Universal health care is implemented in most wealthy, industrialized countries, with the exception of the United States. It is also provided in many developing countries and is the trend worldwide.
Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom to name a few...
Until you have lived with a root canal for years you can't afford to get fixed, high blood pressure you can't afford medicine for, and live in fear of breaking a bone you can never pay for - Free health care seems silly and unneeded.
which is why all of those people, in all of those countries. come HERE for top notch health care! :-)
almost None of those countries, you listed, are wealthy, except maybe in oil, and that's if you dig being beaten and not allowed to drive. You don't have any clue how good you have it here...
Those countries you listed, how great are they? Check up on it. You think CUBA is a nice place to be? HUH????? Saudi arabia?????
Fact is, we are the Wealthiest country in the WORLD..
and I think if you lived in these places that have "universal healthcare" you'd think twice when you had to wait years to see a doc, cause there aren't any to see, or a specialist that can help, or equipment that is so old you couldn't use it to operate on an animal, much less a human.... Or politics that are so horrible, like ummm I don't know.. maybe Communism????
Adn ohhh how about that China! Yeah, everybody loves being told you can only have one child each, infanticide and socialsm for Everyone, yippeee! Sure you get healthcare, as long as you agree to THEIR terms....
I would say, that if you think those places are so great, and so much better than your own coutnry, you can feel Free to move there.
As for Me, and my tax dollars... Well, we PAY for our OWN health insurance, its' called, being responsible. And no one ever said, that a utopia exsists, nor did they say that it's Someone Elses responsiblity to make sure YOU have health insurance. When you say things like what you said, you're basically saying , hey taxpayers, pick up the tab for me.
We are DIRT poor, My hubby has 4 college degrees, but because he chose public education, as his field, a thankless job... we have no money. We live WITHIN our means... we don't complain, and ask for handouts... we don't whine, that it's someone elses Fault that WE can't have something we want, or Need.... we just make due, and we do what we can, and we take Responsiblity for OURSELVES....... WE don't Blame others for anything that we have chosen , to do , or not to do.... or for anything that we do , or do not have...
My Gosh.... I am sorry for this rant, but that was just so unbelievable. And somehow, people that blame all their life problems and choices on the government, or taxpayers, or can't take responsiblity for their own lives, are always the ones who manage to say they can't afford formula for their baby, or their mortgage, or health insurance, but they can somehow magically afford nice shoes, jewelry, and cars.
Do you know that my hubby has seen parents, on Welfare, come in to his school, when their kids are in trouble, and whine that they can't afford pencil and paper, and school supplies....
People with 6-7 kids,, all by Different dads... they get paid about 900 dollars per month, for EACH kid.... EACH one... so do the math, some of these lazy pieces, are making 5000 dollars a month, for Sitting on their Butts doing absolutely NOTHING but drugs, or some other illegal activity. That is all TAX FREE, They get their healthcare paid for , it's call MEDICAID,,, they get food stamps, they get housing, and guess what kind of car they are driving???
600000 dollar SUV's That is what! all while dressed in hundreds of dollars worth of tennis shoes, jewelry and a 400 dollar I phone...
Some people Expect that the government should "take care" of them, but that is NOT what the government was intended to do.
I for one, am SICK and tired of me and my hubby paying 28% of his monthly pay, so that some piece of crap lazy person, can sit on their butt playing all day, and make twice what he does, and not owe a dang penny of taxes.
It's called priorities.... that is seriously a horrible thing to say.
We bust our behinds, every day, to make ends meet, would Never dream of blaming anyone, the taxpayer or the government, for Anything like that, we are ultimately the Only ones that are responsible for ourselves.
Part of the way major companies attract the top "talent" is by great Benefits, my third child cost us $10 due to my benefits. It is one of the ways big Companies attract the right people for their company, they negotiate a contract with a "insurance" company and take it from there, My compnay has over 300,000 and have 1 insurance company, so you see my company can negotiate a really good deal for us.
Marina isn't your hubby a principal at a school? most of our here make over 100K a year and have great benefits, I know in NJ they have a terrific Union up there and have great benefits, but again the union negotiates that on behalf of the teachers.
They way america works is you can do for yourself as you wish.
Some enter the corporate world like myself, which has decenet pay and good benefits.
Some enter the public sector (like your hubby) lower pay good benefits.
Some try to be an Entrepreneur like Snix, she wants her own company...well the stuggle is there but if you do it correctly you can earn a very nice salary but have lousy benefits, but you are your own boss which is nice.
Some people can't get beyond a simple education and will be the burger flippers for the rest of their lives.
And of course we have our crimminal and scam artist group, that put us all in a bad spot.
Do I have the answers to america's woes? no, I don't think a socialist government will ever happen here. Will we have a Socialist medical system like Great Britian, France, Canada? no, but maybe we will have a smaller version, more expansive medicare/medic-aid thingy.
