IT'S TIME FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

We have Universal Health Care by law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The cost to the individual, who lacks a contribution from his employer will vary from $300-$700/month.

Above the poverty level, the primarily factor determining cost to the individual is his age, and then locale within the Commonwealth of his residence. For instance, a person 20-30 years old may be paying $300/month, while a person 60-64 years old may be paying $700+per month. It's also determined by the number of particpants from each specific age group in the plan.

While this plan maybe Universal, I don't think that $8400/year is cheap insurance and in fact, this is the very same rate, that was in existence prior to the establishment of Unversal Health Care in Massachusetts.

Insurance is available in Massachusetts, but at a PRICE.

If the US as a whole eventually adopts the MASSCHUSETTS PLAN, I don't think it will be affordable for everyone and in fact, in some States, individual insurance rates could be even higher than those in the Commonwealth.

Age is the pimarily factor for the private insurances here, too. (That's why they are rather cheap for the young aged .... and quite a few seniors don't know how to pay it.)

Based on comments from some very knowledgeable people, the most dangerous thing you can do is to ingest food, drugs, or vitamins made in China.

You may have just read about the execution in China of the guy in charge of inspecting such products.

Nurses association rejects insurance-based healthcare reform.


The California Nurses Association issued a press release on Wednesday calling for the California legislature to reject healthcare reform which is based on continued involvement of health insurance. It also issued a related press release earlier in the month regarding universal healthcare in Canada and other countries.

The association's president stated that a "comprehensive overhaul" of the current healthcare system is necessary, and voiced support for a bill which would establish universal healthcare in California. She called the present bill lawmakers are considering to pass "deceptive" and a "windfall" for health insurance businesses. The press release also indicated that she referred to insurance companies as being the source of the problem, rather than providing a solution, citing Michael Moore's recent movie "Sicko" regarding the U.S. healthcare system.

Earlier in the month, the California Nurses Association issued another press release which criticized the U.S. media and others for spreading claims regarding "long waiting times" for healthcare in countries with universal healthcare systems. It referred to a Commonwealth Fund study which indicated that the U.S. had longer waiting periods than Britain, Australia, Germany, or New Zealand. The press release also indicated that data regarding Canada reported by the American media is often outdated or misleading.

It has long been disputed whether countries with universal healthcare, like Canada, Costa Rica, Sweden, Cuba, and others have a preferable system to that of the United States. Based upon CIA World Factbook statistics, Canada has an infant mortality rate of 4.63, while it is slightly worse (6.37) in the U.S. Cuba's rate is 6.04, and Sweden's 2.76. As for life expectancy, the CIA World Factbook indicates that Canada's is 80.34, the U.S. 78, Costa Rica 77.21, and Cuba slightly less at 77.08. Regardless of which system is preferable, the U.S., Canada, and Cuba all have substantially higher life expectancies than many other countries in the region, such as Honduras (69.35), Columbia (72.27), the Dominican Republic (73.07), and Grenada (65.21).

According to the California Nurses Association website, their organization was founded in 1903 and has more than seventy-five thousand members. It has a national branch called the National Nurses Organizing Committee, and refers to itself as a "leading national advocate" for the implementation of a universal healthcare system. The organization is based in the city of Oakland, California.

Weight is a big problem in the US, one of the countries where the problem is a major health issue affecting insurance and impacting any universal health plan. The food pyramid (not wheel, sorry) is not one a person genetically prone to gaining weight should follow at all, even with a good exercise program:



I'm not overweight but I wouldn't follow that pyramid. Too many carbs to fill up on in proportion to the natural sugar in fruit and vegetables against the fat in some protein meals. Miller is correct.

This isn't the pyramid I'm referring to. They released a new one in 2004.
http://www.mypyramid.gov/ . This pyramid isn't perfect, but it's much improved over the old one. Harvard released an even better one that still places carbs as highly important http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/pyramids.html

I'm sorry though, I have to disagree. A calorie is a calorie. The only way to lose or gain weight is to eat more/less calories, whatever the source.

Fat people are not fat from eating too many carbs, they are fat from eating too many calories (too much food). People in China eat a ton of rice, tons of carbs, and they don't seem to have the same weight problems the US has.

Now, obviously some carbs are better for you than others (grains, oats, fruit vs candy, cookies, chips), but you NEED carbs to have a healthy lifestyle/diet.

California needs to study the Universal Health Care program found in Massachusetts, before they start their own program.

Thanks for the link to the new pyramid -- I actually was so put off by the original pyramid that I wasn't following it at all. I am not prone to gaining weight but I can gain weight by increasing carbs. 3 ounces of carbs from starchy foods is more like it, but I doubt that I consume more than 2 ounces per day. As far as label watching, check out the added sugar in many 100% whole grain breads.

The best course for an overweight person is to follow a doctor, nutritionist or dietician's recommendations rather than this pyramid. Asian's genetics obviously allow them to consume more starches. Most Asian food has a lot of vegetables and meat such as chicken sans the skin and lean cuts of beef or pork, mostly stir fried in small amounts of peanut oil.

It helps that I don't eat beef or pork but once or twice a week and grilled to leach off the fat. Occasionally I will buy a whole chicken but my primary diet is skinned white meat chicken.

But then, I'm not genetically prone to gaining weight and I excercise appropriate to my age. I'm referring to the millions of overweight people in the US.

Most Americans don't work 20 hr day shifts at hard labor as do many of the Chinese, while eating a bowl of noodles and water.
I'll pass on that approach to fitness, thank you...

Advocate: Based on comments from some very knowledgeable people, the most dangerous thing you can do is to ingest food, drugs, or vitamins made in China.

You may have just read about the execution in China of the guy in charge of inspecting such products.


China is now rebelling against American food, and have restricted food stuffs into China from the US claiming our food isn't safe either.

maporsch is right about moderation and exercise. There's an article in today's local newspaper about a 85 year old man who runs about five hours every day, and he's still in tip-top shape. I think moderation is exercise is also acceptable; one doesn't need to run five hours every day to stay healthy.

Also, the people of Japan eat a ton of rice, and they have one of the longest life spans on this planet. They also eat a ton of fish.

I don't know about the rice being responsible for that long life span but the fish is highly suspect. I don't eat enough fish and take a supplemental healthy oils including fish oil. You'd think with Santa Monica Seafood being on my way home (well, if I don't take the toll road and drive through Newport Beach), I'd be eating more. A Japanese food diet is certainly one of the healthiest. Lots of bicycling as well.

Of course, maporsch is correct about moderation and exercise. I was being critical of the US having such a high percentage of overweight people. not even attempting to tell them once again that they are not practicing moderation and taking exercise. I have a weakness for cheese, eggs and butter so I lower my calorie intake by lowering carbs, but a higher percentage of that is curtailing sugar. I get most of my sugar from fruits.

If he runs 5 hours every day, does that 5 hr include all of his numerous trips to the bathroom?

They also have a high rate of gastric carcinoma too, don't they?

Well, we've sport groups for seniors here: they don't have bathrooms where they do their runnings/walkings. And indeed, I have some doubts that our health insurances would pay that.

But they do have mobile restrooms for senors who do sports in the USA, Miller, paid by the private health insurance or in MA?

I was referring to the bathrooms at home... :wink:

Miller, I don't know about the bathrooms and gastric carcinoma, but it doesn't seem to be too important to the people who enjoy good health.

I also have a weakness for cheese, and must watch myself.

Too much cheese can lead to constipation...not a good thing as one ages!