Even Republicans are proposing Universal Health Care

Sat

Feb 24 2007

03:11 pm

By: DavidLeeHiker

A baby is deprived of oxygen just after birth. If the baby can get aggressive medical now, her chances for a more normal life improve. If not, the drain she will place on her parents and the social service systems in decades to come will be enormous. The services she needs are not covered by the meager services provided by TennCare. Her own medial providers convince the parents to hire a lawyer; this is the only way the baby can obtain the resources needed now, resources that will yield huge savings later.

47 Million Americans don’t have health insurance. Millions more are at risk for loosing coverage. We are at the bottom of industrialized nations in regarding to healthy life expectancy and infant mortality, yet we spend twice as much per person as other developed countries. The total cost of American health care: $2.2 trillion.

Universal health care will be the domestic issue of the 2008 Presidential campaign.

Baker

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Sat, 2007/02/24 - 4:02pm.

In a small quote in the Sentinel a couple of months ago Howard Baker said he was for it. Stacey

Edwards is such a

Submitted by youngwithouttheg on Sat, 2007/02/24 - 4:30pm.

Edwards is such a progressive candidate and really speaks his mind. I read some where that he fired all of his advisors (or dropped them). He didn't want people to tell him what he should be saying to win votes, but rather wanted people to see who he actually was.

It is really refreshing to see a candidate that actually has a plan for what he wants to do. If we in the DP want to win in 08 we need to get behind someone that has experience and ideas to move us forward. Vote Edwards!

Another interesting

Submitted by R. Neal on Sat, 2007/02/24 - 5:25pm.

Another interesting development:

(link...)

Standing with the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and national labor and civic leaders, SEIU today helped launch a historic, new cooperative effort with the goal of fundamentally changing the nation’s broken health care system.

The founding members of the new partnership, which was announced at a Washington, DC, news conference, are SEIU and Wal-Mart, the largest health care union and the largest corporation in North America, respectively; AT&T; Intel; Kelly Services, Inc.; Communications Workers of America; the Center for American Progress; the Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy; and the Committee for Economic Development.

It seems corporate America is figuring out that a solution is good for the bottom line.

And here't their 10 point vision plan:

(link...)

1. It is time for our nation to guarantee affordable health care coverage for all Americans. Piecemeal reform is not a solution.

2. The current employer-based health care system is not the foundation for 21st century health care reform, particularly given the competitive challenges of a global economy.

3. A universal health care system must ensure a choice of doctors and health care plans without gaps in coverage or access, and the delivery system must meet the needs of at-risk populations.

4. A universal health care system must include a core health care benefit similar to one that is available to federal employees.

5. Preventive care must be a part of any basic benefit plan to promote health, control costs, and eliminate economic and racial disparities.

6. Any plan for health care reform must control costs by providing care that is cost efficient and medically effective.

7. Secure electronic medical records that consumers control are necessary to increase quality and reduce costs.

8. Hospital and physician quality, outcome, and cost data must be available to consumers.

9. A universal health care system must integrate long term care services, reduce out-of-pocket costs, and maximize opportunities for individuals to receive assistance in home- and community-based settings, rather than in hospitals and nursing homes.

10. Employers, individuals, and government must share responsibility for financing the system.

Good post.

Submitted by bizgrrl on Sat, 2007/02/24 - 5:32pm.

Good post DLH.

Read the prez's proposal carefully

Submitted by Tess on Sat, 2007/02/24 - 8:06pm.

I haven't looked at W's health care plan too carefully, but from my understanding his plan involves taxing those of us covered by corporate plans. It is "unfair" after all for some to have perks that others don't.

Remember that whatever W says is the opposite of whatever he has in "mind."

In other words, "help people get insurance" translates to "tax the little people if they have insurance"

A simple analogy. If you are not part of Bush's base, you are a "bug" to be stepped on.

We had a wonderful health

Submitted by LadyVols on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 10:32am.

We had a wonderful health care plan in the works when Bill was in and Hillary WILL bring that very plan back as soon as she is elected.

Re-visit it and you will see it is the best model. As for taxing those who are on a plan provided at work, that is an OK idea, remember total health care is really a blanket for the poor and if you are working and on a plan then you don't qualify as really poor.

I disagree

Submitted by Tess on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 1:51pm.

Everybody needs health insurance. There are plenty of employed people who don't have it. "...total health care is (not) a blanket (?) for the poor."

Affordable health insurance pools should be available for everybody. Period.

Even if you have to barge

Submitted by calloway on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 6:27pm.

Even if you have to barge into your neighbor's home and take what he's earned ? Right, Tess ?

This will fail. Polls showing people support that Americans want everyone to have health care are like polls asking whether we should feed those poor starving kids in Africa. Ask whether folks want a government sponsored program to do it and support usually falls off quite a bit.

The last time the democrats (fresh off their 43% win in 92) brought this one up the GOP made out good.

I've changed my mind...

Submitted by sadcox on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 6:45pm.

I've always been VERY against socialized medicine, but all of the arguments of these brilliant politicians has changed my mind. Let's give socialized medicine a shot.

