How soon we forget.

[eriksoln]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110131/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul

Seems part of the arguement against Obama's bill is that people are going to be forced to purchase health insurance. Well........why not? A lot of states mandate buying auto insurance. Which one is more important? Doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to say you have to have it. Might help put an end to medical businesses having to give it away free.

So soon we forget. Many threads and even more posts comment about the "free care" we must provide in the ER and everywhere else. Seems to me this would be a step in the right direction to solve it. Whats the issue?

Eh, I'm all for it. Tired of running pain meds to a bunch of fakes who don't pay only to see another pt. with a real ailment get second rate care.

[TheChair1]

There are better ways to fix the system than Obamacare has offered.

such as .....?

[dizzyray822]

Just a little input.... I'm a nursing student that was laid off of my job right before school started. It was my job that was providing the health care for my husband and I (his job doesn't offer any benefits). We paid anywhere from $354 per month to $1123 per month for COBRA which ended last month. We now have no insurance and dont qualify for any benefits. I have a history of migraines and ovarian cysts and I'm about 30 pounds over weight (mostly put on during school) so we can't get get covered by a private insurance. Trust me, we've tried. I now have a bad ear ache that came after a simple cold I had last month. It's been there for a week now but I have no doctor to look at it. Whats the MOST aggravating is that I see all of the taxes taken from my husband paycheck each week and I know that I'm paying already for others to have care but I myself, nor my husband, have care. We need a change. I don't know all of the specifics of this reform but I think a lot of hard working Americans could really find a great deal of relief in it. I worry everyday that "what if I got into a car accident and built up thousands in medical debt?". It's truely a horrifying feeling. So if need be...yes...I'll be one of those walking into an ER Dept saying "sorry, I can't pay." And, would it be a terribly embarrassing moment...Yes, but what choice will I have? Not to mention that as someone without insurance I'll be paying TOP dollar for everything done to me. I've looked at claims from my insurance for times I've been to the ER in the past. Once was with food poisoning in which I was there in the ER for about 5 hours getting fluids and abx and the bill was something like $2600 and the insurance paid out less than a thousand. I was shocked, because if I had to pay out of pocket id be paying the $2600. There NEEDS to be some regulation, it's just not right!

[Mike A. Fungin RN]

Well........why not? A lot of states mandate buying auto insurance.

Not disagreeing with your overall message, but the difference between mandating auto insurance and mandating health insurance is that the auto insurance mandate is to protect society, other motororists, from uninsured drivers.

[NaKcl, BSN, RN]

Currently, health care is available to all; in the case of children and the aged it's free, ..

... and those young and healthy people who can't afford to pay. So, What is the deal about this new healthcare proposal?

Either way, everyone gets healthcare. People without health insurance use ER all the time and pay $0.00!

As someone mentioned ealier, It just going to hurt those of us who are working our butt off to pay high insurance premiums and taxes.

Either way the gov. will increase taxes to meet whatever they are trying to do. The gov. will look good, because they implemented this humanitarian health care system but from who's expense?

The idea is good, but there gotta be more details that need to be considered.

[dizzyray822]

Currently, health care is available to all; in the case of children and the aged it's free, ..

... and those young and healthy people who can't afford to pay. So, What is the deal about this new healthcare proposal?

Either way, everyone gets healthcare. People without health insurance use ER all the time and pay $0.00!

As someone mentioned ealier, It just going to hurt those of us who are working our butt off to pay high insurance premiums and taxes.

Either way the gov. will increase taxes to meet whatever they are trying to do. The gov. will look good, because they implemented this humanitarian health care system but from who's expense?

The idea is good, but there gotta be more details that need to be considered.

I have to disagree.....the hospital closest to my house does not even accept people without insurance. The next closest one does but will send you to collections three months after your visit unless you've set up a payment plan. So I don't know where you live or what hospital you're referring to, but its not like that everywhere. Unless you mean they pay nothing and don't care when they have bad credit because of it. I don't know....

[dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I]

... and those young and healthy people who can't afford to pay. So, What is the deal about this new healthcare proposal?

Either way, everyone gets healthcare. People without health insurance use ER all the time and pay $0.00!

If only it were that simple. ER costs are greatly inflated. Insurance companies get a discount. Those without insurance pay full price. And if they can't pay, it goes to collections, and the hospital gets a writeoff in it's taxes. Since the hospital is paying less taxes, the rest of have to pay more! So taxpayers take the hit for indigent care. It just takes a roundabout route to your and my wallets.

Obamacare isn't the perfect answer, it's not even what Obama wanted. It's just the answer that opposing political parties would agree to.

[NaKcl, BSN, RN]

They may get the bill, but do they pay? I don't think so. they do not have money to pay the insurance premium from the first place. They sure don't have money to pay the expensive ER bill!

We don't reject uninsured. We treat them all~

[OldNurseEducator]

Health care costs are terribly inflated. The almighty dollar is the answer to everything. Nurses may worry about patients, doctors may worry about patients, but hospitals and insurance companies are out for the money. Obamacare isn't the answer because he'll use Obamamoney to pay for his plan and Obamamoney doesn't exist. It just adds to the deficit. Too many problems, that are tangled together. If anyone has an answer to this, they should run for political office. Just my !

[Freedom42]

Not disagreeing with your overall message, but the difference between mandating auto insurance and mandating health insurance is that the auto insurance mandate is to protect society, other motororists, from uninsured drivers.

And Obama's health care reform is meant to protect society, including the taxpayer, from uninsured patients.

Curiously missing from this debate is any acknowledgement that the taxpayers already pay through the nose to provide health care to the uninsured. As George W. Bush once noted, everyone in America already has health care -- they just have to go to the ER. We already pay exorbitant fees for this care. Why not pay less and ensure that everyone receives the care they need?

As for the other posters' argument that opening up the health care system to those currently without insurance will lead to long delays and waits, I'd like to know where this in not happening. Certainly it happens already all over the United States. There are already long ER waits because the ER cares for the uninsured. There are long waits for office visits, too, for the insured.

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Currently, health care is available to all; in the case of children and the aged it's free, ..

... and those young and healthy people who can't afford to pay. So, What is the deal about this new healthcare proposal?

Either way, everyone gets healthcare. People without health insurance use ER all the time and pay $0.00!

As someone mentioned ealier, It just going to hurt those of us who are working our butt off to pay high insurance premiums and taxes.

Either way the gov. will increase taxes to meet whatever they are trying to do. The gov. will look good, because they implemented this humanitarian health care system but from who's expense?

The idea is good, but there gotta be more details that need to be considered.

Sweetie, my post was describing proposed health care reforms in South Africa; I only elected to follow this thread out of interest to hear how such systems work-or not- in other parts of the world.

This law concerning access to health care for children and pensioners was introduced during the early years of Nelson Mandela's regime; prior to this, those utilizing the State health services paid a nominal fee based on income. Frequently the fee was waived entirely.

[NaKcl, BSN, RN]

Crap!! my bad.

GHGoonett, honey, I was all focused about this Obama healthcare topic, and dind't read which country you were talking about.

Anyway, I said what I said and I am standing with my opinion!

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Crap!! my bad.

GHGoonett, honey, I was all focused about this Obama healthcare topic, and dind't read which country you were talking about.

Anyway, I said what I said and I am standing with my opinion!

Heh heh, that's ok, you weren't the only one :)