National Health Care . . . Now?
Question:
Does this seem like the right time to take on another big-ticket entitlement program? Shouldn't we put our nation on more secure financial footing before we try to absorb this additional cost?
Answer:
Whether it's public or private we still have to pay for it. so if we nationalized today we would simply have to also implement a mechanism for collecting the payments (a tax, of course) and put it toward the health care plan.
Yes, it wouldn't be a very good thing if the gov't gave us no-cost health care and took the money from other deserving causes. but if I ever see that day I'll know that I have gone completely insane. It ain't gonna happen
We will never be that well off. And FYI, we are providing health care to those who cannot afford it.
Please research National Health Care before throwing your support behind it. Everyone would pay immensely for "free" health care. Talk with people in Europe and Canada. Then wonder why they would spend all the time and money to come to America for important surgeries.
stop the war in iraq and you'll reduce national spending by $150 billion/yr. won't happen of course but that's a big chunk of change. lift the tax cuts for the super welathy and you'll have more than a trillion dollars over the next 5 years or so.
national health care can be implemented now but i think it will be more like the german system where they combine a national plan with a highly regulated private system with strict price controls.
it can be done at any time but there needs to be a national will to do it.
There are far too many issues with the entire medical industry before we can even think about national health care.
Infrastructure isn't that bad. The levees were designed to withstand a cat 3 hurricane. Katrina hit N.O. as a cat 4.
If you want an entitlement program, I say improve WIC and/or implement something for single mothers.
Lillian..stated that we ARE providing health care for those who can not afford it.
I can tell you that is false.
Lillian, please let the millions of working Americans that do not have health insurance know where they may receive health care.
We have national health care. It's called medicare and it provides excellent care for the elderly and those that can't afford it. NO ONE is dying in the streets and NO ONE is denied necessary medical care in the United States. Those that want natialized health care are simply using the old political ploy of 'A chicken in every pot' or 'Vote for me and I'll give you stuff.' Well, the stuff they'd be giving out comes out of my pocket and the pockets of anyone else out there who pays taxes...which is about 50% of Americans. Of course since those that don't pay taxes, the other 50%, have no stake in the expense so of course they want it. Why wouldn't they? To them, it's literally free.
So you make an excellent point. Now is not the time to turn America's health care industry over to the socialists. Socialism is INCREDIBLY expensive and ends up costing more than workers can afford to pay. "Here's your vodka and your bread, now hand over your pay check."
As for Katrina, that's the New Orleans infrastracture. Our national 'infrastructure' is and never has been set up to do all and be all.
My Gran daughter in her last year of college works part time at a telephone company, cleans houses for both Grandma's, and mows lawns for 3 people. She also pays for her dental and Dr. bills. She makes straight A's in college. More people could do this if they would get off their butts. Also Drs. could be more responsible when they keep people coming back for little or no reason.
There will never seem to be a right time to implement a National Health Service if you only view it from the amount of money it will consume. And not being American and not fully understanding the health system you already have in place, I can only quote Aneurin Bevin, a British politician who is still held in high regard. He was the man who fought with the then rich men of medicine and forced through the National Health Service in the U K against their wishes. His quote. – ‘The spectacle therefore afforded us by the United States is one of technical brilliance and social blindness.’
We do provide health care for the poor. It is called MedicAID. MediCARE is for the elderly. Both are paid for by payroll taxes that are separate from income taxes. Along with Social Security, it is the FICA and Medicare part of your pay stub if you get one. We ALL pay but only the poor can use it. My girlfriend is in the medical field and treats mostly Medicaid and Medicare patients so I can tell you they DO get care, including rehabilitation after the injury, not just a cast and a kick out the door.
The re-distribution of wealth in this country has hit an ALL-TIME high.
Currently, the bottom HALF of this country provides only 3% of the income taxes collected.
The top 1% (that's the highest 3 thousand people) provide over one-third (33%) of the taxes. That is higher than when Carter, Reagan, Bush41, and Clinton were in office. Around Regan's time it was around one-fifth (20%). But let's tax 'em some more, I'm sure they won't just leave with all their money--oh wait, that is already happening. That's why in 1998 Clinton, and a Republican Congress (this isn't a partisan thing) passed a law stating if you leave the country AND ARE RICH, you must continue to pay income taxes to the IRS for TEN YEARS--even if you denounce your citizenship. But the rich are too smart for that, they take all their money with them and never come back. There are even four magazines devoted to the subject of how to get all your money out of the US without paying taxes. Maybe I should start now.
Actually your 9 trillion dollar figure is a bit off. The latest GAO reports show it as only some 280 million or so and decreasing. But despite this why would we want the government involved in our helthcare more than they are. Any time you create a government entity to solve a problem you only guarantee the perpetuation of the problem. The minute they fix the problem they are out of a job. bureacuracies dont work like that. They dont fix problems they perpetuate them. I like what Bush proposed the other day. Give everyone a 14,000 dollar tax break to purchase health insurance with. No insurance no break. Who in their right mind wouldnt go for that. It would essentially allow workers to deduct their full health insurance costs plus from their taxes. What really scares me are the people yelling we need the government to take over the US medical establishment. If you want to find out what socialized health care would look like in america then look at the VA or military dependants health care system. Socialized medicine hasnt worked well anywhere it has been tried. Ask the canadians how many years it takes to get chemotherapy for cancer. If you dont know where to find a canadian, call one of the US hospitals along the border and ask to speak to a random patient. Odds are they will be a canadian come to the US for treatment.
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