Health Care may Kill this Country

[Prof]

I have been screaming this for years now...but most are not willing to listen. If you think our current economic issues are bad, keep an eye on this one!

David Walker (Former Comptroller of the Federal Govt.) is still screaming at the top of his lungs...

If you are interested here is his prediction:

"By the year 2030 our federal revenues will be totally consumed by four things: Social Security, Debit Service on our National Debt, Medicare and Medicaid." That means no defense dollars, no highway dollars, no nothing.

The Medicare/Medicaid expense is five times the size of the Social Security problem.

Here he is on 60 Minutes over a year ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS2fI2p9iVs

One of the major reasons that I backed Hillary was her approach to reforming health care. Obama says he is going to work on health care early in his administration. But his approach is much less pervasive that the approach Hillary proposed.

Get educated...this is the 900 lb gorilla on the horizon...

 

[Voodoo]

was going to post but decided not to ruffle feathers

 

[Prof]

Please ruffle...only with debate will we find a way to over come the problem.

 

[Scrambler1]

So what do you propose as a solution? We've discussed this before but I don't think that increased taxes on citizens and businesses is the answer. The government cannot continue to do whatever it wants on the taxpayer's dime. Also it's time for people in this country to realize that they have to provide for themselves not just sit back and wait for the government to take care of them.

Also I realize that right now we are not talking about full on socialized medicine, ex Canada and Europe, but I fear that this opens the door far too wide and full socialized medicine will be right around the corner. I don't ever want my healthcare decisions to be made by anyone other than myself. If my knee issues begin to impact my life I want to get it resolved, not have the government tell me that it's elective surgery and they may or may not allow it or it may take 8 months to schedule. Or even worse I have alife threatening disease and may have to wait months for treatment.

Yeah I'm looking beyond the scope of what we are currently talking about but I can't think of a single thing we have given the government that they didn't run away with and turn it into something completely different than what the people who originally supported could have imagined. IMO this is the difference between liberals and conservatives as I've had this debate recently with a liberal friend. Liberals are idealists, they want to believe the govt can do a good job and that the system works and the government won't overrun the inch we give them. Conservatives are realistic and look farther down the road and look at past experiences and how the government abuses any power they get and their wasteful spending is why we are where we are today. Conservatives don't trust the system hence the desire to be left alone... personal responsibility.

Bottom line... kind of like the govt bailouts... this is a bailout of the people. How about forcing people to buy health insurance instead of them buying alcohol, cigarettes, flat screen TV's, new cars, etc. It's not that most of these people CAN'T afford insurance they would just rather buy other things, mismanagement of their own finances. Why should the government and the taxpayers bail them out??

 

[Steve Jennings]

i am unable to get you

what do you want to say exactly is not understood by me.
kindly be clear to me.

 

[Prof]

The formula from my perspective is to get on the front end of health care not be reactive but alter the health care system to be proactive and preventative rather than restorative.

Part of that is providing primary care to all that is designed to amend life style and provide early diagnosis. I think there needs to be financial involvement of all in paying for health care. But it still needs to viewed as a right and not a privilege.

We will also have to make rational decisions about the natural act process called dying.

Physicians will have to undergo a harsh change...the system is upside down. Those who inhibit serious illness will have to become the hero's and most highly compensated.

The phrase "socialized medicine" keeps raising its head...and that is the same as saying that Obama is a socialist...it is just fear mongering...name calling and a totally incorrect characterization of any of the existing proposals.

 

[Begood]

In my opinion the health care we have is a two edged sword. On one hand we have come up with all these great test to find what is wrong with someone, on the other hand doctors order up way too many test just to rule out some things that the person doesn't have. Now while it is great to rule them out, the tests themselves are so expensive that the insurance companys are billed large amounts of money for them. That plus too many people go to the doctor for very minor stuff, which also costs the company too much money. IMO.

Bill.

 

[Prof]

Over testing is a huge issue Bill. There are those that say the over testing syndrome is a knee jerk reaction to malpractice litigation...if that is true, then the cry for tort reform is a possible solution. But getting legislators (read lawyers) to take away a huge sector of their possible income, is problematic at best!

