I've been opposed to nationalized health care, but I'm kinda resigned to the fact that we are eventually going to get it, for better or for worse. My tumor thing has gotten me to think about it. What would have happened to me if I didn't have health insurance? My tumor is ALWAYS FATAL if untreated. Without health insurance I don't know how this thing would have been taken care of. If I made too much money for Medicaid, I would have just been screwed. Well actually, I could have just borrowed money from my parents or one of my sisters, but some people don't have that luxury. So, let's say I got in a car accident without insurance. I would have been treated for free in the emergency room. But something like cancer or a tumor doesn't get treated in the emergency room. I'm starting to question my beliefs.
Cancer treatment is expensive. I just grabbed a random day of my wife's care... For outpatient chemotherapy services rendered on 5/28/09... $68.04 (office visit) $402.00 (chemo admin) $1,500.00 (chemo drug) $197.00 (chemo admin) $5,005.00 (chemo drug) $100 (a separate injection) $15 +$21 +$15 +$63 + $540 + $36 (more drug admin costs) =$7,962.04 just for that day, and that's still not counting the expensive anti-vomiting drugs to allow her to keep the pain meds from being tossed back up. I sat with her for every session, with maybe 20 or 30 others getting chemo in that room... The TV was always on, and hour after hour, day after day, week after week we sat there watching the stock market in freefall, no one having any idea if it would ever stop, and that wasn't even the worst of the economic worries. So many times we sat there petrified, wondering just how much time we'd have before I lost my job and benefits. I was off on leave, so I had zero income and $800 rent due. Even with coverage and a good job as a foundation, it's a killer money-wise, then after that it's just a plain cold killer. I can't even begin to imagine the multitude of horrors one would deal with in the case of no insurance at all- it's hell as it is, even under "good" circumstances.
I think health care as it exists, regardless of its' expense or availability, is ill conceived and poorly administered The fundamentally unsound premise? Lives can be saved.
I don't see anything wrong with nationalized health care. I just see a problems in its relation to our government, politics, our mission stated economy (Capitalist), and the general setup of our economy. We definately have the resources to do this. I'm just not so sure we can imagine it tho.
I think it was 60 minutes and/or a newspaper article about the millions and millions of dollars lost thru fraud to the medicare system I saw recently.It's a damn shame that every time something to help people is instituted,scumbags figure how to fuck it up.These cheaters need to have some serious prison time.I'm sure there will be ways to cheat a single payer system option(which I'm for) also.
Please differentiate between nationalised health care and universal health care. You can have universal coverage without a state monopoly.
This is important. Most people when they think of universal coverage, the only thing they think of is Britain and the NHS, most industrialized countries with universal care actually don't do it this way.
I'm so sorry. *hugs you tight* It is for this very bleak and obvious reason that I endorse universal coverage. It's just unfair to expect working people who need healthcare to pay the brunt of the cost.
