Cecil,
Reading your lengthy reply, I again must urge you to say that you don't understand the term SOCIALISM. There is not much socialism to be found here.
From wikipedia: Socialism refers to various theories of economic organization advocating public or direct worker ownership and administration of the means of production and allocation of resources, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a method of compensation based on the amount of labor expended.
1. Up here, like in denmark, we have, just like in the US as capatislistic, democratic and highly compatitive market. Our government does not own a lot of business (anymore). Markets like the energy, healthcare, mail and phone have been been made private over the last 3 decades. This process has been called: liberalisation (Hence I say so often that the word liberal mean something different in our world). So I was born in a democratic, capatilistic environment. Certainly not Socialistic. If you say that to anyone else living in eastern european countries, you not so far of the spot (though that was communism)
2. The US citizens have been brainwashed by the right wing to have anything that is not as right as them to be labeled socialism. Hell, you don't even know what it really means. We have one politician up here ('Geert Wilders') who is trying to redefine the word left in very much the same way as the republicans did. I'm fully aware of how this process works.
3. If the system obama is proposing works, you'll pay a HELL LOT OF LESS TAXES to healthcare, more to the level like we do. Let me remind you that the US americans pay by far the most for their healthcare and only gets average overall quality out of it. Worse, its affecting your economy as well. Tenth of Millions are exluded from healthcare, because they cannot afford, are excluded or are just ignorant. How good is someone who is ill but culd be cured for its country? A governments role also is to keep its citizens healthy because that is beneficial to its economy in the long run.
4. In some aspects, you're already a third world country. Health care is one of such aspects. And what about New Orleans? What wealthy country does leave a devistated city alone and does virtually nothing to rebuild it ?
5. Your government does not have to run the healthcare industry. Nor does it in our country (anymore). The government does not get much involved managing healthcare isurances. What it DOES DO is regulating the market by defining rules like that every insurance company has to accept every patient, no matter what medical condition. They have to offer packages (coverage level) for a fixed price. Certain procedures are always covered, some are optional (depending on the package). Every citizen is obligated to have an insurance.
The trend you can see now is that insurance companies now are far more concentrating in prevention and keeping their customers healthy. If they don't do that, they will face larger medical costs down the road. The system also tries to keep the costs to the pharmacy down as cheaper (but as good) medicine are covered but more expensive ones you need to pay yourself.
Please read this:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/07/05/healthy_examples_plenty_of_countries_get_healthcare_right/http://vulsinbrief.com/health/nov08/dutch.phpWalter,
>First of all, I do not trust the American healthcare system, period. 2nd, I do not want any additional taxes upon me without my consent to pay for healthcare that our nation cannot afford while we are going into a recession and a possible depression. 3rd, the government of the United States cannot be trusted. 4th, the medical system in the United States is full of corruption.
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>Now, my final point is that I do not believe in federal income taxes, although I pay them. Why do I pay them? because, if I don't, my freedoms will be restricted. The federal tax system which the United States has is one of the Communist planks. It is called a graduated income tax. 1913 was a great year for those who would enslave our country; it is called the Federal Reserve System. We lost a lot in that year from those who conspired against the people's interests and freedoms for greed and control.
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>My brother lived in Denmark for about 11 years and liked the sociliast system in that country, but he did not like it that so many people who were not elected had so much power in the daily lives of their people. I can understand that if you are born and raised within socialism that you cannot see it as such, that it appears to just be a normal thing to you. We, here in the US were not raised so much in socialism and value our freedoms, even to the point fo not having healthcare paid for, in effect by each person's taxes. If we heap upon our country the taxes the Democrats are soon to push down our throats, we will kill any incentive for small businesses because the costs will be too great, and the effect of that is that businesses will fail; they will stop hiring new employees and the middle class in America will soon die off. We are literally headed to becoming no better than a 3rd world nation because of our leaders' corrupt nature and burdensome taxes. Bush and Obama spend like drunken sailors when the bank is empty. China has warned our illegal immigrant President that he cannot continue to spend like this.
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>I am also not sold on the medical practice here in the United States as being completely wholesome and truthful, to accept all truth no matter where it is found. When the medical community int he alte 1980's increased vaccines (along with the pharmaceutical companies), not only did the Big Pharma make a lot of money, but many children suddenly had AUTISM and some believe it to be caused by the mercury in thimerosol. Hmmm, could it be that the same increase in VACCINES translated into AUTISM? Many Doctors in the US think so. Yet, incredibly, no one cares to find out, at least not the pharmaceutical companies because it would cut into their pockets and syphen off profits. Ronald Reagan had some things to say about the dangers to our freedoms of a national healthcare system, which can be found on the web.
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>Obviously, I also believe that the US Healthcare system is sick to the core, but I do not believe that the government can do any better. More government is nto the answer. We can see that the intent of the Democrats here is not to fix the problem, but to only create a new one, that will costs us dearly for genearations to come.
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>By the way, I am not a Republican and I voted for a black man for President, just not Obama.
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>Cecil
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>>Cecil,
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>>The US has been looking at european systems where quality and availability of healthcare outperformed the US one for a fraction of the price. This has nothing to do with socialism or communism... that probably is indoctrinated to you by the republicans. Shocking to see that the average american does not even know the definition of those words. Europe is not ruled by communism and socialism, but their healthcare infrastructure outperform the US on about every aspect.
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>>The dutch system is most likely the system that best could be implemented in the US, as the government has no role in insuring, but only in strict regulation. We've got commercial insurance companies you can choose from which have several packages you can pick. Of course if you've got enough money you can buy the best healthcare needed.
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>>The problem of the US health care are inmense because of its infrastructure and lack of emphasis of prevention. Up here a family PCP (GP) handles 90% of all problem. If he/she cannot handle it, the patient is referred to a specialist. Emergency care of course is different and more like the one in the US. But in our system specialist are not bombarded with simple stuff that could be taken care of by a PCP. Up here they also won't do a whole scala of expensive investigations, to avoid being sued even in the slightest chance.
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>>I'm working in the healthcare business in europe and north america, and I can tell you that the current US system is sick to the core.
>I could not get any worse.