Marinia, would you be willing to have a medical plan that was universal but on a sliding scale? Something like, 10% of your paycheck goes to this insurance, basic procedures are covered for free (vacinations, health check ups, etc) Critical care is covered 90% and the remaing 10% is negotiated but paid in installments and a flat interest rate of 3%, Cosmetic procedures are not covered at all. I mean it can be fine tuned.
But I think we need to have some sort of basic health care, that we all can funnel money into, much like Social Security, the current generation pays for the generation recieving, people are in a panic that SS will run out of money, it won't the young generation has enough #'s to cover it.
it can be different, we still want to be an innovative country, yet I should not ahve to pay Joe Smoes broken leg becuase he had ZERO insurance. Currently that is what is happening. If Joe Smoe goes to the hospital with a broken leg and can't pay for it, Marina you apy for it next time you go for a basic check up, something that would have cost you and your Employer $100 now cost $185 to help cover Joe smoe and the bad debt the hospital has gained due to people not paying their bills.
there has to be a better way, freee market is our economy, but healthcare needs to be manipulated to help all of us and make hospitals profitable as well.
no, he's not a Principal, he's an Assistant Principal (Vice Principal) and there is a Huge pay gap, not only that, but I dont' knwo where you live, but the principals here, do not make six figures.
We barely pull in 55000 a year, Gross.... before taxes, so after we are done paying taxes, and paying for everyone elses stuff, we barely pull in 35000.... what a joy it is to be lower middle class!
We do have a basic healthcare, it's called medicare, and medicaid... and you've seen how well, and effcient, and Fair those are.
bottom line, you're responsible for your own self. period. you ought to know, as most people do, that Any time you get the Feds involved in something, it turns into a Huge buearacracy, of red tape, usless "programs" that drain peoples wallets,and are only usefull to the lazy. if things go on like they are we will eventually be a country totally dependent on it's government, and then we'll be the United Socialist States of America...... how great is that.
discovery..
Revolution,
democracy,
freedom,
warped democracy,
hand outs
government programs and mass dependence
socialism
death of a country.
there ya go!
If you Truly want to stop health care costs, from rising....
Try telling all these sue happy people, that sue for crap that can't even be controlled, or at the drop of a hat, for millions upon millions, because their 90 year old grandad went into the hospital, had emergency surgery, and died... what a shocker, and they blame the docs and hospital...
That is the Major cause of health care rising.
I have many relatives in this industry, in nursing, billing, management... they are Experts in this field. Adn having socialized medicine, never did Any one any good. It's just a fact.
I'd wager if anyone truly investigated the countries listed above, lik "afganistan" what a wonderful place, I"m sure their healthcare is totally Fab! LOL.... they don't even have public eduation over there, much less healthcare, that I know of.
Most of those countries, have Serious serious issues.... not fun places to be, with the exception of the UK and some of the others... I can't believe this person listed them as "examples" of what to do right.
I happen to love my country, and it's military, and my health care that we pay for....
may I ask what state you live in? I grew up in NJ and now live in Georgia. I graduated with a Teaching degree in NJ, I worked at a school for 1 year, then I decided to go into the Private sector, when I left NJ, I was getting paid well, and the VP and Principals of my tiny town made over 100K that was 1996. But I do know NJ is a wealthy state and they pay their teachers very well, that is why my property tax in NJ for a 100 by 50 lot cape Cod was 9K, as opposed to my 2K here in GA for a 1 Acre lot and a huge house. The Teacher Union in NJ has done well for the teachers but ahve raped the citizens of NJ that don't teach, same for the State employees, who "double dip" What can I say NJ was a Corrupt state, nothing new.
in GA the teacher salary are lower but so is the cost of living, my wife and I are in the Upper middle class, we do well, but that is becuase we invested in ourselves to do well.
As for the lawsuits, the Doctors and Hospitals have Malpractice insurance, I have it on my wife, she also works in the medical field.
I am not talking about "socialized medicine" I am talking about a "better plan" then what we already have, Medicare and Medic-aid do not work, they are not efficient,
If you were offered a job and they said, OK we are going to take 5-10% out of your salary (pre-tax) for your health care benefits, the money will grow in an account or in a 401K type of program for Health care use only, it will continue to grow through your lifetime, vaccinations and regular check-ups are free, it will follow you job to job. It can generate interest depending on your investment oppurtunity.
Now you can continue to build this through your life and only use it for medical necessary use, not for cosmetic procedures. So while you may not use it in your 20's or 30's you can build your account during that time period, so when you are older you ahve that money for your medical needs and will not need a government assistance.
something along that line, basically a 401K medical plan...