 

[srt 10 jimbo]

Harsh Change for Physicians= More Lawyers and less Doctors

 

[Prof]

Harsh Change for Physicians= More Lawyers and less Doctors

Another good reason for tort reform!

 

[Prof]

A report out this morning saying that cancer will be the major cause of death in the coming years.

The reasons:

1. Smoking
2. Life style
3. Obesity

Here is a place to start...

 

[Blacksnake]

No question that health care is a huge problem in this country. Almost half of the home foreclosures are caused by nothing else but medical debt! I think that finding a way for the people in this country who live here illegally to start paying for medical care instead of going to the county hospital would be a huge relief to society, especially here in Arizona.

 

[Silverback]

One only has to look at the VA to see how the government can screw up health care.

 

[srt 10 jimbo]

So Prof, You think someones gonna go through 4 years of pre-med, 4 years of medical school, an Internship then a Residency to make the same wage as a plumber?..sounds like Cuba or the old USSR.

 

[Scrambler1]

Prof is this not a bailout for people who have elected not to pay for their own healthcare or just plain don't make it a priority?

Two things I would like to see before a major overhaul of our current system
1. Tort reform, malpractice lawsuits and ambulance chasing lawyers are a huge problem in this an many other areas of our lives
2. Illegals using ER's as doctor's offices
3. Illegals not paying into the system... think FairTax to solve this one, then they can pay into social security and medicare.

Change these smaller first and then we'll talk about a major overhaul.

 

[IH8CHVYS]

So what do you propose as a solution? We've discussed this before but I don't think that increased taxes on citizens and businesses is the answer. The government cannot continue to do whatever it wants on the taxpayer's dime. Also it's time for people in this country to realize that they have to provide for themselves not just sit back and wait for the government to take care of them.

Also I realize that right now we are not talking about full on socialized medicine, ex Canada and Europe, but I fear that this opens the door far too wide and full socialized medicine will be right around the corner. I don't ever want my healthcare decisions to be made by anyone other than myself. If my knee issues begin to impact my life I want to get it resolved, not have the government tell me that it's elective surgery and they may or may not allow it or it may take 8 months to schedule. Or even worse I have alife threatening disease and may have to wait months for treatment.

Yeah I'm looking beyond the scope of what we are currently talking about but I can't think of a single thing we have given the government that they didn't run away with and turn it into something completely different than what the people who originally supported could have imagined. IMO this is the difference between liberals and conservatives as I've had this debate recently with a liberal friend. Liberals are idealists, they want to believe the govt can do a good job and that the system works and the government won't overrun the inch we give them. Conservatives are realistic and look farther down the road and look at past experiences and how the government abuses any power they get and their wasteful spending is why we are where we are today. Conservatives don't trust the system hence the desire to be left alone... personal responsibility.

Bottom line... kind of like the govt bailouts... this is a bailout of the people. How about forcing people to buy health insurance instead of them buying alcohol, cigarettes, flat screen TV's, new cars, etc. It's not that most of these people CAN'T afford insurance they would just rather buy other things, mismanagement of their own finances. Why should the government and the taxpayers bail them out??

Well said Joe!

As stated in your post about bad knees, I hope that wheel chair accident in Macon did not aggravate anything

 

[GotRidOfTheHemiForThis]

personally I see some good points here on many issues revolving around health care. Yes, some people would rather spend there hard earned money on other things as mentioned earlier in the posts. Yet can you really blame them?? Yes, doctors over test, yet if you really think about it, thats why they call it a practice, the doctors are always practicin it would seem. Yes, illegals are not helping as well. As for socialist health care bah what a joke of an idea, I should just purchase a funeral plot now, its easier.

Does anyone else just think the costs are to expensive? I mean look at it from both perspectives. The doctors spent a shit load of money/time/effort to become what they are. Yet on the other hand how can they expect such insane payments from people for there help in medical issues? As for insurance, most companies could give a hoot wheather you live or die cause your just a payment to them, you think they really care if something is wrong with you. Bah, the whole system needs to be reformed and costs cut everywhere from the doctors going to school prices and actual health care prices. Yet it will never be regulated, looked at or fixed, we all know this. I say this because look at the current banks, loans ect out there, no matter the case we live in a society that feeds on one another to survive. We all chase the all american dollar and only see happiness when we can afford what we want. So if we had to step on a few people to get there, or swindle a extra .25 cents we would. The world is changing, greed is the evil that will consume everything. For no matter what we all have, we are going to want more and there starts a cycle again.......

no cure in site in my opinion, just to keep going day in day out.
Maybe someday, yet it is a bleak outlook so far.

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

hope I dont get flamed on this one but its a pet pev of mine

my grandmother, ( whom I love dearly) argues this with me all the time

to here its the governments ''duty'' to take care of her, and I often ask ''why?'' to which she replies, ''its there responsibility!''

and to this day still havent gotten an answer?:dontknow:


I agree we should have some things, but some of the folks out there ''expect'' things to be handed to them.

To me its our responsibility to take care of ourselves to a certain degree.


but things are a visciuos circle, we hand out health care, people take advatage of it with colds, bruises, minor problems, the doctors tripple the bills for average folks to compensate, the insurance doubles our premiums to compensate, to which we bitch.

go to a hospital or doctor, pay with insurance look at the bill, 5k

then go to the same deal and tell them you will pay cash ..bill....less than 1k:dontknow: :dontknow: :dontknow: :dontknow:

thats all , I gotta go make some $ now, I think I have a belly ache

 

[JTS VENOM PERFORMANCE]

So what do you propose as a solution? We've discussed this before but I don't think that increased taxes on citizens and businesses is the answer. The government cannot continue to do whatever it wants on the taxpayer's dime. Also it's time for people in this country to realize that they have to provide for themselves not just sit back and wait for the government to take care of them.

Also I realize that right now we are not talking about full on socialized medicine, ex Canada and Europe, but I fear that this opens the door far too wide and full socialized medicine will be right around the corner. I don't ever want my healthcare decisions to be made by anyone other than myself. If my knee issues begin to impact my life I want to get it resolved, not have the government tell me that it's elective surgery and they may or may not allow it or it may take 8 months to schedule. Or even worse I have alife threatening disease and may have to wait months for treatment.

Yeah I'm looking beyond the scope of what we are currently talking about but I can't think of a single thing we have given the government that they didn't run away with and turn it into something completely different than what the people who originally supported could have imagined. IMO this is the difference between liberals and conservatives as I've had this debate recently with a liberal friend. Liberals are idealists, they want to believe the govt can do a good job and that the system works and the government won't overrun the inch we give them. Conservatives are realistic and look farther down the road and look at past experiences and how the government abuses any power they get and their wasteful spending is why we are where we are today. Conservatives don't trust the system hence the desire to be left alone... personal responsibility.

Bottom line... kind of like the govt bailouts... this is a bailout of the people. How about forcing people to buy health insurance instead of them buying alcohol, cigarettes, flat screen TV's, new cars, etc. It's not that most of these people CAN'T afford insurance they would just rather buy other things, mismanagement of their own finances. Why should the government and the taxpayers bail them out??

the goverment is corrupt Joe.........:argh:

 

[grace]

This is a hot button issue for sure. As a result of new laws passed in Florida, I am unable to get compensation for medical care resulting from my illness/injuries. I am all for abolishing frivoulos lawsuits, and using the ER as a primary care physician. I also do not expect a "free ride"...I have worked and paid into benifits that I cannot recieve at the moment. When you have a (now lifelong) chronic illness that lingers even after trying to "be a good patient" and taking care of yourself, your perception of the health care system is changed. There is no easy answer. Am I bitter? yes. Will I try to make a change as a result? yes. But I must get myself "settled" first to avoid being totally ostrasized in the medical community. I have faith that the dear Lord will show me the way when the time is right. Sorry for the ramblings, but this is an issue which I wish myself and my family were not affected by personally.