I hope this puts to rest those who try to blame Obamacare on anyone but the democrats Obama Pelosi and Reid. The democrats had the votes for single payer. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Govern...or-Laments-Passing-Health-Care-Law-We-Blew-It Before he's replaced by Republican Senator-elect Joni Ernst next month, Obamacare co-author Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) is expressing regret over passing Obamacare. [/SIZE] "We blew it," said Harkin. "What we did is we muddled through and we got a system that is complex, convoluted, needs probably some corrections and still rewards the insurance companies extensively." Harkin added, "I look back and say we should have either done it the correct way or not done anything at all." Harkin believes doing it "the correct way" would have involved passing the so-called "single-payer" option wherein the federal government controls individuals' health care. Harkin said he believes the Senate had the votes to pass such a plan "if the president would have been just willing to do some political things but he wouldn't do it." Harkin is not the only top Democrat expressing regret over passing the deeply unpopular Obamacare program. Last week, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) attempted to distance Democrats from Obamacare with comments that touched off a wave of controversy among members of his party. Still, as the New York Times reported this week, 28 of the 60 Democratic senators who voted for Obamacare are no longer in office. Nationally, just 37% of Americans support Obamacare. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Govern...or-Laments-Passing-Health-Care-Law-We-Blew-It
There is no doubt they "could" have passed it if they wanted too, and i know you like that idea, all I can say having been through both canadian and U.S. healthcare is be careful what you wish for. Its not like the government would just take over insurance and leave the hospitals as is, look at what they are already doing with obamacare. Then eventually once everyone is on the government tit, pensions and out of control wages will take over, and we would inevitably lose funding, and get shittier healthcare for all. The U.S. has the best healthcare in the world, provided you pay for it, they should have left the system as is, and simply made a couple tweaks.
what "tweaks" would you have made? It's a perplexing problem for me. I would like to see the government out of the healthcare business, but I am a big believer in Medicaid or at least WIC which helps every child get off to a good start medically. Medicare I could do with out. Just curious what tweaks you would make, epecially since you have lived under the Canadian system. Not really interested in making it a democrat vs republican issue, although that's why this shallow thread was started. For crying out loud, give it a rest . Doesn't anybody have a coherent idea on healthcare without first being a republican or democrat? You got an idea, I'd like to hear it. so far the best I have heard is breaking the medical cartel. I don't know that much about it
Let insurers compete across state lines, tort reform, reign in the FDA especially as it pertains to people who are deemed terminally ill, make insurers create 1 page contracts so that both people understand exactly what the deal is, in plain english.
your simple tweaks are actually pretty profound. Get the government out of healthcare. Everything they do makes it so expensive I need their help to pay for it.
I prefer single payer to Obamacare and have from before day one. But, I think there are much better systems. I am not in favor of single payer only.
Another tweak .. or revert back to prior times ... do not mandate a strict set of coverages ALL people must have. One size does not fit all. Do 60 year olds want pediatric dental? Do they want maternity coverage? Allow a more diversified set of choices in coverage that meets the NEEDS of those who are being insured. If you have a 15 year old car will you necessarily want collision coverage? Probably not. So don't FORCE it on consumers as Odumbo is doing. Next, make individuals accountantable for their health ... if you CHOOSE to abuse your body then you pay a higher premium much like a crappy driver. I saw a woman today at the grocery .. she pulls into a handicapped parking spot. She literally weighted 300 pounds. And as she stepped from the car she's smoking a cigarette. She is a total SLOB! She should pay a 20% to 50% surcharge as she in all likelihood has some health issues that she brought on herself.
No doubt single payer would have been better than obamacare, now we have the worst of all worlds, government calling the shots with insurance companies squeezing their piece for doing nothing. Honestly, given the fact that we now give free "insurance" to those who cant pay, we pay for those who didnt/wont pay, and insurers must accept/insure everyone regardless, can we really even call that insurance? I would love an insurance executive or obama to explain to me what im insuring myself against if i cannot be denied and i can just go out and buy it tomorrow if i get sick. It is now fully optional to pay and you get treatment regardless, basically those of us who pay for it are donors to the executives in the insurance companies, without an option to opt out. I dont know what else youd call a system where certain people are forced to pay even though insurance companies can not refuse treatment.. It definitely defeats the definition of "insurance" What am i insuring myself against?
well, at least one other person agrees with me. Once you eliminate the rejection for pre existing condition you completely eradicate the very need or the whole notion of "insurance." Insurance was originally conceived by shipping companies who said, business is generally good, but even if just one of our ships sink, it darn near blows up the whole company. So they pooled their money in the form of a premium to protect their fellow ship owners if anyone got the bad news. And right off the bat they self regulated with insurance inspectors who demanded that to be insured by the pool you needed experienced Captains and safe ships and well trained crews. and look where we are now? you can live your life like you want, and wait to get sick and then join the pool and demand by law that you must be covered Obama spent a lot of time thinking about how to organize a community, but he never spent much time thinking about money