Single-Payer Health Care

[DroppinScience]

Bill Moyers this week gave a lot of airtime to universal health care and this is required viewing for all those concerned over the state of health care in the U.S.

Kudos to him for profiling the brave nurses and doctors agitating for single-payer health care at the Senate hearings this month. (y)

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05222009/watch.html

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05222009/watch2.html

Moyers even digs up a quote from then-Illinois State Senator Barack Obama being pro-universal health care back in 2003.

Oh, how things have changed. :(

[saz]

it's such an incredible system. without it, we all would've had to put all our homes up to afford major surgery for a family member.

[Documad]

Moyers even digs up a quote from then-Illinois State Senator Barack Obama being pro-universal health care back in 2003.

Oh, how things have changed. :(

It's much easier when you're just courting votes from the citizens of one state, isn't it? He changed his tune when he was running for president because most americans are still afraid of "Socialized Medicine", even though I'm certain that they don't know what that means.

[QueenAdrock]

Pretty much. As long as you say "government-run" and "socialized medicine" all of the right-wingers clutch their guns and fight it tooth and nail. Honestly, fighting universal health care is their loss and they don't even know it.

I know so many people in the States who won't go to the doctor for something they need to because it'll cost them deductibles and co-payments on TOP of the monthly premiums, so the just deal with it and hope for the best. Sometimes it gets better, sometimes it gets worse. And if you don't even have insurance, forget it. It's not even a question, you'll just ignore it as long as you can. It's nice being in Canada because I don't even have to make that decision. If I have an illness or some sort of ache or pain or problem, I go to the doctor to check it out for free. Canada's health care system has its problems too, and no system is perfect, but I can say I definitely have a large weight off my mind and know I'll be healthier here. I really hope that America can get some sort of form of universal health care, since they're the only Western nation that has none.

[Bob]

i don't get why the arguments against universal health care persuade people

"you'll have a bureaucrat telling you what kind of treatments you can and can't get!"

how unamerican! that decision should be left up to actuaries and claims adjusters, like god intended

"you'll pay higher taxes!"

paying for insurance is such a joy? i'd be curious to see if the higher taxes would be more or less expensive than what the average citizen/business pays for insurance.

"the government will interfere with the relationship between you and your doctor!"

my relationship with my doctor is that if i want to get treated, i have to prove i'm covered for it and if not i have to pay him out the ass, i'd be ok with the government stepping in between us a little

"the government will take away your right to find and negotiate the insurance policy of your own choosing!"

i'm not really pleased with any of my choices at the moment and i'm not really in a position to negotiate a better one; i'm fine with giving up that right, just like i'm fine with giving up my liberty to work 80 hours a week without overtime

"you'll have long waits for treatment!"

not as long as you'll be waiting if you can't afford the treatment in the first place

"the quality of treatment will decline!"

assuming that's true (and it's really not), it's still better than receiving no treatment at all

[yeahwho]

Our current method of practicing medicine is inhumane. I'm doing just fine but tomorrow I could lose my job, lose my insurance, get sick and have to pay over $300 dollars to visit a doctor and acquire a course of antibiotics. Worse still is the overcrowding of emergency rooms with homeless because of lack of insurance, getting sick after 8:00 PM is fashionable with the uninsured group. Whattya gonna to do? There is no real choice.

A pandemic flu arrives on the horizon right as unemployment soars to it's highest levels and all of a sudden a few more million Americans are seeing the light at how easily being able to see a doctor is out of reach financially for them. It's a nightmare. The current system is a nightmare.

[DroppinScience]

It's much easier when you're just courting votes from the citizens of one state, isn't it? He changed his tune when he was running for president because most americans are still afraid of "Socialized Medicine", even though I'm certain that they don't know what that means.

See, I don't even buy that a majority of Americans oppose universal health care. Corporate media (which gets lots of ad revenues from major pharmaceuticals) may have you believe otherwise, but it's truly a minority that's driving things and preventing the true will to set the agenda. If so many Americans actually do fear universal health care, why do polls continually show they're supportive of them?

Here's just one example out of many I see:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/01/opinion/polls/main2528357.shtml

What I find contemptible in the health care reform issue is that single-payer health care is continually being shut out. They do deserve a place at the table. Here's hoping for positive change...

[Documad]

If so many Americans actually do fear universal health care, why do polls continually show they're supportive of them?

Here's just one example out of many I see:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/01/opinion/polls/main2528357.shtml


It depends on the questions you ask, as you can see from the story you linked to. Yes, americans will say that everyone should have health care, especially children. But that's not the question. People also like the idea of a safety net, but that's not the question either. And everyone agrees that the system is broke, but they don't agree on the fix at all. The question you have to ask americans is how much would you want to pay in taxes to provide everyone with full coverage? Americans love getting stuff but they don't want to pay for it.

Americans like the idea of picking out a doctor, even though I'm not sure how much you can really do that even with private insurance these days. Americans like private insurance instead of government provided health care. Notice the part of your article that said, "Less than one in three, however, say the government would do a better job than private insurance companies at actually providing medical coverage." So how to you get around that?

I don't think we can fix health care until we decide what we're NOT going to pay for, and no politician can do that. Sometimes I think we're a victim of medical miracles. The money would be better spent on routine care for kids.

[Documad]

It's all in the question. If you ask people whether they favor the death penalty, americans will overwhelmingly say "yes", but if you give them an option of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the death penalty doesn't poll as well.