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Is Government-Mandated Universal Healthcare the Best Way to Keep the Nation Healthy?

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judy feder needs to mind her own buisiness. The way to reuild the economy is to make people like Judy feder to stop lobbying congress.yes! judy feder , you little self rightous flake,you and your fellows are the problem. Grow up judy feder ,the american people owe you nothing!!

will mayberry of NC 9:42AM July 17, 2010

Seriously, it's not a debate.
Would you rather save almost 50% of the national health expenditure, or hope that greed doesn't get us into this problem again?
A single-payer system will work, I've run the numbers myself. I only used stats from the CMS website, a Harvard Study, and various other reports published through credible organizations. But if you're not into those things called "facts" then might I recommend reading the following quote "When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income." So label yourself as unjust if you will, and perpetuate your psychotic idea of health as an industry that should be for profit. Just think about how you would feel if faced with back end of medical costs and your choices are debt or die.

Brad of IN 10:30PM November 18, 2009

stupid people who want goverment healthcare should all just go live in canada and russia and try it out
you all smell

goober of TN 11:05AM November 09, 2009

I hope these people that don’t want to change our current system of healthcare end up like me with cancer and get fired for getting sick and have their insurance cancelled by the company and told that they can get “COBRA” for double their previous entire salary if they want to continue getting care and end up loosing Everything they worked all their life for and they loose ALL their healthcare because they can no longer afford treatment and even IF they survive they can no longer get Any insurance at Any price because of the pre-existing condition, the way that I did! Actually I hope they don’t get Lucky enough like me to have a Wonderful doctor and staff that gives them the remaining chemo they needed out of their own pocket because they care (by the way, he lost his private practice recently because he went broke helping people like me and is now in with a group of doctors that have a ‘Board’ that approves requests that recently ‘Denied’ his request to see me and test me for free). The insurance companies and the congressmen fighting against reform for them surely don’t care!
Healthcare For ALL:
Healthcare for ALL American citizens is desperately needed and deserved! There are good and bad points of government healthcare in other countries but mostly good. Let’s use the good points and fix the bad so that we can have the best system in the world. If we do this right we will be the envy of the world.
Government Waist and Corruption:
Objection: Government agencies are wasteful and corrupt.
Truth: Of coarse they are, but people are continually fighting hard to eliminate the waste and abuses whenever they are found. Truth is that it is hard to fight against big money interests, but the fight does go on. No system is 'perfect' but government healthcare should be a Non-Profit public service system and the insurance company "Profits" is what make our current system so corrupt and expensive. As long as profits are the most important part of a system there will always be people that are denied the care they need because it is not "profitable", The only way to take the huge, unnecessary profits out of the healthcare system is through government healthcare policies.
That does not mean that there will not be abuses and waist, (All government agencies have abuses and waist, just like All companies have abuses and undue profits to top executives), but at least everyone will be able to get the healthcare that ALL Americans deserve, especially people that currently can't get any healthcare at any price due to pre-existing and on-going health issues. The waist and abuses must be addressed whenever and wherever they are found!

Guy T. of NC 6:45PM September 26, 2009

I believe there could be good healthcare program offered to all U.S. citizens, but not by the government. The cost of medical treatment is ridiculously over priced (which the government should not allow in the first place), which makes it difficult for families on a budget or people on fixed incomes to afford the care they need.
The pharmacuiticals who corrupt the doctor's opinion's on what medication is needed by offering a nice incentive for prescribing their new products to patient's who otherwise could find an alternative less expensive medication. Generic drugs available are affordable but lack the same effect and safety as brand name drugs.
The idea that we need affordable or free universal healthcare could be wonderful for so many who suffer simply because they can not afford this proposterous continious rise of healthcare cost. Insurance companies can not keep up, needing to only fall back onto their new policy holder's to pick up the tab with higher premiums each and every year.
The government already has increased taxes,raised deductibles and premiums on Medicare,and after established social security(which so many depend on to survive)now we face the possiblity of losing that security and passing that burden on to our children of the future. How will they survive?
I am not an expert on this issue, just a human being with feelings of sadness because I do not understand why so many people in our country today can not pull together and help to make this medical crisis end, without the government's control.
Eventually, we could create a better world and move forward into many issues and be the leaders of our rights and services. I am sure the government wouldn't mind, they will still and always take a piece of that pie !!

