U.S. report: 40 million can't afford health care

[Jiro]

Equal opportunity is un-American? Not in my America.

equal opportunity? uhhh Universal Healthcare is not about an equal opportunity. sorry buddy but that's the wrong subject to use. Who wants to go to state-run hospitals??? I mean isn't USA all about privatization? Isn't it why we're wealthier and more powerful than other countries?

 

[jillio]

equal opportunity? uhhh Universal Healthcare is not about an equal opportunity. sorry buddy but that's the wrong subject to use. Who wants to go to state-run hospitals??? I mean isn't USA all about privatization? Isn't it why we're wealthier and more powerful than other countries?

It most certainly is about equal opportunity. Equal opportunity to health care services for all, no matter race, income level, or gender.

Privatization is exactly what has caused health care costs to sky rocket, and results in the number of Americans who cannot afford health care.

 

[Jiro]

It most certainly is about equal opportunity. Equal opportunity to health care services for all, no matter race, income level, or gender.

then they can go to local clinics or state hospitals beside.... explain to me about the horrors of universal healthcare in Europe and Canada. Why does one have to wait several weeks to several months for surgery/procedure when one can get it immediately in USA? several ADers have mentioned about it.

Privatization is exactly what has caused health care costs to sky rocket, and results in the number of Americans who cannot afford health care.

and universal healthcare is not the answer to this problem. simply spank the CEOs and regulate it. it'll fix a handful of problems.

 

[shel90]

then they can go to local clinics or state hospitals beside.... explain to me about the horrors of universal healthcare in Europe and Canada. Why does one have to wait several weeks to several months for surgery/procedure when one can get it immediately in USA? several ADers have mentioned about it.


and universal healthcare is not the answer to this problem. simply spank the CEOs and regulate it. it'll fix a handful of problems.

My friend is earning below the poverty level and she goes to the local clinics but doesnt really get the adequate care she needs for herself and her son. It is f****cking ridiculous! Why does our health depend on the size of our bank accounts?

 

[jillio]

then they can go to local clinics or state hospitals beside.... explain to me about the horrors of universal healthcare in Europe and Canada. Why does one have to wait several weeks to several months for surgery/procedure when one can get it immediately in USA? several ADers have mentioned about it.


and universal healthcare is not the answer to this problem. simply spank the CEOs and regulate it. it'll fix a handful of problems.

Where exactly can an uninsured individual get the same level of care that an insured individual gets? Where exactly does one who belongs to an HMO or a MCO get the same level of care and opportunity to access services that an individual has under a fee for service plan?

Are you suggesting (I would certainly hope not) that the level of medical care a person is entitled to should be dependent upon their level of income? That poor people should not receive the same care that wealthy people do? That babies born into the poverty group should die at a greater rate than those born into the wealthy group as a result of inequities in the quality of care? That poor citizens of this country should have lowered life expectancies based on the same?

 

[jillio]

My friend is earning below the poverty level and she goes to the local clinics but doesnt really get the adequate care she needs for herself and her son. It is f****cking ridiculous! Why does our health depend on the size of our bank accounts?

Exactly.

 

[jillio]

Study: Kids who need vitamins not getting them - CNN.com

This article parallels the discussion on health care. Preventive care is what reduces the need for catastrophic care. Those most in need of preventive health care are those least likely to be able to afford it. That means their need for catastophic care increases. Catastophic care of the uninsured raises the cost of health care overall. Raised costs of health care mean that the cost of preventive care also goes up, resulting in fewer and fewer being able to access those services. It is a circular cause and effect, not a linear one.

 

[Beowulf]

My friend is earning below the poverty level and she goes to the local clinics but doesnt really get the adequate care she needs for herself and her son. It is f****cking ridiculous! Why does our health depend on the size of our bank accounts?

I agree. There are haves and have nots, and the latter are dying. I am extremely fortunate to be alive today because if I was uninsured, I wouldn't have received the intensive care I'd gotten.

 

[Hear Again]

My friend is earning below the poverty level and she goes to the local clinics but doesnt really get the adequate care she needs for herself and her son. It is f****cking ridiculous! Why does our health depend on the size of our bank accounts?

Not to bring mental illness into this thread, but I know people who can't afford regular mental health services and must attend a free clinic. As a result, they sometimes receive inadequate services and must go without the meds they need for their respective mental illness. It's a shame and there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of thing to happen in this country.

 

[shel90]

Not to bring mental illness into this thread, but I know people who can't afford regular mental health services and must attend a free clinic. As a result, they sometimes receive inadequate services and must go without the meds they need for their respective mental illness. It's a shame and there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of thing to happen in this country.

It is well known that the mental health services in this country are horrible for those who are working class or poor.

 

[Hear Again]

It is well known that the mental health services in this country are horrible for those who are working class or poor.

This is true. Even those who receive Medicaid receive limited services. When I was looking for a new psychiatrist in November (given the fact that I wasn't happy with the services I received from my old psychiatrist), I had to search long and hard to find one close to where I live. When I asked my psychiatrist about this, he explained that he could only accept a certain number of Medicaid patients because if he didn't, he would never be able to make a decent living.

 

[Foxrac]

Not to bring mental illness into this thread, but I know people who can't afford regular mental health services and must attend a free clinic. As a result, they sometimes receive inadequate services and must go without the meds they need for their respective mental illness. It's a shame and there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of thing to happen in this country.

It is well known that the mental health services in this country are horrible for those who are working class or poor.

True so enough.

