Just got my bill for January's heath insurance, it more than doubled to $733, thanks.

Yes there are stark differences how insurance is sold for cars and individuals - good points. As far as requiring health insurance, you and I and everyone else are living citizens who are also required to pay taxes, therefore similarities with car insurance end there. So take it as a given that, in the same spirit as taxes, we are required to carry health insurance - this has stood the test of the Supreme Court. I want to see what we can do as citizens to lower premiums and get better coverage.

Yet, the administration has unilaterally delayed the employer mandate and the individual mandate. Since the Supreme Court only allowed the mandate to stand by characterizing it as a tax (something which the administration argued vociferously against), is the executive branch now able to unilaterally defer or rescind taxes without Congressional input? Hmmm....
 
With respect: There is but one BAD president in recent history of the US - and it isn't Obama.

As to content of the Health Reform: It might be useful to differentiate between the idea and the execution? And seen from the outside, there is absolutely no way the old system was perfect. So go and make it work, instead of bedeviling it. As a suggestion: go and compare it to the NHS in the UK, to the private health insurance obligation of Switzerland and maybe even the Chinese health system within the Danwei??

Sorry for my rant, but your post seems so black and white.

With respect to the presidents, we've had several bad ones and Bush isn't the worst if that's who you mean. We have a man with no clear background, no accomplishments and handy to lie, ties with leftist extremists, followed blindly by half the country without questioning him, this is the worst case scenario in a free country! The world has seen this kind of leader in the past.

You're comparing US, still a somewhat free republic to European socialism. This country has a constitution and was built by people who wanted to get away from the European systems, not to go back to it. I lived in both Switzerland and the UK, I'm quite familiar with both countries, the people and health care systems. NHS is the butt of all jokes, its a horrible system. There are long wait times and mediocre care. Those who can afford it like many foreigners bypass the whole system and visit the better clinics in Harley St. that don't accept government insurance. You have a similar situation in Switzerland where some of your best institutions mostly cater to wealthy foreigners and they don't take. In the US our policies gave us access to the best. The system you knock is what created the best, not NHS or any government run system. Your education system and world political views are very different from us, Switzerland has no political bearing on the world. You also live in a country where your police force issues $1,000,000 speeding ticket with impunity. Why would I want to compare a free market based run system with one the world's worst government run one like the NHS or the Chinese, the bastion of freedom and cilvil liberties. We already have government run programs like medicaid and medicare for those who need or want it, there was no reason for the rest of to be forced into programs that we don't want.

I don't get your point with black and white, which point that I raised is not true?
 
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With respect to the presidents, we've had several bad ones and Bush isn't the worst if that's who you mean. We have a man with no clear background, no accomplishments and handy to lie, ties with leftist extremists, followed blindly by half the country without questioning him, this is the worst case scenario in a free country! The world has seen this kind of leader in the past.

You're comparing US, still a somewhat free republic to European socialism. This country has a constitution and was built by people who wanted to get away from the European systems, not to go back to it. I lived in both Switzerland and the UK, I'm quite familiar with both countries, the people and health care systems. NHS is the butt of all jokes, its a horrible system. There are long wait times and mediocre care. Those who can afford it like many foreigners bypass the whole system and visit the better clinics in Harley St. that don't accept government insurance. You have a similar situation in Switzerland where some of your best institutions mostly cater to wealthy foreigners and they don't take. In the US our policies gave us access to the best. The system you knock is what created the best, not NHS or any government run system. Your education system and world political views are very different from us, Switzerland has no political bearing on the world. You also live in a country where your police force issues $1,000,000 speeding ticket with impunity. Why would I want to compare a free market based run system with one the world's worst government run one like the NHS or the Chinese, the bastion of freedom and cilvil liberties. We already have government run programs like medicaid and medicare for those who need or want it, there was no reason for the rest of to be forced into programs that we don't want.

I don't get your point with black and white.

Wow! Just wow! I will say this...no need to go back to the gate as your blinders are working perfectly.
 
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With respect: There is but one BAD president in recent history of the US - and it isn't Obama.

As to content of the Health Reform: It might be useful to differentiate between the idea and the execution? And seen from the outside, there is absolutely no way the old system was perfect. So go and make it work, instead of bedeviling it. As a suggestion: go and compare it to the NHS in the UK, to the private health insurance obligation of Switzerland and maybe even the Chinese health system within the Danwei??

Sorry for my rant, but your post seems so black and white.

"With respect: There is but one BAD president in recent history of the US - and it isn't Obama"...thanks Switzerland for straightening us out on that. Your input on the matter is highly valued..
 
Gentlemen, let's keep things cordial and not have comments directed at any member of the WBF. Everybody is entitled to their viewpoints and/or opinions. Whether you agree with them or not does not warrant a snide comment or personal attack. Please keep this in mind when posting on this thread.

Tom
 
Twenty Years from now, the Affordable Care Act will be taken for granted as much as Social Security.Most people in the USA including the most vociferous opponents to Obamacare don't think twice about receiving their SS check .. Will be same ...

SS comes from people's hard work, its collected from us by the government and then handed back to us, government isn't paying it, we are. Who knows how that money would work for us if we were given the opportunity to invest it by ourselves. Still you can spend your SS money of what you want, its not the case with obamacare, that money is taken from you and you're not getting it back. Think about your quote, "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." that's exactly what bigger government is!


Nothing of value was ever accomplished without pains and sacrifices

Nothing is as valuable as the principles of a free society; Unalienable Right to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness, a very high price was paid to gain to these rights why would you want to give any of it up so willingly?

david
 
No, we should have the right to refuse it!

Everyone, regardless of their position in life, has a right to proper healthcare.
 
Everyone, regardless of their position in life, has a right to proper healthcare.

