The future of Obamacare

Published

I think you missed my point, I have no issues with Tricare and think it would be wonderful if everyone could have the opportunity to join the plan. My point is I know the plan is more than your premium - I am guessing the cost would be to expensive for every person to have in America since each citizen would have to pay the "total" cost not just the premium.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn, geriatric, rehab, wound care, ER.
I think you missed my point, I have no issues with Tricare and think it would be wonderful if everyone could have the opportunity to join the plan. My point is I know the plan is more than your premium - I am guessing the cost would be to expensive for every person to have in America since each citizen would have to pay the "total" cost not just the premium.

I think you just made a good point for single payer health care

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am confused are you saying you like the Tricare program, which is a Private option not a single payer. Be prepared for your taxes to go up if you like this.

If you are for a single payer then you are against Tricare which is private insurance with the government supplementing the costs. I don't know about you, but I am paying 1/2 my salary in taxes, I really can't afford much more taxes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn, geriatric, rehab, wound care, ER.

I'd rather pay a little more in taxes than the exorbitant premiums, copays and prescription costs that I currently pay with the risk of getting cut off if I cost the insurance company too much money and start to cut into their profit margin.

While I agree with your point that Medicaid reimbursement leaves a lot to be desired, can you tell me why I (with my private insurance) have to pay $50 for an inhaler that is free under Medicaid (which i help pay for via my taxes)?

It just seems to me that I'm getting doubly ripped off.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'd rather pay a little more in taxes than the exorbitant premiums, copays and prescription costs that I currently pay with the risk of getting cut off if I cost the insurance company too much money and start to cut into their profit margin.

While I agree with your point that Medicaid reimbursement leaves a lot to be desired, can you tell me why I (with my private insurance) have to pay $50 for an inhaler that is free under Medicaid (which i help pay for via my taxes)?

It just seems to me that I'm getting doubly ripped off.

You are getting doubly ripped off.... on top of that any Medcaid patient you take care of only pays your hospital pennies on the dollar while your insurance company pays up to $1.50 .

I agree with you, I would like to pay a bit more ( $50.00 week) and get great benefits. But so far everyone I know has not been able to take advantage of any of President Obama's programs, mortgage relief ( every one I work with including lowly paid service workers make too much), cash for clunkers ( nobody I knew had a qualifying car and some where 15 years old), now I am paying more interest on my credit cards ( due to Mr Obama's consumer protections). I believe this health care will be income based,so I wouldn't be surprise you would be paying your $50 co pay while less fortunate people will get it for free.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute post op ortho.
You are getting doubly ripped off.... on top of that any Medcaid patient you take care of only pays your hospital pennies on the dollar while your insurance company pays up to $1.50 .

I agree with you, I would like to pay a bit more ( $50.00 week) and get great benefits. But so far everyone I know has not been able to take advantage of any of President Obama's programs, mortgage relief ( every one I work with including lowly paid service workers make too much), cash for clunkers ( nobody I knew had a qualifying car and some where 15 years old), now I am paying more interest on my credit cards ( due to Mr Obama's consumer protections). I believe this health care will be income based,so I wouldn't be surprise you would be paying your $50 co pay while less fortunate people will get it for free.

Not just income based....any capitol gains on your home, investments, ect... will qualify as income, so you better pray for a economic slump....(oh wait, too late).....otherwise....suddenly, you'll be rich!!!

Unless you rent, then it's all cool, baby, oh, no...wait...the landlord will have an increased tax burden.....and guess who he's gonna pass that on to......

You betcha.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Then again your health care costs will essentially double by 2020 WITHOUT REFORM....I would much prefer to have an extra 300 bucks a month in 2020....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Then again your health care costs will essentially double by 2020 WITHOUT REFORM....I would much prefer to have an extra 300 bucks a month in 2020....

Listen to the 1993 debate the same thing was said and did n't happen. For your $300 you will not have the same Medicare benefits, right now $500,000,000 has been cut and more is to be cut in the future. Why so you who has paid into the system will provide health care to all.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical-care RN.

" The Five Biggest Lies About Healthcare " :typing http://www.newsweek.com/id/214254/page/1 :cheers:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critcal Care.
Nobody said capitalism is a crime.

If you are so interested in preserving capitalism in America then see below - I found an interesting article for you

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-309200

Why Health Care Reform - "It's the Economy Stupid" and Capitalism-

* Health Care Reform is about fixing the U.S. economy and the deficits that will increase due to increasing health care costs and the related negative impact on the U.S. economy.

