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Obama's healthcare reforms: A British perspective

I'm a conservative. Dyed in the wool: Pro-nation, pro-family, pro-God, pro-liberty.

And as any decent conservative knows, it's the duty of the fortunate to protect the unfortunate.

So what is wrong with your President trying to make healthcare more affordable? I don't particularly like the man, but on this issue he merely seems to be doing his Christian duty. Surely even slippery, privileged lawyers can get somethings right?

Over here providing universal healthcare is pretty much accepted as the done thing, by the Right as much as the Left.

By kalder on Sep 14, 2009, 01:32 in Off Topic.


RAAAY says on Sep 14, 2009, 09:50:

Kalder............Haven't seen you around in a while. A big hello.

" he merely seems to be doing his Christian duty " There is, of course, a big moral component to what they are trying to achieve with health care in the US. However, there is also a huge budgetary issue also. For one, the people that do not have coverage represent a huge portion of the population. They don't have it for various reasons, one of these being that, they simply are prepared to take the chance that they will never need it. People under 50 who have never been sick one day in their life, for example.

So, the rest, who do have coverage, are made up of people who have to make use of their policies on occasion. Now, imagine a car insurance company who predominately only has customers that have frequent accidents, and don't have very many customers who are safe drivers. The premiums would be huge.

The more people in the US without health coverage are actually causing the cost of premiums to be so expensive. More people in the pool, that don't make use of it, results in cost of premiums to go down. A public insurance company, as is proposed, which is not in the business of making profit, would create competition among the private insurers, thus bringing down the cost to everyone.

The proposed 2% penalty for people that do not get coverage, gurantees that the pool of healthy people, with coverage, gets larger.

As it is, if you don't have coverage, but have a problem, all you need to do is go to the emergency room. You will be looked after. Who pays ? ............The taxpayer.



.

.........Its useless to argue with ignorance

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quantum says on Sep 14, 2009, 16:52:

Well, that seems strange to me Raay......Correct me if Im wrong, cuz Ive been mostly out of the country for about 20 yrs or so. But in my limited experience, u could f%$#&g bleed to death on the hospital steps and nobody would help u if u or some friend or family werent ready to accept financial responsibility for your treatment. Now in Hawaii, its a bit different especially in the outer islands cuz there is usually only one hospital and they cant tell u to take your problem or patient down the road to the V.A. or the County hospital.....Ive seen the system at work in Maui, when I took a very sick and infected ex Vietnam vet to the county hospital after he told me they would not treat him. I took him back up there to Maui Memorial and read em the riot act Irish style and essentially shamed them into takin this poor guy into treatment. But the fact is or was that they didnt want him and did reject him the first time. He could of left and died and they wouldnt have given it a second thought. That is why the U.S. is rated #37 in the world for health care.......imagine that folks, the mighty rich U.S.of A. 37th in the world in health care........Que verguenza!!

quantum

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ronaldo says on Sep 14, 2009, 17:24:

RAAAY

"As it is, if you don't have coverage, but have a problem, all you need to do is go to the emergency room. You will be looked after. Who pays?..............The taxpayer."

RAAAY........exactly how does the taxpayer pay for this?

Ronaldo

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quantum says on Sep 14, 2009, 21:56:

azu, thats news to me if in fact its true. Lets see who gets to the bottom of this one first..........

quantum

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miamimike says on Sep 14, 2009, 22:37:

Mamy People say we have a Health Care System here in the USA, but we really don't. System is a Misnomer when it coomes to describing our healthcare. We have non-functioning mismash of public, prviate, quasi private/public insurance/payment methods here in the states. Even Colombia has a basic public option system, as poor of a country as they are,,, Here in the USA, Nothing is standard--- rates, criteria for admissions. Different in all States, confusing. ONLY when you get to Medicare(for seniors 65 and over) do you see a standard that is the same over all states. DRG's(diagnostic related groups--google it for an explanation) are the same in all states---DRG's determine payrates for Docs and Hospitals. No Medicare Administrator receives 5 million dollar annual salaries with $1 Billion in Stock options like that United Healthcare Exec named McGuire. In Medicare, the Topdog tops out at under $300K annually with a small bonus at the end of the year. Little Wonder these Private Insurance Execs aren't salivating at the thought of a Single Payer system, they like those multi million dollar salaries. AND they NOW stand between you and your Doctor and in many cases, deny you care. Insurance companies niether Diagnose, Cure, Treat, Prescribe or do One Thing to improve your health or cure you of disease. Nothing. Except collect your monthly premiums and pay lobbyists. And of course, have a Board that elects to pay them Millions of Dollars for doing nothing ! . Why do we need them(insurance companies) ? The simple answer is we don't,,,

Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte de

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goin_south says on Sep 14, 2009, 22:45:

Let me repeat, what miamimike just said,.... (because I'm about to fall outta my chair)...

Insurance companies nietherDiagnose, Prescribe or do One Thing to improve your health or cure you of disease. Nothing. except collect your monthly premiums. Why do we need them(insurance companies). The simple answer is we don't,,,

And, also as he said: United Health Care/McGuire is the BIGGEST HEALTH CARE COVERAGE SCAM EVER.

Thank you, mike.