Interesting. I have a few questions:

1. Define 'proper healthcare'
2. Is proper healthcare a fixed target or does it change with time/changes in technology, etc?
3. Is there a monterary limit on 'proper healthcare'?
4. If someone else/society is paying for your 'proper healthcare', is it proper for society to demand certain behaviors as tradeoff/compensation for unearned benefit? For example, can we deny lung cancer treatment to smokers? Do we demand certain body mass indices to receive public health benefits?
 
I think some people on this thread are forgetting that people who have no health insurance either through choice or circumstances end up using their local hospital's emergency room as their family doctor. People who stub their toe or think they have the flu pack the ER at hospitals. Who pays for the 'free' care they receive? We all do. Just like we all pay more for everything we buy from retail stores to help offset their 'inventory shrinkage' caused by employees and customers who don't want to pay for merchandise and think it's their right to steal it. Just as people who ride motorcycles fight for no-helmet laws, the issue of them having health insurance to cover their brain injuries is not brought up. They claim it's their right not to wear a helmet, but it's our responsibility to pay for their care.

Bottom line is that everyone should have health insurance. It's only a question of when you are going to need it and not if.
 
This (above) is how I hope it shakes out. Something that disturbs me is that even though it has passed, people are wanting and even working for it to fail.

Please don't forget how it passed and those who voted for it never allowed to read it! It might be the law of the land for you and I but the president seems to be able to dick with it according to his whims and political agenda. Prohibition was the law of the land too, what good came out of it? Besides, for now, it is a failure by design.

The most vociferous opponent to the ACA has been the insurance industry, which some might say should tell you something. Over $500 million so far, a couple of stories on this:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/15/health.care.lobbying/index.html#cnnSTCText

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickung...reform-while-pretending-to-support-obamacare/


and forbes isn't exactly a bastion of liberalism

This should tell you something about the notion that insurance companies are the ones benefiting from the law most. They're reduced to brokers of government led policies and we're the minions FORCED into buying it. Losers, all of us, the gains all go to big government and their takeover of our economy and our private life.

david
 
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You're talking about access, not rights and I'm all for that. obamacare is taking away Rights, not giving them to anyone.

When I say healthcare is a right I mean that people should be treated for their condition/illness without worry and knowing that they will get that treatment ...no questions asked. That to me is a right every human being should have.

Interesting. I have a few questions:

1. Define 'proper healthcare'
2. Is proper healthcare a fixed target or does it change with time/changes in technology, etc?
3. Is there a monterary limit on 'proper healthcare'?
4. If someone else/society is paying for your 'proper healthcare', is it proper for society to demand certain behaviors as tradeoff/compensation for unearned benefit? For example, can we deny lung cancer treatment to smokers? Do we demand certain body mass indices to receive public health benefits?

With respect Jazzdoc....asking me these questions is what is so wrong with your system. When oneone is ill you treat them...you don't ask questions.
 
I think some people on this thread are forgetting that people who have no health insurance either through choice or circumstances end up using their local hospital's emergency room as their family doctor. People who stub their toe or think they have the flu pack the ER at hospitals. Who pays for the 'free' care they receive? We all do. Just like we all pay more for everything we buy from retail stores to help offset their 'inventory shrinkage' caused by employees and customers who don't want to pay for merchandise and think it's their right to steal it. Just as people who ride motorcycles fight for no-helmet laws, the issue of them having health insurance to cover their brain injuries is not brought up. They claim it's their right not to wear a helmet, but it's our responsibility to pay for their care.

Bottom line is that everyone should have health insurance. It's only a question of when you are going to need it and not if.
So is there a discount that is coming our way because the free ER thing is gone for unisured?
 
I think some people on this thread are forgetting that people who have no health insurance either through choice or circumstances end up using their local hospital's emergency room as their family doctor. People who stub their toe or think they have the flu pack the ER at hospitals. Who pays for the 'free' care they receive? We all do. Just like we all pay more for everything we buy from retail stores to help offset their 'inventory shrinkage' caused by employees and customers who don't want to pay for merchandise and think it's their right to steal it. Just as people who ride motorcycles fight for no-helmet laws, the issue of them having health insurance to cover their brain injuries is not brought up. They claim it's their right not to wear a helmet, but it's our responsibility to pay for their care.

Bottom line is that everyone should have health insurance. It's only a question of when you are going to need it and not if.

1) According to the Obama administration (in its arguments for the individual mandate before the Supreme Court), uncompensated care for so called "free riders" represents less than 2% of our total healthcare expenditures.
2) According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, while the unisured are 15% of the population, they account for only 14% of ER visits and 12 % of ER expenditures (http://kff.org/health-costs/report/characteristics-of-frequent-emergency-department-users/)
3) The costs (~$45 Billion according to the Obama adminstration) of "free riders" is largely offset by the $40-50 billion sent annually by charitable organizations and governments compensating providers for treating the uninsured.
4) Most importantly, the 'free rider' issue obscures a significantly larger problem: undercompensation for care. Guess who is the largest contributer to underpayments? It's Uncle Sam. Medicare reimburses less than 90% of the costs of treating a patient; Medicaid is even worse.
 
So is there a discount that is coming our way because the free ER thing is gone for unisured?

I wouldn't sit on a picket fence waiting for it Amir. You are still going to have a hardcore population of people who will remain uninsured and continue to use/abuse ER services. The first year penalty for not having health insurance is $75. If you are homeless and living off-the-grid and not paying any taxes/bills anyway, you won't be coughing up the $75 fine either.
 
When I say healthcare is a right I mean that people should be treated for their condition/illness without worry and knowing that they will get that treatment ...no questions asked. That to me is a right every human being should have.

Do the health givers have any rights in this equation?
 

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