Cheryl Fox of KY 2:22AM September 18, 2009

It cracks me up that so many claim that they want the govt out of our lifes,
then they turn around and claim that the govt should regulate what is available for us
to choose to eat because our bad choices are making us fat and unhealthy and this should
be stopped.
What a joke! You dont want gov healthcare, but you want govt food police. This is insane
Next the claim that emergency care is free, that is a flat out lie. Yes you will perhaps eventually be treated if you have no insurance, you will also be sent a bill!!!!
I have no idea where people get the idea that emergency care is free.

mary of FL 10:50AM September 10, 2009

The republicans have lost all consistancy with reguard to its hallmark issue of being on the right side of moral hazzard. Personal responsibility is the mantra, make it on your own or dont make it at all. This is a tough sell when dealing with health. So the republicans are now saying that the "government" will deny you your rights to spend other peoples money at will, even at the end of life when there is no hope. So much for consistancy.
The progressive position is that with reguard to health issues, letting you die if you did not save enough to care for yourself is morally wrong.Providing a basic level of good care for all is good. Unfortunately, the sum of all our desires far exceeds our joint willingness to pay, so we will have to provide limits on what the community will spend, thus returning the additional cost for additional levels of care back to the individual. This conflict, between what I want and what my cumminity is willing to give me can only be reduced, never eliminated.
The republicans, knowing this, will use it as a wedge issue in this debate, even if it is entirely inconsistant with its primary principles. But when did we ever expect consistancy from a political group that is out of power.

Rolf Nesse of CA 12:08PM August 15, 2009

As a nurse in a busy oncology practice, I am confused with Newt Gingrich's "Con" response to universal healthcare. He states the market contains the answer and then summarizes what should be. I agree with his assessment of an answer within the market. But my daily work perception is that we are presently living with the markets idea of a solution and my opinion is that it is non functioning. I think highly of Newt Gingrich's ideas. However, I do not understand how saying no to federal intervention, then not illustrating the roadmap guiding the market achieves any change goal.

Fred Garland of WA 3:50PM May 06, 2009

Like anything this would depend on the details and the how it is run. It works in Canada, France and the UK. The scare tactics employed by the likes of Newt is due to the loss of profits by the industry which is quite entrenched with the politicians in DC. The reality is that while the US is quite larger than the 3 countries I mentioned we rather spend trillions of dollars for "defense" since it is easier to send soldiers and bombs into other countries that for our Congress, those elected to take care of us, to deal with this issue. Roger Moore in Sicko has documented how well universal health care can work. In one key sentence expressed by a French citizen lies the difference. She said that in France the government is scared of the voters while in America the citizens are scared of the government. I say Amen! to do and it is time to change this arround. But, it wont happen unless we insist, unless we tell our officials to start closing over 700 military bases overseas, to stop attacking nations at will every 10 years or so and start cooperating rather than imposing and to put priority on national issues.The one huge scare tactic of communisms vs. us was never true and unfortunately quite ingrained into our culture.

R. Cardona of OH 11:14AM March 23, 2009

If we are going to keep private based health insurance, we need to make it private, not employer based. Most have a choice of box 1,2 or 3 (if they're lucky) and then they're stuck with it for at least a year. Many people make this decision based on employee contribution, not quality of service. Health insurance companies should have to deal directly with insured. This will bring about real competition. Currently, insurance companies only seem to care about the rates they can offer employers. And rightly so. Most businesses in general care mostly about the party(s) that are signing the checks. The insured is a third party. The insured should be able to deal directly with an insurance company to tailor fit the best plan for themselves and their families. I take issue with politicians who say they want to leave choice up to the individual. The fact is, they don't have it now. Not to mention that, the actual health "care" decisions are made entirely by the HMOs, not the doctors and patients.
And let's be very careful about language. We are talking about health insurance, not health care.

Mike of NJ 12:18PM March 22, 2009