I'm sure it will be wildly successful, just like our socialized retirement and education programs.

The sooner it starts, the sooner it will fail. Then we can move on to a rational solution--free markets.

Talk to me later

Submitted by Tess on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 8:23pm.

When you need a little compassion

please

Universal Health Care

Submitted by rightwinginsider2 on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 10:23pm.

I can't help but remember the old saying about federally-funded universal health care: The efficiency of the Post Office and the compassion of the IRS!

Universal Health Care

Submitted by shortstuff on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 3:32pm.

Before you support Universal Health Care you should research how well it works in Europe and Canada. Listen first to the stories of people who are dying with cancer.....but were diagnosed in an early stage!!!!! They couldn't get treatment in time because of the back logs.

Also, Poo! Poo! on the fact if you have a job and health care you're not one of the poor. Lots of people have jobs and health care and are barely making ends meet. At least they get up and go to work. I saw a show this week-end featuring Katrina Victims that want to go home and can't. One woman and several family members ended up in Atlanta. The woman said she wanted to go home because she didn't know the ins and outs of the public housing sytem in Atlanta. Of course she wasn't working....said she hadn't liked any of the jobs she had gotten. But guess what she was doing? Playing poker with a whole bunch of other folks in the middle of the day and smoking cigarettes!! I simply can't justify helping folks like this pay health care or for that matter anything else.

For those folks busting their buns to be independent and stay out of the system, I say to you TESS.....please call Hillary Clinton and leave your phone number and checking account number for atuo-draft. I'm working and saving so I can remain independent the remainder of my life.....Unless a bunch of dead beats take it away from me.

Shortstuff, you're short on

Submitted by Rachel on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 9:24pm.

Shortstuff, you're short on something alright. Maybe compassion.

Yeah, all the folks w/o health insurance are also unemployed because they don't want to work.

Like my dad who lost his job (and eventually his insurance) when he had a near fatal stroke at age 43. Good thing he was a vet, so he at least got some help from the VA.

Or maybe you think my sisters and I should have quit school to go to work to pay the bills.

Who.org

Submitted by Tess on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 10:04pm.

Shortstuff. Please go to the World Health Organization's website and spend some time looking at the stats. (who.org)

You might be surprised to learn that the United States is in the middle of the pack in the Western countries as far as health care is concerned.

That means if you live in some of the European countries, you will live longer than if you live here in the US (on average), and that children born in a lot of countries have a better chance of surviving than they do if they are born in the United States of America.

Nobody is trying to break into your house and take anything from you. It is already being taken from you if you pay taxes. The question is where the taxes are being applied.

How about if some of the taxes that those of us who work go toward US social programs, and not toward waging war on the folks who happen to live in the middle east (and are in the way of the oil pipeline going to W's pals)? That would be trillions of dollars last I heard that could be applied here in the United States to the citizens of this country for things like health insurance/health care.

Barge on in

Submitted by Up Goose Creek on Sun, 2007/02/25 - 10:39pm.

Help yourself, you can take the overinflated money I'm paying for health premiums. I'm not using it anyway as I don't have time to get $5000 worth of sick. It's a lot more than I pay in income taxes and I'd be happy to know that money is going to someone who needs it instead of to overhead.

Do any of you conservative commentators even pay your own health premiums???

____________________________________
Less is the new More - Karrie Jacobs

Jail

Submitted by cdthomas23 on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 8:39am.

We had a wonderful health care plan in the works when Bill was in and Hillary WILL bring that very plan back as soon as she is elected.

Re-visit it and you will see it is the best model.

Until people realize that under Hillary's plan you go to JAIL for paying your own money to go to your own doctor rather than waiting the 4 months to get something done.

Craig Thomas
(link...)

cd read it again

Submitted by LadyVols on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 11:37am.

Her plan said no such thing about jail?

As for the blanket thing...I was saying that the poor are the ones without much health care. IF you are working then you can find a company where you can buy yours or often that company will pay some or all of it.

Look at Hillary again and dig out her old plan. Bill LOVED it and when she wins in 08 we will see it as OUR plan. Almost as good as Canada's!!!!!!

Now someone needs to come up with a national health care plan for animals, mine are healthy but my X's dog cost him out of pocket money for a broken leg that could have bought a good used truck!

LV, I can't tell if you are

Submitted by cdthomas23 on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 11:49am.

LV, I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but I hope so. I certainly don't want to strive to be like Canada on our healthcare. The average waiting time across all specialties is 124 days where it is only 1.2 days in USA ((link...))! Maybe everybody is covered, but I certainly don't want to wait forever to have a procedure done...

Craig Thomas
(link...)

I call Bulls**t on this...

Submitted by talidapali on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 3:32pm.

I have a personal friend who is Canadian and she was in a car wreck. She was totally disabled for months by her injuries, and the Canadian healthcare system got her back to nearly full mobility as fast as they possibly could and it didn't cost her literally an arm and a leg to do it. If she had had to wait on the insurance company to pay out for her necessary treatments, she would not be walking today. She is STILL waiting on the insurance company to pay fully even though the court cases were decided months ago.

