Interesting article on Obama health care plan

Hushdawg · May 19, 2009

Second- the system is not broken. People get timely care- they just have to pay for it. You just dont agree with that idea.

Untrue. Those who are uninsured are getting substandard care because the hospital administration does not approve them for costly procedures under the assumption that they will not or cannot pay for them.

People get procedures, transplants, etc based on the kind of insurance they have rather than the level of need.

If you want a solution i have one that involves a national health care plan for those uninsured:
Create a national health care plan that has certain restrictions-
1) if you currently smoke or use illegal drugs you are not eligible. Evidence of either of these disqualifies you for 2 years.

This would involve making tobacco illegal. While we're at it let's make pork and alcohol illegal too, there are just as many (if not more) life-threatening diseases and afflictions related to those.

Republicans are the strongest supporters of the tobacco industry (Believe me, I was raised in NC), so now while we have more Dems in congress is the time to promote this type of law.

What about "illegal" drugs or "controlled substances" that are prescribed?

There are a LOT of grey areas in this qualifier.

To be clear: I have no problem with making tobacco, pork and alcohol illegal... heck it would make me very happy. But you need to see the full repercussions of your statement.

2) If you are obese by body fat measurements (not BMI) and not handicapped or elderly, you are not elligible.

OK this makes no sense... if you are at risk for health problems then you don't have the right to access medical care to treat those health problems?

I can understand people who are morbidly obese without a medical reason being put on a program to reduce weight and being made to comply with it, but denying healthcare altogether?

You know, there is way too much bigotry in that kind of thought process to even entertain it further.

3) As an adult if you did not graduate from high school and do not have a valid excuse- you are not eligible.

What constitutes a "valid excuse"?

If you were raped and decided to carry the baby but you were forced out of school because of Public School regulations where you live, is that a valid excuse? If not, will you be willing to set up a tax-funded abortion clinic?

What about all the people who have undiagnosed mental illnesses which preclude learning?

Just a thought.. the assumption is that those who do not graduate high school are not contributing to society.

I worked for a man once who dropped out of school in the 8th grade because his father died and he needed to support his mother and younger siblings. He never completed school but he (at the time) owned 4 different businesses and more than 300 acres of developed land. He provided jobs for hundreds of people and created products that served millions.

Yet you would deny him medical coverage?

4) If you are non-compliant with your medications and not from side effects, you are kicked out

I can see where you're coming from here. But we also have to be sure that it isn't the same method that medical insurance providers give.

Example:

My mother was prescribed a medication for a condition, the insurance refused to cover the name brand and forced her to take the generic. The generic, in this case, had certain inactive ingredients which caused an allergic reaction in my mother. The insurance refused to accept that she had to have the name brand because her condition was not consistent with the side effects of the ACTIVE ingredients.

The result? My mother had to stop taking the medication until she could eventually get a doctor to find an alternative medication and write the prescription in such a way that the insurance company could not force a replacement.

5) Only US citizens or those who have green cards are eligible.

No problem with that whatsoever, those on education visas and tourist visas will be able to pay a reasonable flat rate for services, but as they are not contributing to the taxes they should not be provided completely free services. Makes sense to me.

Then people would have some motivation to stop all these crappy lifestyle habits and lose some weight. We almost overnight would have a healthier, more compliant population and a better educated populace in one foul swoop.

Right, because losing weight is easy.

I weighed 300lbs for 4 years. I exercised nearly every day and always totaled more than 4 hours a week of cardio in a gym, had no medical reason for my weight and ate moderately.

I did not lose anything until I moved to the Philippines and got married. Now in 2 years I've lost 80lbs.

Sometimes we don't know WHY we are fat and no amount of work seems to make an effort.

It is bigoted to state that people automagically can lose weight.

The only way to have a truly healthy society is if everyone has equal access to healthcare.

Hushdawg · May 19, 2009

The illogical element is the inaccurate definition of people's position.
Prolife people are not prolife because the specifically want to oppose people's capacity to choose, they are prolife because they think it's wrong to kill unborn babies. Even Obama points out that the positions of people need to be clarified in order to have rational discussion.
And I don't know how it's illogical to think that killing people just because they are old is wrong while simultaneously thinking that executing the most insidious and vile of criminals is just.
If you take that position, then you'd have to acknowledge that it's "highly illogical" to believe that euthanasia is OK while believing capital punishment is wrong. It rather shows the lack of logic in defining other people as illogical.

Actually I agree with you.

I believe that abortion should be treated like any other medical procedure and should be recommended by a doctor for cases which are medically and psychologically sound.

I believe that the death penalty should absolutely be executed (hah! pun!) for murderers, rapists and child molesters.

I am also opposed to euthanasia.

I support free and socialized health care for the masses.

Even if you want to call it socialism.

I don't care.

Having the "communist" stigma on the term "Socialized" is SO 1980s.

Hushdawg · May 25, 2009

Is there any new news on the movement of this plan since last week?

greenbeanio · May 27, 2009

I will never be able to understand how someone with a compassionate heart can see another person suffer or do without and not want to help, even if that person may have contributed to his own lousy status in life.
Each other. We're all we've got.

mari55 · Apr 18, 2010

Oh, of course, because the politicians in control are paid big bucks by the healthcare conglomerates to maintain status quo.
Oh do I agree with you.