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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miamimike says on Sep 14, 2009, 22:51:

You shouldn't be surprised by what I just wrote, if you were here a Year ago and had a pulse above that of the temp in an operating room and could fog a mirror with your breath, you would see I said the EXACT SAME THING. Do a Search, you will find I said this not once, but MANY Times,,,No news here,,,

Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte después Bésame, bésame mucho Como si fuera esta noche La última vez Bésame, bésame mucho Que tengo miedo a perderte Perderte de

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goin_south says on Sep 14, 2009, 22:57:

sorry, dude... I don't keep a RADAR on ... pbh.
although, I've been accused of such....
I have a REAL JOB/CAREER/HOBBY.
whateva.

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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quantum says on Sep 15, 2009, 06:33:

You gotta real job goin_south? Where do u get one of thoze theze daze? Im seriously interested.........I dont know about qualified, jeje........

quantum

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kalder says on Sep 17, 2009, 00:27:

Thanks for the greetings Raay. We really must meet for a drink some time- I'm rather partial to stout myself. And thanks, everyone, for the info. I appreciate the fact that universal healthcare is a burden to the taxpayer (and one hardly welcome in these difficult times) but what sort of society do we want to live in? Devil-take-the-hindmost or one in which we take care of the suffering and vulnerable?

And I really do think there's an awful lot of guff talked about Obama. He's not my cup of tea- he strikes me as being a bit of an oily vacuity, like our ghastly Tony Blair. But all this rubbish about him not being an American, being a Muslim etc....I ask you.

"A piece of cheese may entrap a mouse, but a bicycle could ensnare the Imperial Chancellor."~~An Bai Kuang

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goin_south says on Sep 17, 2009, 07:00:

keep asking, kalder.
kalder, you've got as much experience, or more, than mr obama, in running a place.
any place.
he appears to be pretty good at home.
after that?

Go read some about Chicago politics.
He's a gangsta, who is adept at speaking with a silver tongue.
He's as crooked as the next one (politician).

This is the beginning of The Next Revolution in America.
Finally, the people are telling the politicians if they don't take care of the people's desires, rather than 'special interest', then they're going to get voted out of office.

OTHERWISE.... THEY'D ALREADY HAVE PASSED THE DAMN HEALTH CARE THINGY.

And, kalder, lest you forget: Why some of 'our' (not your) ancestors floated across the big pond to get away from the tyranny: CHOICE.
Americans (north! of course) have 'choices' out the cazooo.
So much, they're neurotic about choices.
And, so much that marketers will continue to razzle-dazzle Americans into oblivion, with more and more choices.

But, 'choice' seems to be pretty important item of preservation to us 'Mericans.

I, in particular, prefer to have the choice to NOT PAY FOR ANY INSURANCE at all.
Not yours. Not theirs.
No body's.
I don't want their medicine.
I don't want their insurances.

I take care of my self.
________

I'm waiting for the media to ask Mr Obama about his connections to ACORN... and, how he feels about their LACK OF CONDEMNATION and PROMOTION OF UNDERAGE PROSTITUTION....

I think Mr Obama has a couple lil girls living in his house, no?

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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kalder says on Sep 17, 2009, 09:01:

"He's a gangsta, who is adept at speaking with a silver tongue.
He's as crooked as the next one (politician)."

I can well believe it. As I've said, he reminds me of that plausible charlatan Tony Blair

But why the hell has healthcare of all things gotten so many of you talking sedition?

You say: "I take care of my self." But what if you couldn't? What if you were disabled, or lost everything in a fire, or were senile, or God forbid any number of things?

Laissez-faire economics only empowers elites and destroys communities- which means its results are pretty much the same as socialism's...

"A piece of cheese may entrap a mouse, but a bicycle could ensnare the Imperial Chancellor."~~An Bai Kuang

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ronaldo says on Sep 20, 2009, 07:06:

miamimike September 14th Post

Right on miamimike, you hit the nail on the head.

Ronaldo.

Ronaldo

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manINred says on Sep 20, 2009, 22:11:

kalder this is an excellent post and a question that I ponder as well. The US seems to be the most advanced nation not to implement universal healthcare, something us brits take for granted.

Why can't the government afford to provide these premiums to everyone? If Europe, Australia/NZ and Canada can, surely the US can? That's one issue I've never understood.

"that plausible charlatan Tony Blair"
hahaha, brilliant. I don't know where you come up with these descriptions, but regardless of whether or not I agree with all of them, they are gold. Kalder you have to post more please.

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goin_south says on Sep 20, 2009, 22:19:

manINred... this is the us of a.
this ain't ... europa, australia, Nz, or Oh! Canadaaaaa.

Thanks.
And, stay at home for your nationalized health/sick care.

nothin I say is to be takn for my words, but rather for the words of Sailor Jerry.

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manINred says on Sep 20, 2009, 22:34:

that is a bit of an irrelevant reply insomuch as it does not address my query at all goin_south.

I clearly understand that there exists a distinction between the USA and the rest of the countries you listed, indeed i pointed out a specific distinction between them and wonder why it exists.

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kalder says on Sep 21, 2009, 07:59:

Thanks MIR.

I'll check my email Mongo.

"A piece of cheese may entrap a mouse, but a bicycle could ensnare the Imperial Chancellor."~~An Bai Kuang

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