As an American, we are not guaranteed health insurance. Quite often, people in America need to see a doctor for severe health problems, but cannot afford it. Without insurance, the prices of tests, x-rays, hospital stays, etc. is so expensive that it can put you onto the streets. Not to mention, health insurance itself is so expensive.
Now, I am only 18 years old so I know nothing about this, right? Well, that may be. But what I do know is that I am one of those American citizens suffering from the inability to obtain the proper health care needed. I have a health problem that could get worse without appropriate care, and eventually kill me. Unfortunately, I can't get anything done about it, because I don't have the money.
Without insurance, the cost of just the tests alone would cost approximately one-million dollars, if not more. Then the treatments would rack up even more money.
I believe that America should provide free health care for ALL citizens, just as other countries do. Sure, it could project a problem in a lot of peoples' minds. Health care would not be as good for everyone, because you won't be able to pick where you get this care from. You would have to pay higher taxes. I don't know, there's a lot of other reasons. But when it all comes down to it, isn't the people's health more important? Perhaps we should make it so that we have free health care for all citizens, and then those who can afford better insurance can obtain it like they already do now.
All I know is that I would like to see a doctor without having to worry about ruining my future, due to the inablity to pay for what medical procedures I need done today.
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we're not guaranteed health insurance in the U.S. because the only people who have definite coverage are the wealthy and those in poverty with the help of the gov't. Not the middle class, the majority of the U.S. population
A nationalized system would not be free. It might not cost you anything out of pocket, but it's certainly not free. And if we had a nationalized system, it wouldn't really matter where you went for primary care, because all doctors would be paid by the same organization, the government.
At any rate, we do need to reform our healthcare system. I'll put up a blog one of these days with some stats....
~C
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Sure we need to reform it, but letting the government control all of our medical decisions is a horrible idea. Sorry, socialism doesn't sit well with me.
Your blog wasn't too original but I agree. Free health care please! I'll pay the higher taxes.
This all sounds too communist like to me. The reason that we pay our own healthcare is because we live in a capitalist economy. We can make choices! And without that we would have a very different lifestyle.
AlaskaFiddler
"The Market" doesn't work for the health care industry (I mean, if it's ALWAYS in demand, how can prices stabilize?). It results in the mess that we have today :-)
~C
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The government's responsibility is to protect it's citizens and their rights. It is not meant to be used as a means to redistribute wealth. Taking money from someone who has more, and either directly giving it to someone with less, or paying for services for them is government sponsored theft.
Perhaps what the government should do is to look at the medical industry and see how absurd it is, and help clean it up for the better of it's people.
-Tim
"It costs nothing to be honest, loyal, and true."
We have to stop being the "blame" country. Someone must pay for any horrible injustice that happens to me. If we removed the litigious aspects of the healthcare system costs could be cut by 1/2 to 2/3....stop paying people millions of dollars for small mistakes made by hospitals and their staff. Stop making physicians so afraid of these ramifications, they take no chances to save lives. Stop making hospitals so fearful that lawyers know they will settle for at least 1/2 million as opposed to going to court to pay multiple millions. The costs of that come out of the patient's pocket every time. Insurance companies are made richer and the costs just keep going up.
While your story is unfortunate, and I'd love to help you, I should not be required to. You do not have a right to health care. Your rights are outlined in the Constitution as well as other places. Take a read. They all have one thing in common: your rights are your rights, mine are mine - the two never meet. Your rights, legally and ethically, require nothing of me (other then respect of your rights). If health care was a right - which it is not - it would require that EVERY American give up a huge part of their income to pay for your health care, and that medical personnel take a HUGE pay cut (considering that a medical education tends to require hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans).
How about this: use the fact that you need health care to (a) find quality and affordable health care - this encourages competition and advancement in health care, and (b) get an education and compete for a job that gives you benefits - including health care. If people did these two things, they would be getting quality care, and our entire economy would be boosted out of this recession.
PS - I'm sorry I had to word that so strongly. I wish you the best in finding a way to pay for your health care.
I have a right to bear arms. That does not mean that the taxpayers should be forced to buy me a gun. And unlike healthcare, my right to bear arms is clearly specified in the Constitution.
It would certainly be wrong for any American to be refused healthcare for any discrimnatory reason. If you show up at the hospital with cash in hand or valid insurance with the premiums paid current, your right to healthcare should be respected.