Political Courage

[americaontime]

Until we as American's decide to take responsiblity for ourselves instead of depending on the government, we will always be worried about bankrupting the country. The government does not have a great history of fiscal restraint.

[MsRWing]

That is BS; Medicare is not free! As soon as you turn 65, S.S. starts hounding you to take out Med.B; it costs $96+Mo, which only pays 80% of what Med, thinks the Hosp/doctor are worth; usually less than half of the Hosp/doctor costs. Then you still have to pay the 20%+ or pay a sub-insurance. S.S. threatened to take my sister's friend SS check her dead husband worked a lifetime for, if she didn't take out Med.B. My brother had Med.B & Humana, but needed $8k up front for Chemo; he didn't get it.

[econdemocracy]

Mny fallacies below.. braun1120 said "peoples hould pay their own way" but people DO pay through taxes (tho taxes are less than insurance premiums)for Medicare for All. So much for that concern. Next: "there is no discrimination..if you have health insurance"..there is discrimination against the sick, or whose with less power (if you're part of a group, the insurers are less likely to screw you than if alone)..See v=Efq3ykIeYeQ how they screwed a nurse (she had insurance)when she got cancer

[braun1120]

It is not rude to think that people should pay there own way. I meet all types of people in my business- Rich, middle class, and poor. When you have insurance there is no discrimination on which economic level you are. They all go by the same premise of what is in the policy. There are so many rules that protect the consumer but yet you think I am rude and only for the rich,

Obama reminds me of Carter 2. Just bad for America. You are still buying hope and change.

[yarwnna]

Braun-Please listen to everyone else and not just the people that run in your circle. I'm afraid you're not seeing the full picture: People don't want government to run their lives. WE have no choice except to have someone/something larger than big business that is not regulated, intervene for the rest of us. Greed has left the US and it's citizens without choice. That's rude to assume that I don't have money by the way. I'm self-employed and disabled....and insured.

[yarwnna]

How large is your world view? Are you 35+? Do you have a job that allows you to have insurance, say through the govenment or an insurance company itself? School teacher even? Well, if you are in the select lucky, then I understand your less-than-objective views. Otherwise, you aren't living in the same world the rest of us are. It's a bitch out here.

[braun1120]

I do have a job that does provide benefits. It is wonderful. Insurance can be had if you have the means to pay for it. Should I also start saving to pay for your retirement fund as well. The middle class is going to get hosed on all these new entitlements.  You are buying the propaganda Obama is selling.

[yarwnna]

braun-one has to wonder why you are defending insurance companies? Only a fortunate minority does that.

[braun1120]

You just don't get it. Why doesn't the gov't just take over every business if you feel they are so well run.

Freddie mac - Failed

USPS- Failing and losing money

Insurance Companies- Turning a small and modest profit to investors. Provides Taxes to the gov't. Provides employees with a Job with good pay and benefits.

Is there are theme here?

Public sector companies do not work.

[braun1120]

People that do not trust insurance companies have bought the goverment line. They have polarized the masses to think the insurance companies are the demons. Insurance companies have a small profit margin compared to other industries. In every state there is a gurantee access pool for insurance. It is heavily subsidized.

You probably also believe that Oil companies are the villians as well. The gov't makes more money on oil than the company produce it does.

[onlyrey]

The Insurance companies have been getting a pretty sweet deal. Insurance companies ONLY insure who they believe are healthy at a huge premium while Medicare and Medicaid end up absorbing the majority of the risk population (older and unhealthier). You have to watch the congress hearing about the horrible practice of rescission by the insurance companies ...( /watch?v=dT_2GjSkzHE ). I DO NOT trust the health insurance companies. I SUPPORT A PUBLIC PLAN.

[MikePresents]

Socialized medicine will always look like a good idea when the means to treat ones self has been outlawed.

[yarwnna]

braun.........I know you know about what you know about, but you know nothing about what you don't know.

[braun1120]

I am glad I no nothing.

Wait and see how the middle class gets exposed on this.

There are still costs to Medicare. If you cannot afford it now what makes you think you will be able to afford when there is a public plan option. In Mass, where the public plan was introduced, costs of insurance went up and quality went down. I am glad I no nothing.

[yarwnna]

It's "know" nothing; not 'no' nothing. And, if you can afford insurances and petro and so on..........then that's great for you. But the masses are hurting and have been hurting for quite some time. It's time to think of everyone. There are 47,000,000 people who don't have insurance at all. You can't look at this subjectively anymore. Unless you are wealthy, then you can't be healthy......period.

