Rant

[gabeNC]

gabe 7k a year? It almost makes more sense to put the money into a low yield safe investment fund.

Blatant plug but my wife picked up basic prescription sunglasses for 15 bucks from Zenni Optical - Complete prescription eyeglasses from $8.00
The aren't Oakleys but who cares =\ You just send them your prescription (which in the US at least doctors have to give you if you request it for no charge)

I think you missed my point... I had way too much leftover on my flex account. This pre-tax account is a debit card you can use for medical expenses. At the time I jacked it up because my oldest had braces and my wife had a herniated disk in her back. So one year i'm 2K out of pocket on top of insurance and the next year I increase the flex and don't really need it. Sucks! That's where HSA's would really be nice... it rolls over.

But i see YOUR point... that's alot of money to be putting into the system and not getting much out but peace of mind (and even that is debatable)

 

[tcmtech]

Universal health care seems to be pretty accepted in the rest of the world so why is it so controversial in the US?

The two groups I know of that wont accept it are the ones that have stock in some health insurance company, and big business that makes billions from doing what they are doing right now.

The average citizen is dangerously clueless to what happens with health care and prefers to be deaf dumb and blind!
Ignorance is bliss! If you refuse to accept there is a problem then thats the same as not having one right? Or am I just too ignorant to understand the difference?

 

[HiTech]

The Federal Gov. can't even run the Vets. Administration properly regarding quality medical care... and speakerguy wants more government involvement in our lives? C'mon, the present Administration has run-a-way spending with pork barrel projects. Why do so many Americans see the need to call upon the government for more control and public services? All we get in the end is more laws, restrictions, taxes, and piss-poor services.

 

[Sceadwian]

What else can we do? The private sector isn't doing crap.

 

[Mikebits]

The Federal Gov. can't even run the Vets. Administration properly regarding quality medical care... and speakerguy wants more government involvement in our lives? C'mon, the present Administration has run-a-way spending with pork barrel projects. Why do so many Americans see the need to call upon the government for more control and public services? All we get in the end is more laws, restrictions, taxes, and piss-poor services.

I do not know what your experiences have been with the VA, but for me I have received very good medical care. I do not have med insurance and rely on the VA. I have had a few stays in the VA hospital here in San Diego and I found the medical care to be top notch.

Are you a vet High Tech? Or are your opinions based on media and movies?

 

[Hero999]

What's the VA?

Vets. Administration?

Sorry but I don't know what that is.

 

[Mikebits]

What's the VA?

Vets. Administration?

Sorry but I don't know what that is.

Yes, you are correct, VA is Veterans administrations, Vets are given medical care long after serving for our country, as in the VA hospitals.

I think it is a nice benefit.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Socialist systems work well on a small scale, they fail utterly the larger they get.

I don't see how that is?.

If anything the larger it is, the better it should get - obviously, as with anything, it relies on been run correctly and honestly.

While heathcare is 'free' in the UK, it's actually paid for by deductions from your earnings, so it's not really any different to paying health insurance. The obvious difference is how it works though, they don't refuse you, and don't charge ill people higher premiums.

From all posts on here, and what you see in the news, the American system is badly flawed and wildly abused - with people creaming off huge sums everywhere you look. That's not to say it doesn't happen here on a smaller scale, but it's more difficult here, and the sums are less.

My main problem with the NHS is the amount of the money spent on administration, rather than health care.

 

[3v0]

If anything the larger it is, the better it should get - obviously, as with anything, it relies on been run correctly and honestly.

It cuts both ways.

Correctly and honestly run government. On what planet ?

I suspect that the big problem with the US health system is lawyers.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I suspect that the big problem with the US health system is lawyers.

Not just the US, and not just the Health System

Didn't someone famous say something about killing all lawyers would only improve things?.

 

[OutToLunch]

there is no way that the US can pay for universal healthcare. It can't pay for social security or medicare - those are FAILING ponzi schemes that Madoff didn't even come close to. all these pie in the sky ideals of utopic healthcare won't work. they will bankrupt this country worse than it is already being bankrupt.

it is not the job of the government to take care of everyone.

 

[3v0]

Turning health care over to the government would be a bad idea. The governments track record is less then good.

I would like to point out that the social security fund has been systematically raided by congress. Had that not happened it would be in much better shape. (Except for the bad faith of the government this government program would be in good shape)

A while back there was a movement to privatize social security. I do not trust wall street less then I do government.

 

[ericgibbs]

My main problem with the NHS is the amount of the money spent on administration, rather than health care.

In line with this, the NHS spent £350 million last years engaging management consultants in order to meet the criteria for Trust status.!

Our NHS is being run by accountants, as all good engineers know, once a company is run by an accountant its downhill all the way.

 

[dknguyen]

I think it should be "universal", but there's gotta be some kind of payment high enough so people don't abuse it...like welfare.

 

[tcmtech]

Perhaps a percentage of pay rate based on income? I hear that has actually worked well in many other applications. Every bodies basic income information is already in the government tax systems.

And as of lately the welfare system is actually cracking down on abusers. Or at least in my region they are.
I have spoken with a few disgruntled welfare recipients that felt they are unfairly being required to, well you know, Get a Job!
Being they are not fully disabled to a point beyond the minimum requirements of most basic jobs. Being fat assed and lazy are no longer being looked at as a disability.

Its not that the system can not be changed, but rather it is going to take a great deal of combined effort from both the general public and higher levels of social infrastructure to make it happen.
A government is only as bad as the people allow it to be.
We let this happen, our own ignorance, selfishness, and responsibility passing made it this way and it will continue to go on and get worse if we all dont do something about it!

Its not someone else's responsibility, its each and every one of use that has a responsibility for it! Good or bad.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Perhaps a percentage of pay rate based on income?

That's essentially what the UK system is.

 

[Hero999]

Turning health care over to the government would be a bad idea. The governments track record is less then good.

I would like to point out that the social security fund has been systematically raided by congress. Had that not happened it would be in much better shape. (Except for the bad faith of the government this government program would be in good shape)

A while back there was a movement to privatize social security. I do not trust wall street less then I do government.

Seriously, if your government is that bad then it's obviously broken and needs fixing before the whole country collapses.

Why not privatise all the schools, the police and armed forces then?

I think capitalism has it's place but it certainly doesn't belong in public services and healthcare should be one of them.

 

[3v0]

Our government is broken because people's expectations have become unrealistic. The politicians promise the sky to get elected and then screw things up to pay off the people who elected them. They do not work in the interest of the country or the people as a whole.

If I have my information correct the government/public schools were started to mold students minds. Yes they wanted to defragment the countries thinking. It worked.

Some of our prisons are privately owned an run. The post office is slowly moving in that direction.

What we need are election reforms that would allow people to successfully run for office without selling their soul to the devil.

 

[tcmtech]

you mean when a person runs for mayor of a big city and spends 15 million dollars of his own money on a campaign to get a $300,000 a year job he didn't do it just out of the goodness of his heart?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

you mean when a person runs for mayor of a big city and spends 15 million dollars of his own money on a campaign to get a $300,000 a year job he didn't do it just out of the goodness of his heart?

I thought they spend other peoples money, not their own?.

I don't know if it makes the news in the USA, but there's a long running news story over here about MP's fiddling their expenses