"The first and most important thing in getting the federal deficit under control is substantial reform of the health care system," - National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers

* Making insurance coverage more affordable for people with existing coverage, people without coverage, small businesses that provide coverage, and big businesses that provide coverage.

* Preventing families from losing their life savings, going out of business, and going bankrupt.

* Correcting the trend towards a sicker population results in bigger profits for the medical community, towards a healthier population results in bigger profits for the medical community, a more competitive and productive U.S. population, and a better U.S. economy.

* Making the medical community's and Insurance Corp. systems more efficient and eliminating waste or unnecessary procedures.

* The issue of liability and insurance costs and the related medical errors or malpractice.

* Addressing the issues that contribute to rising health care costs. (diet, obesity, tobacco, cancer, alcohol, food processing, pollution)

* Preventing a loss in morals or values. A disproportionate number of veterans are in the streets for reasons related to a lack of safety measures and coverage. (macromineral deficiencies and PTSD)

* Safety measures related to prevention and preventing death.

* Preventing negative perceptions towards Capitalism.

* Making the U.S. economy more competitive with other foreign economies.

* The economic costs to the U.S. economy and families will be far greater if nothing is done.

Health care costs have risen from 7% to 17% in a very short period of time and will continue to increase at an alarming rate. As health care costs continue to increase more people will be unable to afford coverage, more people will be strapped for cash because of rising costs, more families will be going bankrupt, more small businesses will be unable offer plans to employees, more small businesses will be unable to compete, and more people will die due to a lack of coverage. "premiums for the average American family are rising three times faster than their wages" - DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan

At this time about 1 million families in the U.S. go bankrupt because of a lack of coverage or not enough coverage, and sometimes it's just a question of not reading the fine print. "The cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes," - Obama

In comparison, other countries that have universal health care the costs are about 9% to 12%, and do not exclude 50 million people like in the U.S. Both the rising costs of health care that continue to increase at an alarming rate in the U.S. and the fact that so many families go bankrupt a year have a negative impact on the U.S. economy, and the U.S. will be at a disadvantage or will not be able to compete on the Global economic scene because of this.

Health care reform is about bringing down the costs of health care and providing affordable options for those with existing health care coverage and those without coverage. The result is people having more money to save, invest, and spend which stimulates the U.S. economy and creates growth and jobs. Extending coverage to another 50 million people will also create more demand for services and create jobs.

It's in everyone's interest to have more affordable health care including people with existing coverage, small businesses, big businesses, and the U.S. economy. It will make smaller businesses that provide health care coverage more completive. Big businesses are also affected by the smaller businesses and their rising costs, and by the U.S. economy.

Health care reform is not only about insurance plans, it's about making the U.S. population healthier and more productive, and there are many other issues involved to reduce health care costs and changing the trend towards the sickest population in the world, towards the healthiest and most productive in the world. The medical community will also try to make their systems more efficient and eliminate waste or unnecessary procedures. A healthier and more productive population results in lower absenteeism, disability, and death and therefore a better and more competitive U.S. economy.

Capitalism

* Safety measures such as law enforcement and firefighting are about prevention and preventing death, basic health care is also about prevention and preventing death, how is it different?

* What is the cost or negative impact on the US economy when a person dies from a lack of coverage and what is the dollar value of a person's life? It's not about the size of a home or car; it's about a person's life.

* Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer and a company most labor officials cite as their anti-union poster child supports health care reform. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is also a poster child of globalization and Capitalism.

* The Principles of Capitalism can also be used to find solutions.

* The countries and economies that can work together to make themselves more productive and competitive, and this is the issue and part of Capitalism, without using political rhetoric for political gain that get in the way of this process and what is needed, will win the economic battles and wars of the future.

Negative and False Perceptions of Capitalism

* Capitalism is to blame for the death of a loved one. What is your perception or the effect on a person's perception of what Capitalism is when someone they know or care for dies because of a lack of coverage or you don't have enough money to continue to live, it's just the way it is?

* Capitalism is to blame for the obesity epidemic and rising health care costs.

* Capitalism is to blame for the economic collapse and downturn. Some of the Banking elite blamed Capitalism for the economic downturn, which also results in a negative perception of Capitalism. Some people may even perceive Capitalism as equaling fraud or crime.

Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Capitalism - These are some of the statements I remember:

Vikram Pandit - "You cannot allow the U.S. consumer to dictate global growth" "we didn't have the right guard rails for Capitalism"

Larry Fink - "Capitalism went too far, no one governing the excesses of Capitalism. I'm guilty, we are all guilty." "we had a society that believed in housing"

Other statements and something like - "we need a new Capitalism because there was something wrong with the old Capitalism"

The Medical Industry and Capitalism

* An unhealthy and sick population benefits the medical industry with demand, profit, and growth but has an adverse effect on the productivity and growth of the U.S. economy as a whole.

* Pharmaceuticals are for profit corporations and aim to increase the use and demand for their products, aim to find expensive or highly profitable and owned solutions instead of simple common and inexpensive solutions, aim to increase profit and growth, and the growth in demand and use of their products. The miracle pill with a cost of $1000 a day instead of an apple a day solution of $1 a week and this is linked to prevention and the U.S. diet.

* Food products that are unhealthy or void of nutritional value are approved by the medical community and contribute to health care costs, but are low in cost and result in bigger profits.

* Food products that are high in caffeine and sugar can result in food addiction and bigger profits, nicotine is another example, but have an adverse effect on health care costs.

* Examples of adverse health effects: macromineral deficiencies, acid-base disorders, insomnia, sugar addictions, brain fog (sugar), sugar cravings (sugar), attention disorders (sugar), mood disorders (lift and crash sugar), obesity epidemic, heart and stoke, and cancer.

* Again, as the U.S. population continues the current trend of getting sicker, resulting in rising health care costs, the U.S. population will become less and less productive, and the U.S. economy will be less and less able to compete on the Global economic scene.

* The principles of capitalism, incentives, and profitability are important to reduce costs and increase profit.

* If the medical industry and community reject or resent the implementation of a Universal Health Care system it will result in retaliation and attempts to make the system inefficient and costly.

Capitalism Works Very Well and is Not to Blame

The blame lies with the organizations that allow these products on the market and this is linked to the medical community. It's a question of legislation and changing the factors that result in bigger profits towards healthy ones, and this is Capitalism.

Health care reform and the rising health care costs and the banking industry and the related economic collapse and downturn are a question of legislation, regulations, and laws.

your more than welcome!

You nailed it. I agree that the present system needs some reform and/or alternatives, but single payer government run isn't the only answer out there to get coverage for those who are truly in need, and we don't have to rush into this with a knee-jerk reaction. I do not support, and will not be willing to pay a higher tax bill to put a system in place that takes out incentives for quality and recruitment of top performers in the medical field. Obama has stated that he would be willing to look at reduction of medicare reimbursements. This, effectively, is a reduction in pay for doctors. I work with very young residents who are very worried that the expense (personal and monetary) of going to medical school will not pay off in the future. To attract the best, you must pay the best. To reduce cost of the present system, we could be looking at graft and fraud. But government oversees that now doesn't it? They don't do a very good job, and that is well documented. Some previously proposed legislation could provide other options that will keep competition alive and will not kill small business. Monopoly has never worked and never will. There's nothing like a new player in town to change the game. While we are looking at 'everyone else' 'all the other civilized countries of the world', etc. , we need to take a good look at their balance sheets also. They are broke. They are not wrong to provide coverage for everyone, but it is the manner in which they do it that will not fit America's history or fiscal sense. We must find a better way, not just a way to be like all the others. Oh, and by the way, the movie Sicko is not exactly a peer reviewed non-biased look at healthcare in America. Just a bit of history here, but healthcare coverage became tied to employment when unions offered it as an incentive for membership back in the early years of 1900's. Corporations soon found that by offering better health packages, they could get better employees. Go figure. Offer the best and get the best.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critcal Care.
loved your post rn4mercy, i too am very concerned about the "corporate backed assault on healthcare reform". we the people need to fight back -call your representative, your senators and register your opinion, attend these town hall meetings and let your voice be heard, get involved -there are many organizations out there. our lives and the lives of our family, friends and neighbors depend on it - this is not hyperbole.

"you cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. the government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. when half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. you cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."*

*adrian rogers, 1931[color=#4f81bd]*[color=#4f81bd] [color=#4f81bd]pastor & author[color=#17365d]

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critcal Care.

There is a better answer than government-run healthcare. We just have to find it. These tea-baggers are just people who have seen government-run institutions run off the rails and don't want to see their taxes ill spent. I make sacrifices in order to pay for longterm health care insurance that will pay over $5,000 per month for me to stay in an extended living or skilled nursing facility. If the insurance company makes a profit from their gamble that I won't need such a facility, then it was a great deal for them. If I end up with a debilitating illness, such as Alzheimers, then I'm the one who 'profits'. I don't have a problem with that. Profit is not a dirty word.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion