Wouldn't it just make good common sense to postpone super-spending

Wouldn't it just make good common sense to postpone super-spending healthcare changes until the economy generates some revenues and trims the deficit ?

The problem is that we are already super-spending on health care.

We spend more per-capita on health care than other industrialized countries.

Just about anything we come up with would be cheaper than what we have now.

We can't afford not to reform health care.

***The problem is that we are already super-spending on health care.***
***We spend more per-capita on health care than other industrialized countries.***
So you think the solution to not spending so much money on health care is to add more to it? I fail to understand the logic.

***Just about anything we come up with would be cheaper than what we have now.*
Never underestimate the governments uncanny ability to waste money.

***We can't afford not to reform health care.***
So if the government does not spend more money, then the government will go broke?

But most of our health care coverage is paid by the private sector. This would just become one more program for the government to make worse.
We can't afford it now. Why not wait.

How long should we wait? Until more industries fall apart from excesive health care costs like the auto industry did?

As filetofspam said so well, we can not afford to wait. The majority of americans want this, and see the high cost of medical insurace as being a major factor in our current fiscal crisis.

Nothing in my raising ever taught me to spend money that I do not have. That is ludicrous, and it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that something is terribly wrong.

Spend... spend... spend...

Well, soon it will be Pay... Pay... Pay...

Currently there are 260 million with health care of some sort...there are 50 million without...at the cost of a trillion dollars, I'd hope that more than 16 million of those without coverage could be served...That's 68% of the ones who don't have it now, who won't be getting it AFTER if this pushes thru...

I guess the plan sounds pretty hinky, as it was presented yesterday...maybe it needs to be fine turned include ALL those people we're so worried about, before jump in up to our necks.

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It isn't just about covering those who are not currently covered. It is also about reducing the cost for everyone. Do you want to keep paying more for health care than any other industrialized nation in the world? It IS one of the major causes of our current economic problems. I know my small business had to stop offering it to our employees. We just couldn't afford it any more.

every country that has tried socialized medicine as failed. As a veteran I know first hand what it is like to have Government health care. I had to wait 6 months for an appointment for orthopedics for my knees, and what dosen't make sense is that before I even tried to get the appointment I had already been looked at by orthopedics for a compensation evaluation, they told me at that appointment that I needed knee replacements, Why did I then have to wait 6 months for an appointment, next they said because of my age I was too young for knee replacements so I had to go through a series of Injections for each knee. It took three weeks to complete one knee so this process took 2 months because there was 2 weeks between knees. Now I have to wait for another 3 months for a followup to find out if the injections are working, 5 weeks out from the first knee my pain level is no different, (I was on over 120 miligrams of morophine a day, I recently quit it cold turkey which was He#%, I have decided to live with the pain).

I can't imagine what it would be like if 300 million americans were under a government system, that very system can't care for the Vets alone in a reasonable timely manner.

Under the government system that clinton was proposing, If he needed a knee replacement at his age while in office, wouldn't have been allowed one because he was to old for it. Doctors will be dictated to and the care provided will be cut even further.

I was talking with a man last week who had a friend in canada, this man needed an MRI for his back the wait to see the doctor alone was 2 years, the wait for the MRI was an additional 3 years. He came to New York saw a doctor, had his MRI the next day and a week later had surgery.

If you think anything the Government controls will work on the National level that they are proposing it, your wrong. Yes our health care is High but you can get what you need when you need it, that is capitalism.

Why do you think the Canadians are comming here for their care. Obama and his administration don't even have a clue how much this will cost the CBO has said just the start up will exceed 1 trillion dollars, and they don't even have a plan for implementing it or any idea just how much it will actually cost. Besides all that what happened to his big speach to Congress last week, PAY AS YOU GO! He even said we were out of money.

Let me add this I think the VA is doing great with what they have to work with, they have had their budgets cut time after time, and they are understaffed. If this so called great plan Obama has for Government provided health care passes, health care in this nation will go down the toilet. Furthermore if this passes Old people won't be allowed many things like needed diaognostic test , knee replacements, hip replacements ect...This will lead to euthanaisa, don't say this won't happen because we are already killing the unborn saying they don't have a voice and they are expendable.

Seems common sense would dictate since Obama has stated We are out of money now anyone could come to the conclusion we have nowhere to draw the money from to pay for the $1 Trillion for Kennedy Health Bill - an absolute no-brainer.

Admit it...it is not that you think we are out of money...
it is so that everyone does not have coverage. You are all so worried about someone taking advantage...typical

Utopia, did you just crawl out from under a peyote button, because your resopnse reminds me of my younger days when I was tripping. Get off the dope. Obama said it We are out of money

Wow, peyote ! - I looked up the definition: noun: a small spineless globe-shaped cactus...amazing !!

lol, you all are so cute when you put on your tiny cone shaped thinking caps...

careful amblessed, your christian love is showing...

younger days when I was tripping explains quite a bit...I can't remember, just how many brain cells are lost doing drugs...

I repeat...your concern is probably focused more on the fact that welfare recipients and poor people will receive medical care, than if we are broke.

***Do you want to keep paying more for health care than any other industrialized nation in the world?***

Tho I'm well aware that medical costs are outragious...I at least know if I needed care, I'd get it...and I can get exactly what I need. Which I know isn't the case in Canada or in the UK...We may pay more, but the care itself...is still the best in the world.

*** How long should we wait? Until more industries fall apart from excesive health care costs like the auto industry did?***

LOL...The auto industries fell apart from far more than the health care costs...altho, they are the only ones who pay health care for retiree's...the rest of the us would get medicare plus a supplemental policy out of our own pocket...

I'm hoping Congress shows more sense on this bill...and try looking it over before they sign us away on it.

p

Which I know isn't the case in Canada or in the UK...

You do not KNOW this. You believe it based on the propaganda you read. And just repeating it over and over does not make it anymore true. Canada and the UK both have systems that work very well. Just because healthcare opponents can gather all these horror stories does not mean anything. There are plenty of horror stories with private insurance too. That is not a reason to continue with the status quo. And we are not paying more because the care is better. We are paying more because private insurance is taking huge profits from us. Making huge profits from sick people to me is highly immoral.

My dad had needed a double knee replacement in his 50's and his private insurance refused to pay for them until he turned 65 because they said if they replaced them before 65 they might wear out and need replacing again before he died. He hobbled around like an invalid for years.

My daughter started a course of treatment that my insurance approved then half way through they decided that it was experimental and stopped paying leaving us with the choice of quitting half way through or finishing on our own dime.

Yes you will find horror stories everywhere. I'm sure you can find people who had problems with socialized medicine but don't act like our system of private insurance is perfect; we have lots of problems as well. I believe that it is the insurance companies that are the problem here. Profit driven insurance companies make money by charging as much as they can and paying out as little as they can get away with. Government run insurance might ration care, they might refuse expensive treatments with low success rates. Private insurers already do this.

Careful utopia...you're 'JUDGING' others...remember the 'role model' you project...

Anyone can walk into a hospital emergency room and be treated, regardless of ability to pay.

I think what a lot of opponents of universal health care fail to realize, is that we already have universal health care, but done in a round about way that inflates prices.

Preventative care is dramatically cheaper than emergency care.

remember the 'role model' you project...

lol amblessed. I am not the one out there saying that I have the love of Christ and that I try to follow his example...

The role model that I want to project is one of an independent thinker and a citizen who thinks about what is best for the entire country, not just those that share my same beliefs.

The US pays more than twice as much per capita as any other nation for a lower standard of care than most other first-world nations. It's pretty clear something is broken, and there's no reason why it oughtn't be possible to fix it and reduce costs to something more reasonable at the same time.

I also find it kind of depressing that people advocate _against_ taking proper care of your own citizens. How can looking after the health and well-being of your own population not be a high priority?

The denialisim blog has an excellent series of posts on healthcare in the US. He talks about the US system and what's wrong with it, as well as practical options for fixing it. He also gives an overview of how the healthcare systems in a large number of other first-world countries work, and how practical they would be in the US. He's a medical doctor, so he knows what he's on about. A good place to start is here: http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2009/05/what_is_the_cause_of_excess_co.php