I find it funny I have terrific benefits now and I do not need them, but I imagine when I retire I will need them and I won't have squat in coverage and I will have to dip into my 401K anyway just to buy my pills.
I already ahve something along this line, it is called a Health Savings account, do not confuse it with a health Spending account, different type of account, I ahve a High deductable account for my health care of $2300 which I do not meet, ever, not even with a family of 5. But I put the money in this account for the one day I do need it, if I never use It I can roll it over to a IRA, tax free.
I do this becuase I know how to, there are people out tehre that are clueless to how it works, and unfortunately I end up paying for them down the line anyway.
Where do you live? I love the socialist rant...you must watch fox news channel....lol
yep, I watch Fox... I do watch other ones too, like CNN
I guess you could say I'm a republican, but on social issues I'm in the middle....
It's just that fiscally, I'm not for the hand out way of life.
you and yours do well, cause like you said, you have made that life.
My hubby chose a career that he knew didn't pay that well, but it's something he wanted to do, and he'll have a fairly decent retirement, he's already got 14 years in, and I think can retire at 20 -25 years, then he'll do a different job till his real retirement age.
he was in the Army for 17 years, was a Green Beret, United States
Special Forces.... one hell of a man, let me tell you. But the sweetest most gentle , kindest guy you'd ever meet.
It wears him out, as he's in a school with really bad kids, and always has been. He's good with troubled youth, only problem is, he spends most of his day, going to hearings for kids that are getting expelled (he has to build the expulsion packages too, a Lot of paper work and time put into those) He has to have kids and sometimes even their Parents arrested for acting a fool at the school,,
He has to constantly be suspending kids, stopping fights, searching the entire school, or individual students for drugs or weapons..
and so he can't get any of the administration work he's supposed to be doing, like evaluating the teachers, done. It's just so draining on him. He is now talking of wanting to do something else. But in this economy, his tenure, and his job security are like gold, and we can't give that up at present.
He also chose being an educator, because he knew that they had a really good health insurance plan.
That was what I was talking about, taking responsibility for yourself, and knowing that the choices you make in life, are yours alone, and no one elses.
I just get so fed up listening to people blame everything in their lives, on me, or you, or people that work their rear ends off to try and be responsible, productive members of society.
not even saying this girl above doesn't work hard, but it's no one's fault that she doesn' have health care.
I don't want to reveal too much about myself
I grew up in Oklahoma, Tulsa baby!
But I now live in the South. ;-)
I would love a health care plan, that could help older folks, to replace medicare, and a plan to do away with, and replace medicaid, unfortunately, those two plans themselves, are also part of the problem, as they drive healthcare costs up, and put hospitals in the hole.
and as you know, the minute you start having government control our healthcare, you get substandard care. If we had a national system like that, it would be like medicare/medicaid, magnified 100 times. no one could get medical care without jumping through even more hoops then we do now with conventional healthcare, decent students wouldn't want to go to Med school anymore, because the pay they'd get would be drastically reduced, and so we'd get crappy docs. A hospital would have to wait years to get a new piece of equipment that they need badly, to help patients..
My view is, until they can actually do it effectively, no good ever came of government stepping in and putting their fingers in the pot.... that is true with healtcare too.
I know, we did hijack this thread, Sorry everyone! LOL.....
oh man your hubby had 17 years in and didn't finish out his 20? with the army? damn, I was int he Army as well, but not special forces.
I highly respect your husband, he has a High moral code and he is trying to make an impact on young lives and show them the correct way of respecting yourself and the people around you.
I agree with alot of what you say, I am also part of the "fisically responsible, liberal social issues" crowd, I swear the two parties Divided up " you guys take this and we take that" on issues that purposely do not go well together, I can't stand "ultra- either liberal or conservative"
As you said the Medical system is screwed up, Socialized medicare does not work. Welfare does not work, people are lazy if you let them be.
I can't stand the thought of a hand out, I have always been taught and determined to do things on my own and survive, and I have. I was DIRT POOR at one time I lived on noodles and the cheapest food you can buy while working 2 jobs, 16 hours a day, I paid my OWN WAY through college (still paying for it) I worked my tush off.
I would be fine with my Plan of a "medical 401K" type of deal, where I can funnel in "pre-tax" dollars into an account that has growth potential, incase I ever need it when I get older. I really feel my company is "throwing money away" on me. Why should they have to? Why can't I save it for use at a later time, give me that money, put it in a Medical savings account, so I can use it responsibly.
This Octoplet woman is a perfect example of STUPID PEOPLE...14 freaking kids?? Guess who is paying for it? becuase two wacko's did this? (her and her Doctor) I feel sorry for those 14 kids...they will be Dirt poor, becuase their mother is a Dumb ask.
I don't like FOX news, I find it very biased and alot of mudslinging. I find it pathetic that people believe this crap.
