No Insurance? That’s a Killer.

If the Doctors really where the ones running the show it wouldn't really be such an issue. Unfortunately its the corporations that are pulling the strings. Its the privately run hospitals and the over concern with the bottom line dollar that allows this tragedy to happen. Next thing you know people or on all sorts of medications that promise a cure all and the whole society is addicted to meds. Following that you have a family being torn apart and a <a href="http://www.family-drug-intervention.net">family drug intervention</a> happening and a huge bill for rehab. Why do these corporations only care about money and not life and families.

I and many others have called for a natonal health care system, preferably a single payer system, since president clinton went into office. This has been opposed by Republicans who want their business buddies to get rich. The mess we have now is directly because of Republican policy and yet so many people keep voting for them. This issue may now start to turn around but we have huge deficits which could destroy our last chance. Billions are wasted on redundant insurance plans, complex billing and coverage, exclusions, poor use of technology and even CEO pay.
We need to get rid of this system and have a single payer system will everyone required to participate.

My boyfriend has a serious chronic condition with occasional acute episodes requiring hospitalization- prior to having insurance, the local hospital would treat the acute symptoms and release him. The last acute episode resulting in hospitalization while insured reaped multiple benefits of specialists, procedures and ongoing preventive medications. I can assure you, there is a treatment difference.

I have a family member with serious mental problems, on medical assistance, who had an emergency health situation occur within the past few days. The ER sent him on his way with pain pills...no treatment. When he was seen by a urologist, the doc flipped out. His life was in serious danger, with a septic, blocked kidney. The ER had given them the tests that clearly showed the huge kidney stone, and the urologist was stunned. In his words, "they were idiots to let you go...in 24 hours you would be dead from sepsis". All because the hospital didn't want to handle his medical assistance claim...

Yes logoemb, I am happy!!
I am happy that medical care will be a RIGHT for every American. Again, Obama will be giving tax breaks to small businesses that employ Americans (ex: they do not outsource jobs overseas) and will help small business pay for healthcare if they meet certain standards in terms of company size, etc. And as far as putting people on a part time basis, we will see how long that lasts, your employees will be forced to leave and find work elsewhere.
But I guess in your small little world, they could just skip eating, paying rent, buying gas, etc. because as you stated "I am sure most people blow money on things they really do not need every month". Then again, perhaps you and your husband should follow this advice-- if your husband did not "blow money" on things you "really do not need" then you could afford to take care of your employees properly!!!

I work for a small company and my husband owns his own small company. If Obama forces companies to carry insurance on employees My Boss and my Husband will either lay off or put employees down to part time. I hope all are very happy.

An absolute disgrace-- this is America, supposedly the best country in the world. I work in Korea because of our wonderful economy and fall under their government health insurance. Doctor's visit-$2, perscriptions, $4. Total physical including dental check- $40. Amazingly, as a foreign national, I am treated better my host country I work in than my own native land. National health care needs to happen now, unless you want to tell me that human life is not sacred. Shame on the health care industry for the greed, and shame on the US Government for not protecting its own citizens!

I am married, working mother of 3 teenagers. I work 3 jobs (roughly 50-55 hours a week, all of them paying well over minimum), my husband works 1 job (roughly 60 hours a week, again, making well over minimum), none of which are financially viable enough at this time to offer health insurance. My 2 older children (boys, of course) seriously injured themselves within 3 days of each other. Because we have no health insurance, we have to pay these bills ourselves. I have no complaint about paying bills that my children (meaning me) incur. What I do strenuously object to is the fact that every one of these doctors & hospitals refused to reduce my liability to them. I was not asking for a handout or free care. I simply requested that I be allowed to pay the same amount they would have been paid by an insurance company if I had had one. I was billed, in some cases, more than double what an insurance company will pay. I am currently paying close to $500/month just so my wages will not be garnished to pay this highway robbery. I will reluctantly admit that this experience has caused me to not have my children treated for various illnesses and injuries that I felt should have been tended to. I just pray fervently that nothing serious arises as a result. For those of you who think that the uninsured should work harder, and that we are "mooching", may I suggest that you walk a mile in my shoes. Those of us without insurance pay considerably more for health care than you, and our higher payments help fund your preventative measures and early diagnoses, while we are simply left ill, injured, broke and dead.

Re healthcare in Europe vs here, our VA, etc.. I have worked in tertiary care university/teaching hospitals, private for-profit hospitals, local community hospitals, VA hospitals, and Army hospitals, in Texas and also the East Coast, (but NOT in Europe). I understand in Europe and now Canada they basicly have a two-tier system, decent basic care is available for all citizens but also a private option is available for those who can afford to skip waits or get the most up to date care. We do the same thing in this country but in a muddled and hypocritical way. Uninsured, medicaid, VA , military and even many privately insured do not receive the best care available because of expense and frankly no country in the world could afford to provide the highest level of care to everyone. If any service is provided without cost, there will always be an endless demand. So society has to decide how these resources will be allocated and essentially rationed, whether by cost, restricted access, etc. And you can bet those party leaders from Russia and oil sheiks from Arabia do not receive the same care as local citizens, but they also pay handsomely for their care. And as long as our government and legal system hold every hospital and healthcare provider to unrealistic standards, you are going to a hard time restricting medical costs.other than denying access.

Obama said it right but should have said it louder: Health care should be a right.

The current for-profit system is collapsing. There's simply no way costs can rise at three times wages and inflation for 20 or 30 years without huge numbers of people being priced out. They'll VOTE, and quite rightly they'll vote out the current system. And the main reason it's ranked as HIGH as #37 is because of emergency rooms having to stabilize patients; without that, it's third-world.

Label them what you want, but systems in much of Europe and Canada have better measured results and much lower costs.

[Isn't that what the communist style system was based on? (except for the top party members who always went to Switzerland for their care).]

You mean the same Switzerland with nationalized healthcare? So, these powerful party leaders opted out of one "poor, BUT EQUAL" health care system for another? Get a clue. You yourself acknowledge the differences in quality between Switzerland's nationalized health care and the Soviet Union's (what I assume you were referring to by "communist style system") nationalized health care. Why do YOU suppose one was so much more preferred than the other? My point being the differences in quality probably had much more to do with the underlying societal structure, priorities, and economics systems. I sure don't hear about the vast lines of miserable people waiting for substandard healthcare in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, etc., etc., etc., etc. Where are the news reports of the protests going on in these countries for better health care? Where are the reports, studies, and other objective data suggesting that these countries trail our "superior" capitalists health care system? The fact is...the U.S.'s current health care system is broken beyond repair. MAJOR changes are needed--NOT more of the same, tired talk of a for-profit system we've been listening to now for DECADES. What the hell is so wrong with simply taking a look at more successful models and acknowledging that they ARE, in fact, more successful on MANY fronts? Jeesh!