They've Got You Covered?

I am from Australia, where we have a fantastic medical system which is strongly supported by virtually the whole population and which is funded by a simple mechanism, a one and a half percent levy on taxable incomes. I'm always amazed at the contortions Americans get themselves into about health insurance for all. Why not have a simple levy like us? We also have the option of taking out private health insurance and a sizeable proportions of Australians do. We have all the choice we want.

Today, on the internet, MSN. a report was published. 41 million families in the US cannot afford basic living expenses. They make too much to qualify for medicaid and food stamps. Their employer does not provide health care or they cannot afford what is provided. There is no retirement beneifts. That is 1/5 th of the working families. So we are the wealthiest nation in the world, but only for a select few. But if this trend is prolonged for generations, this economy will fail. Our current situation, with the threat of recession, is due to people not buying. The very thing that our economy depends on. Depression right around the corner? We need a Robin Hood in the White House. Prices need to come down and wages need to go up! Everything, including health care needs to be more affordable. We need strong Unions. We need what the Clintons provided in the 60"s. We need a budget surplus like they established after the first Bush in office. We need good paying jobs without having to work a lot of overtime or more than one job to make ends meet. We should be able to have a life again, not spend most of our waking hours making someone else wealthier.Our children need their parents, substitutes don't work as well as evidenced in our youth problems.Wouldn't it be nice if we could once again have a one worker family with it just being a choice if married women/mothers go into the work force?

The Clinton's plan will garnish wages to forcibly enroll people into the insurance plan. However, Clinton does not elaborate how her plan will cover millions of people who are unemployed. What about when you lose your job and no longer have wages to be garnished? It appears that her plan will leave millions of people out.

If you think Clinton's plan will work, ask the people of Massachusetts what they think about their "health care mandate with fines". Many people who already cannot afford insurance simply get fined more and this cuts into their rent and food. It sounds logical on paper but it DOESN'T WORK.

I think the best plan is :
Low premium, High deductible,Cafeteria plan for dental and optical, Health Savings Account and if just for a little extra coverage Aflac.
Awesome coverage at a minimal cost. (Withdrawals from the HSA for medical purposes are tax free or if you ever need the money for any other expenditure, it's your money and you can use it...it would be taxed and penalized for anything other than medical.)
Of course, this is for the working person. But maybe the working person doesn't want universal coverage.
Hopefully, we are still a land of "Choice."

Obviously you do not tune into Hillary's question & answer sessions on her town hall televised meetings. You would find her taking questions and answering them. On any issue you could possibly bring up. Her plan would be much like the congressmens, you would have many choices to pick the one that suits you.

On the subject of health care. I liked Edwards plan the best. The Republicans called it opening the back door to universal care.. I liked Edwards response which was its through the front door and its wide open. Even though we have to come up with a way to pay for it in the long run it will save us money. Americas health care cost twice as much on average than other advanced nations who all have universal care. And the U.S. has a higher rate of mortality for children and not living as long. Since insurance companies are allowed to make a certain percentage over their costs the more the medical bills are the more they can make. Since insurance companies cherry pick who they want to cover we cant count on them for anything.. Gone are the days when you could count on a job for health care.. As far as being good for business.. I look at GM where $1000 of the cost of every car goes to health care.. Think how U.S. auto makers would be able to compete if each car was $1000 less. Some people still want to say the lawsuits are what cause the high medical costs.. I have heard estimates from 1% to as high as 5% of insurance costs. Well I don???t consider that to bad since it is the ONLY recourse patients have to fight negligence. I guess we could make a rule that if you kill 5 people in a year you have to move to a different state.. That way the incompetent could kill for 50 years.. Even though Obamas and Clintons plans arent as straight forward as Edwards at least it would be a step in the right direction.

i have read everyones comments and i ask what is the real question that neeeds to be asked an answered insuring every child is not coverage for everyone and mandating the poor who are already overwhelmed is not a better solution why are we so concerned about paying taxes for the poor and unemployed when if you look at the situation we already are paying for the poor and unemployed at least if we went to a real universal system like the french, canadians, brittians or even the CUBANS at least wed see the results of our tax dollars being put to real use. i have friend whos 25 year old wife just died of a rare form of cancer and they both worked but could not afford the co pays on some of her visits she left behind a 5, 3 and 1 year old lets tell them that the hmos told mom and dad that the meds that could have saved her life were denied and the cost of self pay would have taken the winning the lotto to pay. instead of all this fighting amongst us the people lets stand together and demand a real solution and not some vague rehtoric that weve become accustomed to swallowing

I think both Hillary and Obama are worthy candidates. As far as healthcare I feel that John Edwards plan had was the best. Hillary's is close while Obama's is not aggressive. We need a candidate that will fight for universal healtcare and take on the pharmaceutical industry, insurance providers and yes in some cases the doctors. Sometimes the doctors forget one important aspect of their Hippocratic Oath (To do no Harm). When healthcare is denied because of a patients inability to pay for treatment harm is indeed done. And as a country that according to one statistic that I read is primarily Christian it is time to put true Christian principles into practice. Healthcae for all in this country, regardless of finance, national origin, working or unemployed. After all if we are Christian as we say we are, we believe that we are all God's children.

it doesnt relly sound like much of universal healthcare at all it sounds again like rehtoric to appease the massses healthcare for eveychild is not health care for everyone adults still need coverage that they can afford and health care for some is already in effect what is the real problem is what we should be asking and why cant we follow the canadians , the brits, the french heck even CUBA has universal coverage and are we forgetting after you make it to the doctor you still need to be able to afford tha prescription??

The next time your in need of medical care, try Canada or Britain. I hear socialized medicine rocks. There is no government like less government

Health care is ruled by the three L's. . Labor , Litigation and legisiation. Until the legisition is change to
bring litigation to a level field.( to were it not cheaper to settel than dispute the claim") than the labor in the
medical field for adminisition cost will continue to rise. If we ever get affordable health care it will not be
because of government mandates but because our representives some how got the intestional fortitude
to do the right thing and made the lossing party pay the legal cost. That being the lawyer who encouraged
the suit in the first place would pay!

HILLARY CLAIMS TO GOT HEALTH INSUANCE FOR SIX MILLION CHILDREN.IS WRONG.KENNEDY AND HATCH WROTE THE SCHIP INSURANCE PROGRAM.IT WAS THEN PASSED BY THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS. IN 1998.I TWAS THEN SIGNED INTO LAW BY BILL CLINTON NOT HILLARY CLINTON.BEING A ADVOCATE FOR THE BILL AND TAKING CREDIT WHEN HILLARY HELD NO PUBLIC OFFICE IN 1998 ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

HILLARY CLAIMS TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE FOR SIX MILLION KIDS.I LIKE TO KNOW IF SHE WROTE THE SCHIP BILL .NO IT WAS KENNEDY AND HATCH.WAS SHE IN THE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS THAT PASSED IN THE BILL IN1998.AGAIN NO.WAS SHE PRESIDENT WHEN WHEN IT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW.AGAIN NO.THE SCHIP BILL WAS SIGNED INTO LAW BY BILL CLINTON NOT HILLARY. BEINGADVOCATE FOR DVADVOCATE FORSHCIP