Quote:
Originally Posted by AmeliaG
The reason our healthcare expenses are so inflated is because we have for-profit insurance companies as the middlemen. Government socialized healthcare works. Free market healthcare works. The only thing worse that our current system with insurance companies profiting from our fear of getting sick and our tax system's hostility to saving . . . would be being forced to buy the conscienceless insurance product. You might your car insurance real helpful when you get in an accident or your car is vandalized or stolen?
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I will agree with you that government socialized healthcare works. I was all for the public / single payer option, but unfortunately it was unpassable at present.
I disagree that healthcare should be free market. It's basically free market now and it's not working. There are some things that are necessities to our current way of life, like electricity, water, oil, etc. These are things that the government regulates because as the need is so essential the market alone can't be depended on to acheive a fair price. I feel health care should be included.
This isnt the end all be all, it's reform, and IMO it's a step in the right direction. We're going from a system that was half assed free market to one that is half assed single payer / socialized. Yes, we will be forced by our government into picking up health insurance, but the way alot off health insurance companies are operating many of us with pre-existing illnesses, myself included (bad kidneys and a laundry list of other things), are forced to have continuous coverage anyway.
I don't have fear of getting sick, for me it's a reality. Some of the people on this board who know me personally know that in late 2006 I took seriously ill. I got progressivley worse and at one point the doctors thought I might have terminal cancer. I don't want to go into too much detail but I was classified as accutely ill from end of 06 to mid 08. They had to run a shitload of tests on me, and some my insurance company fought against. If I hadn't had insurance and had to pay out of pocket I would probably have nothing to my name today.
The way I understand it, the tax breaks will offset the cost of insurance both for small businesses and most individuals. So people like you and I don't really lose.
It's not a silver bullet, but sometimes you need to take baby steps to get where you need to be.