I have moderate OCD and state owned mental hospital won't perform so well.

 

[Hear Again]

I have moderate OCD and state owned mental hospital won't perform so well.

This is true. I was inpatient at a county hospital for my first manic/psychotic episode in 2006 and the treatment I received there was deplorable even though it saved my life. Ironically enough, the treatment I received at a different hospital recently was much, much better. The difference in quality of service was like night and day. By the way, the first hospital I attended never recommended any therapy or additional services upon my discharge, but the second hospital (recently) recommended individual therapy, group therapy, support groups and an interdisciplinary approach. That just goes to show how different services can be between a county hospital and a private hospital.

 

[shel90]

This is true. I was inpatient at a county hospital for my first manic/psychotic episode in 2006 and the treatment I received there was deplorable even though it saved my life. Ironically enough, the treatment I received at a different hospital recently was much, much better. The difference in quality of service was like night and day. By the way, the first hospital I attended never recommended any therapy or additional services upon my discharge, but the second hospital (recently) recommended individual therapy, group therapy, support groups and an interdisciplinary approach. That just goes to show how different services can be between a county hospital and a private hospital.

Just like the quality of education between a public school and a private school. I am sure there are county hospitals that do provide good service but the employees are underpaid and overworked making them unable to meet every patient's needs..just like the teachers at the public schools.

 

[Hear Again]

Just like the quality of education between a public school and a private school. I am sure there are county hospitals that do provide good service but the employees are underpaid and overworked making them unable to meet every patient's needs..just like the teachers at the public schools.

They are most definitely overworked and overpaid, but if you've heard some of the stories I have that occur in county hospitals, it would shock you. One hospital in my area was cited for the death of a mentally ill patient who committed suicide and was on a 72 hour suicide watch, but since the staff didn't pay close enough attention, he ended up strangling himself. There was another case at the same hospital in which a patient was sent home in a cab despite the fact that she was actively psychotic. Even if staff are overworked and underpaid, there is no excuse for that kind of neglect.

 

[Jiro]

My friend is earning below the poverty level and she goes to the local clinics but doesnt really get the adequate care she needs for herself and her son. It is f****cking ridiculous! Why does our health depend on the size of our bank accounts?

Where exactly can an uninsured individual get the same level of care that an insured individual gets? Where exactly does one who belongs to an HMO or a MCO get the same level of care and opportunity to access services that an individual has under a fee for service plan?

Are you suggesting (I would certainly hope not) that the level of medical care a person is entitled to should be dependent upon their level of income? That poor people should not receive the same care that wealthy people do? That babies born into the poverty group should die at a greater rate than those born into the wealthy group as a result of inequities in the quality of care? That poor citizens of this country should have lowered life expectancies based on the same?

Look - I understand both of your concerns regarding health care issues. Really - I do sympathize for those who are drowned with medical debt and for others who had to pick which severed finger to sew back to the hand because one finger costs more than other. But my stance is still same and yes it will looks like I'm a cold-hearted asshole.

Why? because.... what's the point of having "equal opportunity" for poor to have same health quality as the rich if the poor cannot afford proper foods, proper housing, proper anything? If you do not have proper necessities, it is obvious that you will be prone to health issue. So what's next? equal opportunity for poor to have same housing quality as the rich? same cars? same fillet steak? what's the point of capitalism and competition?

I do not support universal healthcare. I only ask that our government to DO something about this skyrocketing, outrageous cost. Make it cheaper... that's all.

 

[jillio]

Look - I understand both of your concerns regarding health care issues. Really - I do sympathize for those who are drowned with medical debt and for others who had to pick which severed finger to sew back to the hand because one finger costs more than other. But my stance is still same and yes it will looks like I'm a cold-hearted asshole.

Why? because.... what's the point of having "equal opportunity" for poor to have same health quality as the rich if the poor cannot afford proper foods, proper housing, proper anything? If you do not have proper necessities, it is obvious that you will be prone to health issue. So what's next? equal opportunity for poor to have same housing quality as the rich? same cars? same fillet steak? what's the point of capitalism and competition?

I do not support universal healthcare. I only ask that our government to DO something about this skyrocketing, outrageous cost. Make it cheaper... that's all.

The only way that is going to happen is to remove the reason that costs have skyrocketed to begin with. Privitization and uninsured catastophic care.

 

[Jiro]

The only way that is going to happen is to remove the reason that costs have skyrocketed to begin with. Privitization and uninsured catastophic care.

in short - an universal healthcare with majority of hospitals controlled & regulated by government

 

[jillio]

in short - an universal healthcare with majority of hospitals controlled & regulated by government

How would you reduce costs?

 

[shel90]

Look - I understand both of your concerns regarding health care issues. Really - I do sympathize for those who are drowned with medical debt and for others who had to pick which severed finger to sew back to the hand because one finger costs more than other. But my stance is still same and yes it will looks like I'm a cold-hearted asshole.

Why? because.... what's the point of having "equal opportunity" for poor to have same health quality as the rich if the poor cannot afford proper foods, proper housing, proper anything? If you do not have proper necessities, it is obvious that you will be prone to health issue. So what's next? equal opportunity for poor to have same housing quality as the rich? same cars? same fillet steak? what's the point of capitalism and competition?

I do not support universal healthcare. I only ask that our government to DO something about this skyrocketing, outrageous cost. Make it cheaper... that's all.

I dont think people's health should be equated with fillet steak.

Heath care should NOT be a luxury, period!