Left up to private insurance, people would be allowed to die before receiving expensive treatment just to save a few bucks. Insurance companies are a business, they exist to make money. If they actually paid out in benefits what they should, they would not make money.

Yes, I am cynical.

No, I do not trust corporations to do what is in the best interest of people rather than themselves.

Call me a moonbat or whatever you like, I still think people are worth more than corporate profits any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Perhaps you have the same problem as the Grinch and your heart is two sizes too small? There might be a medical procedure to fix that, if you can get your insurance company to pay for it.

"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"

"I never said I wasn't a brat..." ~ Talidapali

Funny, since my average wait

Submitted by Andy Axel on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 11:55am.

Funny, since my average wait time to see a specialist has been about one month.

Took me about a month to get in to see a spinal specialist and another similar month to see a colorectal specialist. And that was just for the initial consultation; scheduling a procedure took an additional month.

____________________________

Recursive blogwhore.

The Mrs. was looking for a

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 9:58pm.

The Mrs. was looking for a new OB/GYN when her's retired. She found one she liked. The waiting list for an appointment was six months. At UT Hospital. Right here in America.

I guess they are all busy "practicing their love on women" or whatever the hell it was Bush said.

Waiting for docs

Submitted by Rachel on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 11:22pm.

It now takes me 6 months to get an appt for an annual physical with my GP (you can get in if you're sick, but not for the routine physical).

One observation I have as to

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Tue, 2007/02/27 - 9:35am.

One observation I have as to how our existing healthcare system might be improved is that physicians need to become better armed on the business end of their professions, as relates to understanding the costs their practices charge for services.

I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with my doctors over the years--and particularly through my two pregnancies--in which my doctors were unable to help me weigh alternatives because they lacked any information whatsoever as to the costs of those alternatives.

In one scenario, because it appeared that my doctor was recommending a couple of months care that would cause out-of-pocket costs greater than the value of the car I was driving, I *literally* drug my doctor by the hand into the office of his billing clerk. It was the only way I could reasonably discuss my medical alternatives, including costs, with the *two* parties whom collectively could give me the information I needed.

I can not think of any other profession in which a business owner (i.e., a physician) is completely unable to relate to a customer the cost of his product, yet expects his customer to blindly make such high-dollar purchase decisions, unaware of costs!

OBGYN WAIT

Submitted by shortstuff on Tue, 2007/02/27 - 12:58pm.

R.Neal, I couldn't imagine what OBGYN your wife would be going to that had a 6 month wait. Knoxville has lots of wonderfully qualified female doctors. I can get an appointment in two weeks and I go to a well known and respected doctor in Knoxville. I called a friend of mine who does ultra sounds independently and exclusively for two OBGYN facilities. She worked at UT hospital for 19 years before she went out on her own and couldn't imagine what good doctor at UT had a 6 month wait.

She worked at UT hospital

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2007/02/27 - 2:16pm.

She worked at UT hospital for 19 years before she went out on her own and couldn't imagine what good doctor at UT had a 6 month wait.

Many doctors in many professions simply aren't taking new patients.

The only reason you can get an appt. within a couple of weeks, I'd guess, is that you're not a new patient.

____________________________

Recursive blogwhore.

Yes, the example I cited was

Submitted by R. Neal on Tue, 2007/02/27 - 2:33pm.

Yes, the example I cited was for taking on a new patient.

One woman and several family

Submitted by Andy Axel on Mon, 2007/02/26 - 10:44pm.

One woman and several family members ended up in Atlanta. The woman said she wanted to go home because she didn't know the ins and outs of the public housing sytem in Atlanta. Of course she wasn't working....said she hadn't liked any of the jobs she had gotten. But guess what she was doing? Playing poker with a whole bunch of other folks in the middle of the day and smoking cigarettes!!

Wow, one whole person out of 40 million. That's fair!

I simply can't justify helping folks like this pay health care or for that matter anything else.

Y'know, if I had the chance to earmark my tax dollars, I'd sooner give my money to "those people" than to a bunch of Republican gangsters peddling influence for Indian casinos or the jackholes perpetrating the Iraq debacle.

____________________________

Recursive blogwhore.

There was a segment on NPR

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2007/02/27 - 11:10am.

There was a segment on NPR this morning about "medical tourism." Pretty interesting.

The featured person in the story was a 61-year-old woman having two knees replaced. She could have had it done in the US for $100,000 or in Bangkok for $20,000 (including surgeons, anaesthesiologist, room, and PT).

Yep. The greatest medical system in the world at > 5x the price.

____________________________

Recursive blogwhore.

And in that situation, it's

Submitted by Andy Axel on Tue, 2007/02/27 - 2:54pm.

And in that situation, it's either (a) settle for what might be inferior care at a GP or walk-in clinic, (b) wait the requisite six weeks, or (c) go to the ER.

I had a bad spinal slippage about a week before going on a trans-Pacific flight a couple years ago. I set the appointment before I left and was given the equivalent of Advil and a sleep aid to bridge the gap in care.

I should have tried to see a doc in New Zealand. I'd probably have gotten right in...

____________________________

Recursive blogwhore.

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