Do You Want Universal Healthcare?

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I know this topic has been discussed before on this site..but, I was curious for an updated response. How many of you would be willing to pay more taxes for universal healthcare? I find it egregious that the US has put a cost on maintaining/saving ones life! I traveled to Europe and the thought of them having to bring their checkbook to the hospital aroused literal laughs. It's the same notion that we'd have to whip out our debit card to firefighters before they turned the hoses on our burning homes. It's sad. I think the overall costs of UH would be beneficial...in fact, the raised taxes would still probably be lower than our rising premiums every 2 weeks! Thoughts?

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

Many of us have been working for decades already.

I like to think that we will add more slots for nursing students in our colleges and universities. Some of the displaced low paid insurance corporation workers will become nurses.

H.R. 676 : Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act

...First Priority in Retraining and Job Placement- The Program shall provide that clerical and administrative workers in insurance companies, doctors offices, hospitals, nursing facilities and other facilities whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration, should have first priority in retraining and job placement in the new system.....

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-676

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Specializes in Mursing.
And again, that is exactly what scares the crap outta me.... making the individual responsible and giving them a "gold card".. [ie; stop drinking, doping, cheating diabetics, smokers, lazy overweight, and just poor judgement] and then saying FREE HEALTHCARE, step right up.

If we look at the bigger picture, wouldn't it be in our best interest to educate people of health determinants? North America is a band-aid culture. We see problems, and we just want to cover it up and have a quick fix. If we invest the time and money to go to war, why can't we invest the same in our health?

Educate our citizens about health and wellness. Our governments, in addition to health care workers, should be champions of health promotion.

Speaking on behalf of the Canadian perspective of health, we are pushing health promotion as our way to address our overstressed healthcare system. (See the Lalonde report, Epp report, Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion for a snippet). In a perfect world, universal health care should be an adjunct to our health - not what governs it.

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And again, that is exactly what scares the crap outta me.... making the individual responsible and giving them a "gold card".. [ie; stop drinking, doping, cheating diabetics, smokers, lazy overweight, and just poor judgement] and then saying FREE HEALTHCARE, step right up.

You cannot force preventative care, and that will be the key.

Please tell me how to make UHC work in a country chock full of arrogant, self-centered, gimme-my-free-handout, where's-my-check mentalities that have been bred over generations?

Drop by the ER.

You see them all day, every day... the only thing holding them back is money.

Then make that ER trip free, with near free meds, and near free followups for more near free meds.

Can you even imagine that?

rb

I never said I would make preventative care a mandate or anything like that but it should be available for those who want it.

Uhm....let's see.

::Contemplates::

I'm not sure if this is the same as universal health care but I think a national health care system based upon income would be nice. You pay what you can every month into the system.

::shrugs::

I think we definitley need some kind of overhaul but obviously I'm not the one in charge of making decisions, I don't have an economics degree nor a degree in medical administration or whatnot.

What would you do? I'm not trying to attack you or anything like that (I can't help but feel singled out with your post but whatever, 'tis cyber space and we'll never meet each other) but I'm open to hearing your views.

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If we look at the bigger picture, wouldn't it be in our best interest to educate people of health determinants? North America is a band-aid culture. We see problems, and we just want to cover it up and have a quick fix. If we invest the time and money to go to war, why can't we invest the same in our health?

Educate our citizens about health and wellness. Our governments, in addition to health care workers, should be champions of health promotion.

Speaking on behalf of the Canadian perspective of health, we are pushing health promotion as our way to address our overstressed healthcare system. (See the Lalonde report, Epp report, Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion for a snippet). In a perfect world, universal health care should be an adjunct to our health - not what governs it.

That reminds me of Sicko when it showed the British doctor. Apparently he got paid more money if more of his patients stopped smoking, lost weight, etc, etc.

I know you can't force people to make healthy decisions but I'd like a system that just doesn't treat you when you're sick but offers preventative care to those who want it, will take advantage of it, etc.

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If i'm not mistaken, sounds like all these companies "got caught",

actually Bears Sterns still exists and is still raking in money, and still holds my mortgage (although it was through a pseudo company of some sort and I didn't realize who they were...until this whole disaster w/ them happened and suddenly they want to be known for their mortgages apparently because they are on my caller ID for the first time in 3 years), and still is increasing this mortgage nickle and dime every single year

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Access to health care should not be based on income. It is a basic human right! All lives are valuable, no matter what the American gov't and HMO's say. I've lived in both the USA, Canada and Europe. Universal health care is a basic human right, and worth every penny in taxes! ( I also love working in an environment where empathy prevails!!!!)....snd...oh...by the way....a ventilated pt might be offended at the presumption that they are jacking the system....give m e a break!

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

What about a patient who is brain-dead and ventilated? Are they jacking the system? If universal health care is to work, the government is gonna need one hell of an accountant. We spend way too much money on other countries who don't even like us. Universal healthcare could work if done the right way. But I also think private health insurance should be available to those who can afford it.

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No, no, no--I do not want universal health care. We already pay taxes that are too high and I agree with a previous response that I don't think the government could do it without fumbling it up.

Also, while we are on the subject of government involvement with health care: Our government's current health care costs would be greatly reduced if we had a better handle on illegal immigration. We take care of soooo many people at our facility who are illegals, and often they come to the US to have their babies, who then become US citizens. (they get emergency Medicaid) My heart goes out to the people who want to come to another country for a better life, but there are legal ways to do this. It gets very complicated. ( I do not let this get in the way of my nursing care, I am just venting that there must be a better to way to manage the situation!)

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Universal health care:

Question: If I as a US citizen, were in say, Canada, and became ill, how would I receieve health care and who would pay for it? Would it matter if I had health insurance in the US or not?

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Specializes in Operating Room.

If there was a right answer to universal healthcare in the US, it would have been answered a long time ago.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

So for those who are against universal healthcare, what do we do about the people who are not insured? Wouldn't universal healthcare be the answer to all the problems there are with medicaid/medicare. How is that universal healthcare works in other countries but it cannot work here?

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If there was a right answer to universal healthcare in the US, it would have been answered a long time ago.

That makes no sense.

If our founding fathers thought the same thing, we'd probably be under British rule now AND be under universal healthcare. Just imagine....if Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin said...."theres no right answer to monarchy and divine right to power. If there was, it would have been answered a long time ago."

Cmon. We can do better than that and other countries have already shown us how.

And also, the argument that we can't afford universal healthcare and that taxes would go up is just BS propaganda from Insurance companies. We're ALREADY paying for the uninsured. The difference is that instead of people going and getting preventative care, they're waiting until something really goes wrong and they go to our emergency rooms which cost much more money. They can't be turned away, they get treated, and when they can't foot the bill who do you think pays? Thats right, we do, society at large.

If we have everyone contributing to an insurance fund we can establish what is called a "group cohort" and as an aggregate, society would pay LESS for healthcare. But of course, bluecross/blueshield, Kaiser, and all the other mega conglomerate insurance companies are paying all these PR firms to make people think that they would be paying more. They're afraid to get cut out as MIDDLE MEN. Its time we cut the fat out of our healthcare system.

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