What is the opposition to Universal Healthcare

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I decided to start a new thread because the others take a completely different spin.

I am by no means well versed on this subject, but from my limited understanding universal healthcare isn't a bad thing. I personally do not mind paying higher taxes if my healthcare is already paid for. I'm a student now, but when I did have health insurance I rarely went to the doctor becuase of the deductible and I was already paying at lease $200 either a check or month. I also don't see how universal healthcare would be bad for hospitals, to me that means that the hospitals will get their money. I'm from Illinois and just this year one hospital nearly closed because they weren't getting paid for services rendered. I also saw in some threads that people would "take advantage" of universal healthcare? How does one take advantage of healthcare? And if more people did get regular check ups would that likely decrease the need for hospitalization? Wouldn't it be under preventive medicine (I thought that was what we nurses and soon to be nurses were promoting) These are just my thoughts. If you disagree that's fine, you are entitled to. I'm for it and would gladly pay the higher taxes, at least then I know some of the money that is taken from me will directly help me.

Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
Sigh

I fear universal health care

everyone has a right to healt care but that doesnt mean you are not responsible for the bill you render

I believe under 18 years of age you should get free health care, just liked education housing etc...

But once you turn 18 you know how that game is played so get some health care.

I dont buy for ONE MINUTE that health care is unaffordable. When I was in college I bought my own health coverage for 66 dollars a month. It wasnt the 'best' but it got me to the doctor and got me perscription meds.

Now if a low income person can afford a pack of cigerrets a day... well you see my point... people dont value health care or if they did they would find a way to fit it in to their budget

The day the governement starts regualting my pay is the day I quit!

And honestly Im not paying for adults to get health coverage.

Lets face it Socialism doesnt work! Unless working you mean paying around 60percent of your income in taxes. No thankyou!

Most folks think of insurance as either a luxury or an entitlement. Not enough see it as a responsibility. My daughter is in nursing school and has timed out of my coverage. I just bought her BC/BS individual coverage for $250/mo. It is adequate coverage with no deductable and reasonable copays. I don't want her to go without insurance even for the year it will take her to graduate because it will mean her ignoring not only medical care, but dental care and vision. I can't believe how many folks think of health insurance as frivilous. I work with a 40-something woman who has no healthcare because the premium would mean the difference between "driving a Chevy or my Cadillac". Do I want to pay for this woman's Universal Healthcare? Rhetorical question.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
Having said that, I would like to see medicare and medicaid restructured and revitalized (not so much with additional money, but with sense). I do not feel that we could or should do away with these entities, to protect the underprivileged, unable or elderly.

Medicare is moving toward more cost-effective Managed Care as we speak - of course some of us will feel this is an infringement upon our rights to control our own healthcare. Medical Assistance is a federally- funded, state managed program, which means it is as good or bad as the individual State makes it. In North Carolina, I work for a state-sponsored Case Management Program that works with Medicaid recipients. We are a benchmark program that other States are seeking to establish. We return $2 in savings for every $1 the State invests in the Program. And there is no alteration in benefits. We do it by "enabling" patients to be responsible for their own health, and "encouraging" the system to use Best Practice protocols. We simply have to learn to be smart with our resources.

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Specializes in Peds.
My daughter is in nursing school and has timed out of my coverage. I just bought her BC/BS individual coverage for $250/mo. It is adequate coverage with no deductable and reasonable copays.

So let me see if I have this straight. You're paying $3000 in premiums a year JUST FOR HER. In Canada that amount of tax money would cover an entire family of four under universal health care. No deductible, no copay.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

My eldest 23 no longer under my coverage. Because he had kidney stone 2 yrs ago, he was declined $75.00/month Blue Cross HMO coverage but was able to get Blue Cross PPO coverage for $303.00/month.

I pay for family of three with same Blue Cross PPO $295.00 biweekly with work picking up remainder of cost.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

For my family of 3, I get $175 taken out of my check ea pay period. I have BCBS. I'd be willing to have that same amount of money go to pay for UHC.

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Most folks think of insurance as either a luxury or an entitlement. Not enough see it as a responsibility. My daughter is in nursing school and has timed out of my coverage. I just bought her BC/BS individual coverage for $250/mo. It is adequate coverage with no deductable and reasonable copays.

Could someone explain what meant by "timed out", "deductible and copays?

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
Could someone explain what meant by "timed out", "deductible and copays?

Timed out as I understand it means that she no longer qualifies for her parents' insurance coverage as she is either a) too old or b)no longer a full-time student. Many insurance companies allow adult children to be covered under their parents' policies as long as they are under a certain age (in my plan it's 26) and a full-time student.