[braun1120]

The 47 Million is not true. 13 million are illegals. 10 million students. There are reforms that can be done to cover these people. I have never seen more regulation reduce cost. DId the price of a stamp go down recently? If it was Medicare for all, there are some costs people still cannot afford. Can you?

We can make incremental changes to imrpove it. Not dismantle. Did you actually think this was going to be for free?

[yarwnna]

We are 35th in medical care. That is a disgrace! We are suppose to be the leader in EVERYTHING!! Shame on us! Go medicare! Right now, only the wealthy can afford to be healthy.

[braun1120]

The numbers are false. If you took a look at infant mortality numbers of say Utah compared to those of European nations, we are first on the list. The number Europe does not include on the list are pre mature births. We do.

These are facts:

Australians wait 35 days to have surgery

Britains the average is 40 days to have surgery.

The US- 5 days to have surgery.

If you cannot afford healthcare now, what makes you think you will be able to afford it in a medicare for all state.

[finefilth]

Watch 'murder by injection"

Put it in your search bar

[healthreformadvocate]

The private health insurance companies have been getting away with murder for years. They deny care, people die. They deny insurance, people die. They use YOUR premium dollars to pay for ads and campaign contributions to keep themselves in business. They are middlemen we can do without. They make profits by denying care. Why do people insist on keeping these crooks and murderers in business?!?!?? Read "Health Care Meltdown" and educate yourself. Sheeesh!

[braun1120]

Don't believe the hype about insurance companies making huge profits. Most carriers lose money by doing business. They make it with investment income. 85% of all premiums taken in go to pay for claims. 6% pay taxes and other goverment regs, 7% marketing and admin (payroll), 2% profit. 2% profit is ideal. Most business would not be able to survive on that type of margin.

Stop demonizing corporations, the goverment makes more money off of corporations through taxes.

[braun1120]

I have a lot more comments but find it very hard to fit my words into 500 words or less.

Medicare for all will be a disaster. You will see many facilities close and less doctors which will increase demand.

WHy would a doctor make half of what they are making now.

[braun1120]

Do not believe the hype that there is $85 billion dollars that can be saved by squeezing out administrative costs. It is BS.

INo one pays me to blog. I am not going to tell you who I am. Just a person that has been working in industry for a long time.

Also 48 million people without coverage is propeganda(SP) . The true number is around 18 million. How are goin to pay for this?

[braun1120]

I guess I am more braun than brain. I am now enlightened by your puns.

How much do you think will be squeezed out by shrinking admin costs?  Why is it that in other countries that have single payer systems, there is care rationing. Facilities have closed and there are less doctors.

[braun1120]

why would we create a medicare for all when the medicare program is going bankrupt

[stopHAARP]

It's like this: if everybody has medicare, the cost of care will fall like it was pushed off a cliff. In Australia, everyone has free medicare; my friend got MORGELLONS DISEASE, the plastic root-like fibers grew around the base of his spine, surgeons cut-out all this tissue. Total cost: $3,000 AUS, he paid $1000. He could've had private insurance too, and eliminated all costs to him. Here, the surgery would cost $30-45,000. The poor can spread infectious disease to the rich very easily!!!

[braun1120]

So where are we going to cut out to reduce costs? Do you want doctors to suddenly make half of what they make? Every decision and outcome has a consequence. You cannot that doctors and facilities are going to accept less money and want to continue to do business.

[stopHAARP]

More braun than brain. Administrative costs take a huge chunk of the current money, so does screening-out patients to avoid serving their needs. Doctors can be paid quite well, to do a good job for a change: they prefer single-payer (medicare for all), by the way. Didn't you know that the majority of physicians support single-payer? Or are you "more braun than brain?" Who pays you to blog, uninformed pretender?

[yarwnna]

I am so glad to see your name............I've been talking Stop HAARP for years and no one listens. Any luck getting anyone to care about what's buzzing around in the sky, or in their lungs or why they're so sick or.............????

[bpartoens]

It would be great if Congress stood up to the Health Insurance Industry and big Pharma but their pockets are too weighted down by all the money they receive from them. My solution is to take away the health care benefits to our elected officials. Most of us disapprove of how they are doing things, and they are supposted to represent us, so folks-on the hill, buy your own health insurance and see what it is like in the real world. These are the same thugs who vote themselves raises. Tyrannical.

[splashy9]

Yes! When my husband went on Medicare, it was like night and day for him. Everyone should have that option, at least.