runs. A huge bureaucracy with out of control costs, where one has limited choices and no recourse in navigating through the system. I would offer that the uninsured get better treatment now, showing up at an ER than they would with the government run public system.
Do we work our whole lives to be lumped in with folks unwilling to provide for themselves?
Maybe it's time to take the "Death Panel" and turn it into a "Welfare Panel". Once you are collecting government welfare for 10 years (the time period is negotiable), then "end of life" discussions can begin. It's about time we "culled" the deadbeats in our society who are costing us a fortune.
Socialized healthcare is one of the greatest trades of liberty for security that I can imagine. Very, very short-sighted and very, very stupid indeed.
But, be careful. In this era of government takeover of banks, auto and insurance companies, who's to say that they won't takeover the first failing health insurer and then convert it into the public sector healthcare option. This government is smart, crafty and has patent disregard for what the majority wants in this country. In other words, keep very careful watch over what they do, and ignore what they say!
8 comments:
Bluey,
You seem to imply that the only people who don't have healthcare or (very inadequate healthcare) are people on welfare. You and I both know that there are plenty of hard working Americans that are not as fortunate as you or I to work for employers who can afford to provide excellent healthcare or any at all. Did you ever consider that when all these uninsured people need care that we (the insured) end up paying for it anyway in the form of higher costs to pay for them? I'm not going to argue that the Obama plan is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but continuing with the status quoe ante should not be the answer either.
PS: With all you risks and various ailments, you would be at the top of any death panel list.
What you fail to realice is that much like food, housing and any other life necessity, it has to be PURCHASED by the individual. Working persons who do not buy health insurance are no different than the deadbeats, in my opinion.
Why is it okay for people to have a $300 car payment but they can't pay for healthcare? Should we have to buy these fuckers cars too? What's next? Food and Housing are rights too? Govt buys you a house and gives you free food...why work at all? C'mon Don...I know damn well you are not that far left.
The govt should stop at providing safety net care ONLY for those who are unable (not UNWILLING) to provide for themselves (children, diabled etc. And you can make a strong case that private charity should really do that.
The real horror of this healthcare is it drags down everyone into the worst plan imaginable. I guess being able to afford great healthcare is not enough to allow having it. I guess people won't be able to drive BMWs anymore either. Everyone will drive a Ford Focus. C'mon, Don...use that noodle of yours and put the koolaid down.
Bluey: You are succumbing to the fatal tactic of vastly oversimplifying the issue by making gross generalizations about huge groups of people who are American citizens, just like you or me. I simply refuse to do that. Of COURSE there are lazy people out there who are just milking the system and OF COURSE they should not be rewarded. But that ignores the fact that health care is so grossly expensive that many people simply cannot afford it unless it is provided by their job...and as I'm sure you know, many lower paying jobs simply don't offer it. It is beyond me how you can rail about the rights of every American citizen to own a gun, yet you can't fathom that every American doesn't deserve to have decent affordable health care. In your world, I guess if you have a minimum job that doesn't offer insurance and you can't afford to see a doctor, you just go without? How quaintly distopian of you. Let them eat cake I say!
The system as constituted has huge problems and they aren't getting better. I agree that Tort reform needs to occur. The conservatives had 8 years and twiddled their thumbs. I hear plenty of criticism of Obama's plans but very few solutions coming from the right. I guess that's because you even fail to realize there is a problem. You can choose to stick your head in the sand while the middle class of this country evaporates, and buy into the rhetoric of fear perpetuated by the Glenn Becks and Bill Oreilly's of the world but I'd say to you that you need to open your eyes. I travel to a lot of places for work that are in some pretty poor areas. It makes me feel lucky to have had the advantages I did starting out in life and I realize that not everyone makes the money Kate and I do and I am glad to have a president who is at least trying to improve things for those who aren't as lucky as me.
Don. I cant even begin to express my disappointment with your total lack of understanding of how America is supposed to work. I didnt grow up in a nice neighborhood with a silver spoon up my ass. Im the son of a high school educated garbageman who taught me an incredible work ethic. I was first generation in college and started working 2 jobs at the age of 13. My dad worked 2 full time jobs. I paid college tuition loans until the age of 33. Dont tell me im oversimplifying the problem. The problem is that people like you think that you can solve the less fortunate's problems by giving them free stuff instead of expecting them to work out of their problems. Thats called "enabling". Good luck as a parent if thats the way you approach problems. When you expect nothing, thats usually what you get. And the worse part of it all is that you dont mind spending my hard earned money to assuage the guilt you feel for what you have today. I do my part by contributing to several charities that hit close to home, like battered women shelters. Dont lecture me about not giving back to my community. I dont need our govt to steal my money to give it to deadbeats. If democrats are fooled into thinking that paying 70 pct of their income in taxes will save the world, let that be their folly, not mine. Our govt is rapidly approaching criminal status with what they take from us. Oh...and i buy my guns. They are not provided to me by the govt or the constitution. I love you man but you are severely misguided in your opinions.
Bluey, that was not meant as a personal attack at you or your upbringing. It appears that you took it that way, which is unfortunate and I apologize. I love you as well my friend. I've recently sworn off political discussions with Highmark, and maybe it is best if I do so with you as well. It seems lately we have very little that we can agree on and believe me I'm as disappointed as you are about that.
I am not in favor of a welfare state. I am not in favor of "enabling" lazy people to sit on their asses and leech offthe rest of us and I do expect people to stand on their own two feet. What you are ignoring is that there are many people who are doing or trying to do just that but still do not have affordable health insurance under the current setup.
Answer me one question so I can be clear on your position and I will promise allow you to have the last word (its your blog after all): Say you have a friend who works in a small business as a waitress. She is divorced with one child. She works long hours, and attends a community college in the evenings. Money is tight but she is providing for herself and her child. Her work offers only the very most rudimentary health care package. Your friend is trying to get a better job, but has not yet been successful. One day friend's child gets diagnosed with some terrible disease like leukemia, with many expensive treatments that this friend cannot hope to afford. What is this person supposed to do in your world? This is a serious question as I am trying very hard to understand where you are coming from here.
I am all for "safety net govt sponsored healthcare for the 20 or so million that fall into that category, especially children. That wont cost that much. What i am against is govt taking over everyones healthcare and offerring everyone the same "sure to be crap" program and taxing us to death to pay for it.
Post a Comment