A co-pay is a set amount of money that the insurance requires the insured to pay for a service. Example: my co-pay for doctors' office visits is $20. So I can go to the doctor for something (well or sick visit), pay $20, and insurance will cover the rest. This also applies to medicines, and depending on the type of meds, some insurance have a tiered program. Some meds are 1st-tier, requiring a smaller co-pay, and as the tier increases the co-pay does as well. My generic Zoloft has a $20 co-pay per month because it's a generic and Zoloft is not a particularly specialized drug. My Lunesta (I'm an insomniac nightshifter :)) has a $40 co-pay. It is ridiculously complicated, IMO.

http://personalinsure.about.com/od/health/a/aa032805a.htm

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Specializes in ICU, Trauma, ER, Peds, Family Practice.

One of the groups that is opposed to Universal Health Care is the American Medical Association. There is a percentage of the memebers that are against changing the way health care is administered. What the Association needs is some new blood with new ideas. They have powerful lobbyists lobbying against anychange in the system.

You have CEO's business and medical directors of the insurance companies that are making a generous salary in this business. I worked for an medical insurance company performing Utilization Review and reviewing cases that needed pre approval for procedures and medical treatment. The language in the benefits books needed to be followed to the letter. Each company that we covered had different coverage language. I never got an answer to who wrote the benefit handbooks . I was wondering if it was a committee. I got so ill working that position I was forced to quit. My primary care physician suggested that I resign for that position. It was a very stressful atmosphere. But I did get an idea of what happens behind the scenes and too make sure I read my medical and dental insurance handbooks. Very interesting reading.

Paddlelady

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
The language in the benefits books needed to be followed to the letter. Each company that we covered had different coverage language. I never got an answer to who wrote the benefit handbooks . I was wondering if it was a committee. I got so ill working that position I was forced to quit. My primary care physician suggested that I resign for that position. It was a very stressful atmosphere. But I did get an idea of what happens behind the scenes and too make sure I read my medical and dental insurance handbooks. Very interesting reading.

Paddlelady

Benefit handbooks are written by the insurer to cover what the client wants to pay for. Organizations usually do not order healthcare coverage "off the rack"- representatives from both parties sit down and negotiate a contract and it usually ends up being what an organization is willing to pay for. It's kind of a "one from column A and one from column B process. They also decide upon deductables, copays, maximum coverage, etc. What is interesting to know is what portion of your healthcare premiums is your employer paying? Some will tell you, some won't.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.

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Also, for anyone who thinks that health care is "privatized" in our dear country, please look at overall government spending on health care in our country today. It is a not so distant 2nd place behind military spending, to the tune of hundreds of billions per year. We, as taxpayers, spend more on our health care "system" than every other country in the world, combined.

You are right. But part of the problem is that we have developed a sense of entitlement where it comes to healthcare. Most Americans with insurance, and that includes Medicare and Medicaid believe that the insurance card in their hand entitles them to anything they want. And we are a nation of conspicuous consumers. My employer recently raised the copay for Emergency Room visits to $150. because employees were using the ER for non-emergent issues that should have been addressed by their PCP or self-addressed with over the counter medication (IMHO, going to the doctor for a cold and coming away angry because all he gave you was a bottle of cough medicine is a huge waste of resources). No one should have to tell employees not to use the ER for colds and sore throats, but it happens, and folks come away feeling deprived and encumbered with too may restrictions. If we spend more for healthcare, it is most likely in comparison to countries with socialized medicine that restrict access enough to make it cost- effective. Shame on us for being so wasteful...

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
So let me see if I have this straight. You're paying $3000 in premiums a year JUST FOR HER. In Canada that amount of tax money would cover an entire family of four under universal health care. No deductible, no copay.

I didn't say I liked it. I like the Canadian system more than any of the others I have studied, but it has one drawback that is going to be a big sell for Americans - Rationing.

THe reason I pay so much for my daughter is because it is a private policy, not subsidized by an employer. While she is in school, she is not working enough hours to qualify for insurance. If she did, her premium would be far less, but the employer would pay an additional $3-4 hundred on top of what she pays.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
For my family of 3, I get $175 taken out of my check ea pay period. I have BCBS. I'd be willing to have that same amount of money go to pay for UHC.

You may not be paying that much, but you will be paying. And that is a problem, most folks think UHC will be free. THere will be a premium, which will upset most of the folks that UHC was developed to help - the working poor who do not have or cannot afford health insurance. Because the system will be so cumbersome and inefficient, taxes will have to be raised to subsidized what premiums will not cover.

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