[labcat01]

TIPTON, Iowa - Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said on Sunday that his universal health care proposal would require that Americans go to the doctor for preventive care

"It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care," he told a crowd sitting in lawn chairs in front of the Cedar County Courthouse. "If you are going to be in the system, you can't choose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK."

He noted, for example, that women would be required to have regular mammograms in an effort to find and treat "the first trace of problem."

Full story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070902/...l_pr/edwards_2


What say you nurses?

[Jolie]

So how does Edwards reconcile this "requirement" with an individual's RIGHT to refuse medical evaluation and treatment?

Please, let's keep Big Brother out of our healthcare system.

[labcat01]

Originally Posted by Jolie

So how does Edwards reconcile this "requirement" with an individual's RIGHT to refuse medical evaluation and treatment?

Please, let's keep Big Brother out of our healthcare system.

I agree with you and I think that mandatory preventative care is foolish but I want to hear from people that want to keep the government out of our healthcare system yet still expect them to foot the bill.

[pickledpepperRN]

WE pay for those over 65, permanently disabled, indigent emergency care, veterans, government employees and families, elected officials for life, Indian Health Services, required childhood immunizations (unless parents fill out a form), renal dialysis, our military and dependents, and probably some I forget to list.

With Medicare the primary provider, physician or NP determines care. Medicare pays a reasonable amount.

I know a young physician who took over the practice of a retiring MD. He complains about the low reimbursement by MediCal (our Medicaid). He said that he is trying to move to an all Medicare practice. The lower pay from Medicare is mitigated by the simplicity of not needing an insurance biller on staff.
He said, "I like older paople and Medicare pays promptly."

[Elvish]

I can see it from both sides. I think a reasonable way to do things would be this: if gov't mandates preventive care, then gov't should pay for it too. And for any resulting tx too, for example a lumpectomy to remove a breast tumor found on the required mammogram. If someone is not going to have their preventive stuff as tptb recommend, then they should not expect things to be paid for.

The thing that gives me the creeps is this: how are they going to keep track of things? A big database of all 300 million of us? I'm not sure I want my health info and doctor's appts stored like that so federal beancounters can see it. I don't know. Maybe there is a more workable solution. If so, I am willing to hear it.

[VivaLasViejas]

I have a BIG problem with government-mandated preventive care. It smacks of the "Nanny State"---the premise that citizens are sheep, and therefore too stupid to make their own decisions---and would be a nightmare to administer. Not only that, I just don't care to have some federal bureaucrat who's never set foot in a school of medicine (or nursing!) be privy to my personal health issues and make my decisions for me based on my 'profile'..........and you KNOW that's what's going to happen under such a system.

If you think certain patients are having a tough go of things now, just mandate preventive care and see what life could be like under the government thumb: MDs hauling smokers in for mandatory anti-smoking classes, Zyban, and monitoring; clinics holding weekly weigh-ins, compulsory exercise and 1200-calorie diets for the overweight; high taxes on salty, fatty, and sweet foods. The possibilities for controlling our habits and behaviors are almost endless, and for anyone who loves freedom, that is truly a frightening thought.

While I, along with many people, would like to see access to affordable health services made available to every American, this is NOT the way to go. I vote a resounding "NO!" on this harebrained idea.

[HM2Viking]

If he was saying that we should move to a primary care based system I could buy that. I am wondering if it was a misstatement and he was trying to say that care should be oriented towards prevention first and/or that preventive care should be comprehensively covered by health insurance.

Further on the article does say:

Edwards said his mandatory health care plan would cover preventive, chronic and long-term health care. The plan would include mental health care as well as dental and vision coverage for all Americans.
"The whole idea is a continuum of care, basically from birth to death," he said.
The former North Carolina senator said all presidential candidates talking about health care "ought to be asked one question: Does your plan cover every single American?"
"Because if it doesn't they should be made to explain what child, what woman, what man in America is not worthy of health care," he said. "Because in my view, everybody is worth health care."

In context I think he was trying to say that all preventive services would be covered.

[labcat01]

I don't think it was a misstatement because he did say

"If you are going to be in the system, you can't choose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK."

[CHATSDALE]

a 'MANDATE' should be a nice gentleman who takes you out to dinner

americans are too independent minded to accept this

[Roy Fokker]

Originally Posted by labcat01

I want to hear from people that want to keep the government out of our healthcare system yet still expect them to foot the bill.

How about those who don't want government involved in healthcare - including the "footing the bill" part?