The Cost

[mediadogfilms1]

To David, EIther you didn't live in Germany or are really bad at math. The absolute highest tax rate in Germany is 45%. That is on the extremely wealthy. Average individuals pay less tax in Germany than in the US. Example: If you are single and make 50K in Germany you pay 24.75 % in income and reunification tax. That is a fact. In the US you pay About 27-29% in all state, local and federal taxes, unless you are self-employed Then it's 36%.

[KScienceGuy]

The video says it all... spend your money for industry profits, or for health care. Once you've had someone you love denied - totally denied coverage - you'll really 'get' the message of pro-public option supporters!

[davidameyers]

I lived in Germany for five years where they have socialized medicine. The income tax rate there is 53%, sales tax is 21% and gas costs $8.00 a gallon. Oh yeah, I forgot - you also have to wait for hours to see a doctor. Socialized medicine sucks. If you think Obama and company think the "public" plan is better, then let's see them and their families agree to opt-in on it. When Europe went socialist everyone ran to the US. Remember Ellis Island? It was full of people afraid of past Obamas.

[gstrocknroller]

So if it is that bad, you just stay with your private insurance and nothing changes for you.

What are you crying about again?

[davidameyers]

If one company has to turn a profit (private company) and the other one doesn't (government) then the private company will not be able to compete. Private companies will fold and you'll be stuck with the government plan. Trust me, the government plan will suck. Not only that, but it will actually cost more. Most people who don't have insurance could buy it if they didn't drive BMW's or go out to dinner 3 times a week. Insurance is not that expensive.

[gstrocknroller]

So you are saying that the public option will "suck so bad" and it will cost more. But it will STILL drive privite insurance bankrupt. That does not make sense. If the public option sucks, people will stay with private insurance. It can't be worse and at the same time drive private insurance out of business.

And you need to land your spaceship back here on Earth and into reality if you think people are uninsured because they buy BMW's.

[tysterr]

His 10% in increased taxes.

[pig5689]

Insurance companies (extortionists) have had it too good for a long time. Now it's time to pay the piper. Remember AIG, the world's largest insurance company? Their executives (lazy bums) were the symbol of disgusting greed & idolaters of cash. After sucking dry & stealing from hard-working innocent families these sucks rewarded themselves by using bailout funds to pay their outrageous bonuses & salaries. Insurance companies are now synonymous with legalized extortion & loathsome incompetence.

[gareyt17]

And who are YOU trying to scare us about?

How many "millions" are you spending to try to takeover a large segment of our economy?

and you suggest replacing one bureaucracy with and even larger, government run one would benefit us exactly how?

Oh..I forgot that pecky new favorite word for todays Socialist....."profit"...

Do YOU work for free? Then why do you expect others to?

And finally, IF this is to save us money why does it put us over $1 TRILLION in additional DEBT?

[Stranahan]

First off, as far as these videos are concerned I DO work for free. I'm gotten some contibutions, that's it...

So I'm not spending millions, no. I'm unemployed. My family lives in a hotel.

But you're not even paying attention. Nobody expects anyone to work for free. You're brainwashed.

[Nyctor118]

Hey gareyt17, those scare tactics like using the word socialist or socialism aren't going to work any more. People are becoming smart enough to know that we have lots of publicly funded programs in this country (schools, police departments, fire departments, libraries, Medicare, and Social Security) and nobody views those as socialist - at least not in the way you're trying to imply. You're just trying to use a scare word.

We need a way that nobody is denied health coverage if they need it.

[Messenger0777]

Doesn't matter if you think or not that is socialistic. Maybe 2 or 3 out of the 7 programs you mention are just hardly decent, if not then just bearable the rest are failing and falling apart. Medicare/Medicaid will be broke within 8 years. S.S. to live on, sucks and our public schools are becoming the worst in the world. Something I've seen since my teen years in the 70s and it's gotten worse every decade thru today. You really believe your health care coverage will be any better? I don't.

[jimmyzvoice]

Tell your Senators and Congressmen we want them to represent us and not the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Call or write your representatives in Congress NOW to tell them our first choice is government run, single payer, Universal Healthcare Insurance. Tell them we will not settle for anything less than a comprehensive Public Healthcare Option. Tell them that we are watching to see who they support: the lobbyists contributing to their campaigns or the American people.

[Oilwellian]

Excellent ad. 5 stars.

[Nyctor118]

It's funny how we always hear about Canada's and Britain's health care systems but nobody ever talks about the system in Australia.

In Australia, the public system, called Medicare, is there to cover everyone, but people have the option of choosing a private insurer if they wish. Those that do not use a private insurer pay a surcharge in their taxes, and there are rebates for people with low incomes.

[lonelygirll15]

Single Payer is the way to go, a public option is a path to get there. Health insurance companies are leeches. They provide nothing. They make money denying medical care.

