Extraction is the process of collecting natural or economic resources from society. When looking at taxation, all working Americans help pay to give others medicare and medicaid when it is hard to afford insurance ourselves (if you even have insurance.) In Britian they have Universal Healthcare. When looking at the GDP, Britians tax revenue is nearly 35%, while the US's is around 20%.
Sticking with the subject of univeral healthcare...we need it, but we can't make the mistakes that Britain made. Britain's taxes have increased since they began a universal healthcare plan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_United_Kingdom).
Dennis Kucinich, democratic candidate for 2008, has developed a plan for single-pay, not for profit healthcare.
"The administration of the health care system today consumers approximately 31% of the money spent for health care. The potential savings, as much as $350 billion per year, are enough to provide comprehensive coverage to every American without paying any more than we already do.
In Congress, Representative Dennis Kucinich has co-authored HR 676, legislation which would establish Medicare for All - a universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care system that leaves no American behind. "
(http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/a-healthy-nation/)
We are already paying for it. It is something that is desperately needed in this country. The insurance companies make all the money while people have to suffer or die because they don't have insurance.
Six common myths:
http://www.pnhp.org/reader/Section%208%20-%20Myth%20Busters/Myths%20as%20Barriers%20(Geyman).pdf
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I have lived in Canada which has universal healthcare. The few times I had to go to the ER room (one was because I was coughing and throwing up blood because of my tonsils) I had to wait for 9 hours to get a doctor to even look at me because the room was full of people that had little things like a cough (first come first serve). Universal healthcare isn't the option, not with the way society is now.
universal health care isnt the way it sounds like people might think that its great idea having one in your country but then instead of saving lives, likes will be going down.
I have gone to an emergency room here in the US and had to wait for more than 6 hours with a badly broken leg. Had to get an attorney and go through court to force my insurance company to pay. After they paid there part I still owed more than $7,000.
The Not For Profit Single Payer Plan is the right way to go.
Did you not read wutski08's comment about having to wait 9 hours in Canada on their supposedly wonderful universal healthcare system? Sounds like it's just as bad as America's.
There are flaws in every system, but the system that the US has now is horrible, and needs to change. At least wutski can go to a doctor and not worry about having to pay for it. Some people can't even afford that in THIS country (even at nominal fees of $10 a visit to a PCP).
~C
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It is the right way to go..
read the plan.
Sure, we do need some form of resolution to the health care problems that provide insult to injury to the most sickly of our citizens. Most recently, my insurance coverage didn't even start until I paid $1,000 out of my pocket first. The only benefit I currently receive, since I haven't racked up the $1,000 deductible, is costs similar to those which the insurance company would pay. You know when you get the "explanation of beneifts" or EOB from your insurance company after a doctor's visit (you should take a look at those) it provides you with the amount of money that the insurance company was charged for your service.
For example, let's say you need an x-ray. The x-ray "costs" $575 dollars before insurance discounts. So, the person without the insurance is billed the entire amount, but since the insurance company has worked out a pricing schedule with your provider, the insurance company is billed a discounted rate of let's say $250. Now, how is that really fair? Plus, when we now take into consideration that your insurance company covers you 80/20. Meaning that they will pay 80% of the $250, leaving the subscriber/injured with 20% of the bill. One might say, that's a good deal, but when we then consider that the insurance company really didn't have to pay what a non-insured person would have to pay, it really doesn't make much sense.
Thus, I pay nearly $120/mth for coverage that doesn't even affect me until I pay $1,000 out of pocket first. I don't even use my insurance enough to rack up the deductible. I ponder to myself, would it be cheaper to just go at it alone, and put the $120 in a savings acct somewhere for that day I might need it. In reality, I'm just paying for the chance that I might need insurance, but wouldn't that be the same thing as saving the money, I mean then I could use it if I needed my truck fixed to get to work to afford a heafty medical bill.
The insurance companies make out like bandits. If we had HR 676 in action the government would save billions of dollars a year that the insurance companies usually profit. In what way isn't the great?
People can't afford insurance, I know I can't. If you have insurance, you're lucky. I know it costs a lot, but just think of how much your bill would be if you were seriously injured or needed surgery with no insurance -- out of this world. Thousands of people die every year because they don't have insurance, and can't get the proper medical care.
I just don't understand how people don't look at this and think it is a great idea. There are so many wins to having a single payer not for profit healthcare plan. Everyone gets the medical attention they need, when they need it (even if you have to wait at least you still get it!) The government profits. We save money. Taxes wouldn't rise.
All I can say is, I hope is that Kucinich gets elected.
Who cares if you have to wait to get healthcare. As Krolson pointed out you wait in the US right now. And on top of having to wait you need to pay for it. People lose there entire fortunes and many times there lives because they can't pay for it. My point is this.
The US is #1. Or at least that is what everyone says. Then how come people don't trust our government to make a Universal Healthcare Plan that would be the best in the world? The US has the third largest population in the world. And within that massive population you have the most millionaires in the world and the average American makes more than others in the world. Having said that the Government could easily get the money to fund a massive healthcare plan with little or no raise in taxes on the general population. As far as the "wait" is concerned. The thing that is keeping wait time up in the US is one Hospitals contact insurance companies to see if they will pay for treatment and the lack of doctors. There reason there is a lack of doctors is one college is expensive and two hospitals aren't hiring because the insurance companies won't pay for treatment most of the time. Why pay for a doctor you don't need? With government run healthcare the government will always approve treatment so the hospital will hire the doctors where they are needed and the government can fund college for those that want to become doctors.
Far as healthcare is concerned the US isn't #1. Across the board more people die in the US than anywhere else. People live shorter live, more children die, more babies die, more people die from curable/treatable diseases than anywhere else. Seeing as how all the other nations have Universal Healthcare that tells me one thing. Even though the have to wait they live while American's die.
There reason there is a lack of doctors is one college is expensive
I hate to break it to you, but 50% of applicants to medical school are rejected from every school every year. We don't have a shortage of doctors because of the cost. We have a shortage of doctors because the baby boomer doctors are retiring, and our population is increasing as well. We also have a shortage of PRIMARY CARE doctors because you make more money specializing than you do as a PCP.
the government can fund college for those that want to become doctors.
The education of a physician is already heavily subsidized by the government. It costs a heck of a lot to train a physician, and the student only pays 100K-200K to get that education.
~C
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You are right. We need to live up to our reputation of being a leader. As a leader, we need to take steps forward instead of staying behind, especially when it comes to healthcare.
I would like to reply to some opinions i saw in other comments. First off, universal healthcare isnt impossible. Japan does it and they dont have to wait for a long time or pay extra to get it. They have hospitals set up everywhere and anyone can go in. It is based on need, not first come first serve. Universal healthcare is possible and it is being done sucussfully today. To peacelovechange, i agree with you and i think that a program like this should be enacted, and on a somewhat separate note, we need somekind of universal taxing system all together because we pay alot on money and we dont even get much of it back. For example, we pay taxes to support the elderly who havent saved any money when they were younger, and I will not get any of that money i paid back, even though they say it is to give us when we are older.