Government Health Insurance

[Jason]

What are some pros and cons of it? What exists in your land? Have you ever used such stuff? Why do you figure the USA has had a hard time implementing it?

Myself, I don't know enough info to really make an informed opinion on it, even after viewing Michael Moore's Sicko, but then again, I haven't seen that movie in years.

 

[Arantor]

Because the USA is far too driven on profit to ever want to make something that isn't profit-at-heart.

 

[Dismal_Bliss]

Why do you figure the USA has had a hard time implementing it?

Greed. The USA is a capitalist country so everything is governed by the almighty dollar. Government controlled healthcare would 1) put a ceiling on what the medical community can charge, and 2) increase taxes for everyone.

This is precisely what divides American politics over here. The right wants less government involvement in their lives, aka "let me make my money and leave me alone". The left wants more governement involvement "tax that rich conservative bastard and use his money to subsidize everyone else:.

They will never reach an agreement. Even very honorable attempts at improving the healthcare system have eventually faltered. When Obamacare came out, it was a God send. But as the years went by, the prices went up and the coverages got worse. It's almost as if the insurers were like "well if the government is paying for most of it let's just raise prices". Greed.

I broke my ankle in May. $35,000 for some pain meds and a metal plate and some screws, and sent home right after I woke up. I have an itemized expense list. There is no way on earth those items cost as much as I was billed. But they know insurance *has* to pay, so they inflate it.

 

[Jason]

I think we need government health insurance for minors. However, having it for adults I'm unsure about. Well, adults should have to accept responsibility for their own actions.

 

[MrDawn]

Because the USA is far too driven on profit to ever want to make something that isn't profit-at-heart.

It angers and offends me that our health is treated like it's a product. I think it's time for the American people to stand up and demand that the medical system be redone and that these companies be called out for monopolizing off of the illness' of the people. It's just not moral.

 

[Arantor]

Too many people seem to want to argue that the government shouldn’t take care of you and that “the market will provide”, and that it’s your responsibility to live well and have a good enough job to have good health insurance.

 

[Jason]

It would be better if jobs supplied it. In fact, I don't really like any government assistance unless it's absolutely needed. However, though, it's not so easy to get jobs for many people, so they might need a safety valve.

 

[Arantor]

It would be better if jobs supplied it. In fact, I don't really like any government assistance unless it's absolutely needed. However, though, it's not so easy to get jobs for many people, so they might need a safety valve.

No, it really wouldn’t because it just creates a wider classist gap between the haves and the have nots.

You just doom the lower-paid jobs to always have worse-looked-after staff. And you reduce staff mobility which screws up all the labour mobility and freedoms that people should have, because they’ll stay in jobs they *hate* for the healthcare.

Capitalism and money-making have no business being involved in healthcare.

 

[Ravenfreak]

The US healthcare system is a joke. Though I've heard healthcare in places like Canada can suck too even though it's free. A Youtuber called Mahdrybread lives in Canada and had a health scare last year. The system keep screwing him over and he had to keep waiting to see doctors and these doctors didn't even know what the heck was going on. Thankfully he finally got the help he needed and is doing much better. Either way healthcare shouldn't be a business, to me it should be a right because everyone is going to eventually need to have access to it at some point in their lives.

 

[Jason]

I don't like any sort of welfare. It's not from being some right-winger. It's just pride. I would really like to work to earn things. However, though, I see many are down on their luck and need government programs. In that case, I think they are needed, but they need to be under control.

 

[NeoMetallix]

Greed. The USA is a capitalist country so everything is governed by the almighty dollar. Government controlled healthcare would 1) put a ceiling on what the medical community can charge, and 2) increase taxes for everyone.

This is precisely what divides American politics over here. The right wants less government involvement in their lives, aka "let me make my money and leave me alone". The left wants more governement involvement "tax that rich conservative bastard and use his money to subsidize everyone else:.

They will never reach an agreement. Even very honorable attempts at improving the healthcare system have eventually faltered. When Obamacare came out, it was a God send. But as the years went by, the prices went up and the coverages got worse. It's almost as if the insurers were like "well if the government is paying for most of it let's just raise prices". Greed.

I broke my ankle in May. $35,000 for some pain meds and a metal plate and some screws, and sent home right after I woke up. I have an itemized expense list. There is no way on earth those items cost as much as I was billed. But they know insurance *has* to pay, so they inflate it.

No, we aren't capitalist at all. The government and pharmaceuticals are married here and that's the problem.

The government grants them power they should not have so that they both can profit. Pfizer should be bankrupt and only a memory but they are protected by laws the government enacted. Quid pro quo.