And, our politicians are LETTING THEM write the health care legislation. Drs & nurses arrested in Congress for protesting the health reform meetings that would not allow ONE representative of single payer as a witness and part of the panel. Sen Baucus Democrat (sell out)called for more police to drive them out.

[zackgreer]

On Tuesdays my trash is picked up from the curb. The local waste company charges about 50 a month. Our sewerage is paid for with taxes. I take a dump, and it's magically transported to the waste treatment plant. So what the public option foes are saying is my shit and my trash is more important that the health of the American people, and that the profits of those rat bastards in the insurance industry who take 40 cents of every dollar HAS to be protected? Kill the insurance lobby NOW.

[Larzabeth]

zackgreer you stated it so well. Yes, now is the time to put an end to this greed machine and start taking care of lives.

[Bubba186]

yea, they say that, they also say they are giving us a great deal now, the best they can, if they are not lying, then they have nothing to worry about, a govt run plan will barely compete.

[Deadmansparty2002]

As a Canadian, most recent official figures for health care cost in Canada I could find for 2001 is $97.6 billion. Unofficial numbers for 2008 put costs at $125 billion. That's 78% increase over 7 years in a country of 30 million people. American Insurance companies spend $35 million on advertising in a country of 300 million, there's a drop off there. I don't like the American system, but the Canadian system isn't better because it's public.

[burntonion05]

I don't understand what your point is. You mention percentage and total count, then you bring up ad cost and total count. I don't see where the correlation is.

[Deadmansparty2002]

The point of the message is to make insurance companies villainous because they spent $35 million "trying to kill the public option". The Canadian government spends $125 billion on health care in a year, yet insurance companies are the bad guys. If insurance companies spent $35 million every three months for a year it would only add up to $140 million. His campaign is based on morality, not practicality or economic rationality. A lack of practicality is what made the economy so bad right now.

[burntonion05]

I still don't understand your point. I don't understand what advertisement dollars has to do with anything. And I also don't see what Canada has to do with it either. You don't make sense.

[Deadmansparty2002]

The video promotes a public health care system. Canada has a public health care system and it has all sorts of problems like the American system. Wanting a public health care system is a good thing, but having one isn't going to make American health care better. Things would get worse before they got better. If you want to know what advertising dollars have to do with anything, you'll have to have Lee Stranahan explain it to you.

[burntonion05]

I understand why he was using the advertising cost in his argument. I am not sure why you used it. So you explain.

Also, is Canada the only country in the world with public health care?

[Deadmansparty2002]

$35 million is chump change compared to what is spent on actual health care. Advertising isn't some terrible monster that tells people what to think. And people aren't cattle being led by whatever people tell them. They can choose to ignore it or choose to agree with it. Whether or not they do isn't advertisers, insurance companies or government officials fault. It's people's fault. Not that you'd know it from the video.

[Deadmansparty2002]

I know that Canada isn't the only country in the world with public health care, but it's the only one I have personal experience with and I would never presume to talk about a system I've not personally used. I've had some experience with the American system too. Canada's system seems to be the one brought up the most when Americans talk about public health care as well. Probably because it would be easiest for the US to switch to tax wise.

[zackgreer]

Nope, not even close. We're the only 1st world country to have for-profit care for our citizens. The 30 members of the OEC (England, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, more) spend 1/3 the amount we do on health care, live longer, have lower infant mortality. That bastard Reagan started the for-profit crap. We need to end it. HMO's and others here spend 40 cents on every dollar paying CEO's and paper-puchers. The VA spends 4 cents, Medicare 5 cents. THIS IS A FUCKING NO BRAINER. DROP THE GREEDY BASTARDS NOW

[HolyHannah]

No. Of the industrialized nations, only 3 have NO form of national healthcare. They are Turkey, Nexico, and the US. Turkey and Mexico are too poor - we're just too stupid not to have it.

[Nyctor118]

The video promotes a public health care option alongside the private one.

[HolyHannah]

lack of practicality made the economy bad? Delusional bullshit. Greedy corporations paying off Republicans in Washington to GUT regualtions, starting with St. Ronnie Raygun, screwed the economy.

[Deadmansparty2002]

And a lack of practical thinking is what led those greedy corporations to do so, although I'm not convinced that's what actually happened, probably something similar but not exactly.

[sisforshayla]

agreed. these politicians and rich media people don't know what it's like out in the real world of health insurance & it's cost.

[classicallady]

The majority of repubs are all in the scheme of taking money from them. And some demos too.

[Bubba186]

it's easy to see whose pocket people like sen grassley is in, saw him saying no way on the public option

[jonathanwindham]

One reason he gave against the public option was that too many people would switch to government run healthcare

/watch?v=SzD-TzlOrLo