IT'S TIME FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

So, universal health care = mandatory health insurance?

Make it universal. Make sure everybody gets health care, not just access to the ER in case of an emergency.

Make health insurance mandatory. It wouldn't affect most people, as they are already paying into an insurance, but you would have a larger pool of people to offer lower premiums for people with a lower income.

Those who can't even afford that would qualify for some kind of government assistance.

I believe all of that could be very cost neutral, as you're merely shifting the financing from subsidized emergency care to subsidized health care for a certain percentage of the population.


There are lots of details that you could quibble about. I see Mitt Romney's version of universal health care in Massachusetts as one version of such a concept. Other versions are certainly possible.


(Sorry. More than one paragraph.)

old europe wrote:

Make it universal. Make sure everybody gets health care, not just access to the ER in case of an emergency.

Make health insurance mandatory. It wouldn't affect most people, as they are already paying into an insurance, but you would have a larger pool of people to offer lower premiums for people with a lower income.

Actually we aren't far from that now, except for the mandatory stipulation.

Quote:

Those who can't even afford that would qualify for some kind of government assistance.

We already have Medicaid for people with very low incomes and therefore qualify for it. Plus, we have Medicare for everyone over 65, which is when more health problems begin to become more common.

Quote:

There are lots of details that you could quibble about. I see Mitt Romney's version of universal health care in Massachusetts as one version of such a concept. Other versions are certainly possible.


(Sorry. More than one paragraph.)

I understand the subsidization of the uninsured, as every hospital takes it in the shorts for that.

I could support something like what you are advocating. My main concern is that such is not an incremental move toward single payer government run health care, which is the tactic that some Democrats may use here.

Thanks for the summary.

I think I would favor some kind of mandatory catastrophic insurance unless the person or family can show he can self insure, which would include many wealthy people, however I would not advocate mandatory insurance for minor health care. For example, many people have insurance with a very high deductible, such as $2,000 or even $5,000 or more, and this works quite well. For example, we don't carry auto insurance to have oil changes performed, and there is no reason to carry health insurance for an annual checkup that may cost not much more than a couple of tanks of gasoline or so.

I think when people have insurance to cover routine office visits, you have doctors waiting rooms filled with kids with runny noses, when all they need to do is wait a few days to recover from a routine cold. If they had to pay for those visits, they would tend to more efficient about seeing a doctor.

I want to avoid another federal bureaucracy. I would rather see the people take care of their own health care issues, and in the case of where the people desire mandatory catastrophic health insurance, perhaps look at letting the states legislate it. As Amendment X of the Bill of Rights stipulates, I do not think it is constitutional to get the Federal Government involved. I realize they are already more involved than they should be, but at least I am not going to vote for more and more involvement.

okie wrote:

Who here agrees with the premise that health care is a "right" or should be a "right" and guaranteed by the government?

I think a society is measured by how it treats the vulnerable, the poor and helpless. It is measured by the compassion it shows, not just by the chances and opportunities it offers to those who are able to take care of themselves.

Health care isn't a right just like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But if we think it's okay that people are deprived of these rights because they are ill and can't pay for the treatment, I find it questionable whether the profession of those rights is really more than lip service.

So I think it makes sense for a society to see to it that health care is something everyone can obtain whenever he needs it, and it makes sense that the government that we have elected makes provisions for this to happen.

That does not mean that the government has to provide health care itself - merely that the government puts regulation into place that makes health care available for everyone.

After all,not everybody can afford a car,so they have problems getting to work.
Shouldnt the govt fix that also?

For example, we don't carry auto insurance to have oil changes performed, and there is no reason to carry health insurance for an annual checkup that may cost not much more than a couple of tanks of gasoline or so.

mysteryman wrote:

After all,not everybody can afford a car,so they have problems getting to work.
Shouldnt the govt fix that also?

Haven't they?

Buses, subways, trains, etc.

mm: Should the govt provide them automobiles?

Yes, of coarse! Make them Rolls Royce, Cadillacs and Mercedes Benzs. Why do anything half ass.

mm: Should the govt provide them automobiles?

Are you willing to pay for them? You are dumb.

Let me rephrase this another way,especially in the US...

<snip>

Owning a car isn't a right just like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But if we think it's okay that people are deprived of these rights because they are ill and can't pay for the treatment, I find it questionable whether the profession of those rights is really more than lip service.

<snip>

Doesnt that make sense also?

okie wrote :

Quote:

For example, we don't carry auto insurance to have oil changes performed, and there is no reason to carry health insurance for an annual checkup that may cost not much more than a couple of tanks of gasoline or so.

i understand that most new car warranties require that scheduled oil changes are being done or the warranty will lapse !
i doubt that many drivers will neglect the oil changes to save a few bucks and instead pay for a major engine repair out of their own pocket .
....