Socialized medicine

In the United States conservatives claim that the U.S. health system is the best in the world. They like to complain about long “waiting lists” in countries that have “socialized medicine,” and to boast of people who travel to the United States to benefit from U.S. health care. Nevertheless, a Harris Poll taken July 2, 2008, indicates that of “Ten Developed Countries: The U.S. System Is Most Unpopular and Dutch System the Most Popular.”

In addition to being unpopular, the U.S. health system is more expensive per capita than the health system of any other country. Nevertheless, the life expectancy in the United States is lower than in countries with universal health care, and the child mortality rate is higher.

 

Um....Well, here in Canada, we got the universal healthcare, as you know. I'm surprised by the amount of people I find that aren't big fans of it, but I think it's brilliant to be honest. Even if I'm healthy and don't need a doctor very often, I like the idea that my taxes can go to people who do need doctors who may not have been able to afford it themselves. Not having to deal with insurance companies (not that I have to anyways) must also be a plus.

Another argument that is hard to counter besides the waiting list one, is the one that everybody with good health must pay for the smoker's cancer treatment, or the overweight persons heart surgery. It is somewhat frustrating to think about how everyone doles out money for these things, but to know that everyone is relatively safe because the country is looking out for them kinda overshadows the fact that people make bad choices. At least, that's kinda the way I see it. Personally, I wish Canada had higher taxes like in Europe. Better education and better healthcare along with better social programs and less spending on military. But everyone around me says that they're already ridiculous and that I'll change my mind as soon as I make a larger salary (only part-time work and a student now). I doubt it though. If my money is going to support the health, education, and environment of this country, I'm a lot more for it...unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working that way too well....

 

The only thing socialized medicine would do is greatly lower the already low standards of health care, while eliminating any personal choice. Freedom for a person to decide on what kind of treatment they receive would fly out the window and all we're left with is sub-par care and overpriced and toxic drugs courtesy of Pfizer and Eli Lilly. They're already trying to outlaw vitamins in Canada under Codex Alimentarius.

If you think the government cares about your health, you're right. They want the public to be sick and weak enough to not fight against its tyranny as they continue to pump out the drugs for whatever ailments they can make up off the top of their heads. Now they want to give statins to children as young as eight years of age.

I guarantee an already unhealthy US population would be made even more unhealthy under a socialized system of medicine.

When the government controls your health care, they can also determine when it's time to stop providing care for terminal illnesses like cancer. They can dictate which segments of the population are and are not worthy of medical care. If you're "too old," well then maybe you're not worthy of having the taxpayers' money spent on you to save you. This fits nicely into their eugenics plan.

 

As far as comparing America to other industrialized countries. American life expectancy is affected by some things not related to healthcare. Basically America has more murders than those other countries.

Those other countries probably have better diets than Americans. We eat too much junk food in this country which affects our health especially heart health. I wouldn't be surprised if America's obesity is one of the worst.

I once read that U.S child mortality was higher because more American women were waiting until they got older(over 35) to have babies and this increased problem births.

 

That's why nationalized healthcare would bankrupt the US.

 

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That's why nationalized healthcare would bankrupt the US.

We could easily afford it. But the problem is that we cannot afford both a national healthcare system, and the Republican quest to take over the whole fucking planet. And of course, conservatives have only one real goal, and that's world conquest.

 

Currently the US healthcare system is held accountable to the public like any other private corporation like Wall Street or banks.

The Media is the main force holding healthcare accountable by exposing malfeasance and corruption.

Should healthcare be brought under the goverment umbrella, media will loose all interest in exposing corruption. Media is loathe to expose goverment run programs to public scrunity. Media does not want to empower:
" Rebublican budget cutters who endanger women and children"
and other pious sophmoric blather.

Would that media show any interest in exposing goverment corruption we could have more confidence that these programs are held to standards.

 

Believe me, if the US media is any relation to the British media. They will take every opportunity to find scandal or problems in a national health system.

 

...because this is occuring in other countries that have socialized medicine, right?

 

There was a time when people were being held accountable for not going through the public heathcare system in Canada when they needed life saving surgeries.

Canadas supreme court recently ruled that unconstitutional. So I think the whole 'eugenics' argument falls apart right there.

 

I think the way things are now is ridiculous. We pay over $600 for a family of 4, and that only covers hospitalization....no dr visits, prescriptions, etc. And only after a $3000 deductible will it kick in. (They're never going to have to pay anything...we just have to pay them $7000+ a year). But we keep in in case "something awful" happens.
I think access to healthcare is a right, not a privilege.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in many countries, doesn't half your income go to taxes, which pays for all the shit our taxes do, + healthcare, + even education?
The way I see it, 1/3 of our income gets taken away for taxes now, I'd sure as hell be willing to give up 1/2 of it for these other benefits.
It pisses me off that medicare and medicaid are abused as they are...often thousands of dollars are wasted treating someone that has nothing wrong with them because the clinics and hospitals view medicaid/mecicare as a cash cow (and I realize they don't get as much from it as they get from private insurance for the same procedures, but it is guaranteed money as it is from the government). And where will medicare and even social security that we've paid into for years be when we retire? It won't be there.
I just really feel that if you are sick or in pain and need treatment, you should be able to have it without worrying if you will be able to pay for it. Or getting sued by the hospital because you can't pay a $50,000 bill within two months of getting out. Shit really needs to change.

 

Nationalized healthcare.. It's going to be run by people like the ones in charge of FEMA or the war in Iraq. Corrupt doctors will be able to double bill to their hearts content.

 

Instead of the people in charge of IndiMac?

As if fees are reasonable in our system.

 

Providing gov't healthcare to 300 million Americans will be more complicated than providing it to 11 million Cubans or 30 million Canadians basically.

 

It will simply be of larger scope.

So was putting a guy on the moon. It's certainly not impossible, we're just willing or we're not.

 

The government doesn't have to "run" healthcare.They would just have to provide constant oversight to prevent scams and thereafter shut up and pay.It's time doctors made ALL the medical decisions and to eliminate the insurance companies that are middlemen concerned only with profits and are known to play games with people's health,again concerned only with said profits.Seems to have worked and is working quite well for our legislators.The usual fear-mongering by vested interests is what's stopping it.And conservatism.

 

In the UK the conservatives would never fuck with healthcare.

Theres nothing essentially conservative about objection to public healthcare as there would be for example objection to public roads.

 

Who wants it more--conservatives or liberals?Would the conservatives like to fuck with it in the UK?

 

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