I donate over 5% of my salary to Charities for Cancer research and Atlanta's Children Hospital, so they can get the best medical equipment that money can by to save young lives, to me that is not a hand out, it is a investment to help fight this awful disease and help some little dudes out.
I agree we need to take care of oourselves, but also Paying $100 for a Tylenol pill is a rip off, there has to be a balance, but we pay that $100 a pill becuase Joe Smoe doesn't pay his medical Bill when he brakes his leg.
I don't know, I've watched fox for years, and others too, like msnbc, and cnn, and I've found the exact opposite to be true.
Cnn isn't as bad as PMSnbc
Thanks for the words about my hubby, he's a special dude.
He got out because he broke his back, he was skydiving, during an excersise, and broke one of his lower lumbar vertebrae.
He was once told he'd never walk again, or that he'd be lucky if he did. But he did. He didn't give up, and he went to extensive physical therapy, and also had back surgery. So, needless to say, he didn't want to push pencils, as an officer, (he was enlisted, then went to OCS and got out as a Major) because the special forces was what he loved. He was only in the reserves the last 6 years or so, so he did stay in a while after he broke his back, it's jsut that he didn't enjoy it anymore, and he wanted to make a drastic decison.
I didn't know him at the time, we've only been married a couple years, and he's older than me, by 10 years.
well I agree, News channels in General SUCK! agreed on the MSNBC liberal, stuff. But I am stuck listening to Fox news at work, so I hate them more.
well I am sure your hubby gets Medical disability from the military, My uncle gets it from the Korean War, not that it's any large amount of money, it's like a stipend.
But think of Socialized medicine in this way... Anyone that has been int he Military knows the Military Medical system SUCKS, that would be socialized medicine in the US, Subpar facilities, old equipment, lousy Doctors, etc. But hey it's free.
I bet your hubby got better with "outside" help not Army Medical help.
no, he doesn't collect disability, as he is not disabled.
He is okay to work now, and his back only bothers him occasionally, which tells him he needs to work out more, to keep it strong.
He refuses to collect disability , when he can clearly work without a problem. He was very lucky, and he was very young when it happened, so he bounced back , with months of hard work.
hmmm interesting, he may be entitled to money he may not know about.
You see my Uncle was in the Army, I beleive he got Hepotitis which is a blood disease and stays with you for life, he can work no problem, but he has recieved money from the army since then, not much, but it's something.
was your hubby medically discharged? He should look into it. If he has had Chronic pain since then...well it's an issue.
Can't hurt to look into it, I know he is a proud man and doesn't want the hand out. But if it can be put away to help your children go to college? well then it might be worth it.
"People with 6-7 kids,, all by Different dads... they get paid about 900 dollars per month, for EACH kid.... EACH one"
BY WHOM??
I have five kids by five different dads. I get nothing. Nada. Zip. I think you are dreaming. Where do I sign up for the 900.00 a month per kid club? Do I have to sell their liver's or something??
Snix, she never said she was on Medicaid or Medicare, she said her husband has a good Insurance plan, which most school systems do. She our country has a "nationwide insurance plan that is Mediciare/medicaid" that helps cover the poor and uninsured.
I am guessing her figure of $900 is the standard the government gives to Welfare parents per child, not sure, never been on welfare, Or it could be the "child dependency payment" from their Ex-spouses from a divorce or childs father.
If the father of your children are not giving you $$ to help raise them, well that's pretty sad excuse for a man, you should be getting support for the children, it's based off what they earn, something you would have to go to court for now if not receiving.
Not sure where you get $600,000 from? I get $6,000 a month and $72,000 a year figure if it was $1000, per child and having 6 children.
My wife does have people that drive up to her pharmacy and they are driving Hummer's and they are on Medicaid, or their family member is, there are ways around the legal system.
I simply believe we can do better as a country, I would like to see more people with Health Savings accounts. We can certainly have a better system in place, part of the problem is people go to The emergency rooms for stupid things, that will rack up the cost for many people, and it is usually people that have zero insurance and they will not go to a normal Doctor due to costs, they go to the emergency room for something minor, just so they do not have to pay for it, becuase they can not refuse treatment.
Our medical system is broken it needs to have a better tier program.
ouch Marina, please tell us how you really feel? LOL
Anyway, both of you ladies need to take a chill pill, we are not going to solve the coutries problems on this forum, A healthy debate is one thing, but mudslinging and name tossing is another.
So ladies, take a breather, don't reply for a few days, seem we have some blood boiling here... then come back and play nice.
If we are going to have a "woman fight, let's get some beers, make a mud pit and a video camera and wathc the show...LOL (kidding ladies)
Universal Healthcare 
ouch Marina, please tell us how you really feel? LOL
