Public Health Care

[maxysmummy]

I was just wondering what everyone thought about a public health care scheme.

Coming from australia I can't imagine what life would be like WITHOUT having public health!

I figured it's probably a very topical issue at the moment and would be good to hear peoples opinions

 

[degrassi]

maxysmummy wrote:

I was just wondering what everyone thought about a public health care scheme.

Coming from australia I can't imagine what life would be like WITHOUT having public health!

I figured it's probably a very topical issue at the moment and would be good to hear peoples opinions

I agree. Its not perfect but I am thankful everyday for our Canadian health care system. As a person with medical problems, I couldn't imagine having to pay for health care or not having something available if I needed it(MRI, tests, specialists,prescriptions etc). My family would be bankrupted by the bills.

I've been trying to understand why "americans"(aka, the opinion they primarily talk about on TV) are against changing their health care system. What exactly is the US proposing when they talk about public health care? How would your system change? Isn't making health care available to everyone a good thing? What are the "cons"?

 

[maxysmummy]

degrassi wrote:

maxysmummy wrote:

I was just wondering what everyone thought about a public health care scheme.

Coming from australia I can't imagine what life would be like WITHOUT having public health!

I figured it's probably a very topical issue at the moment and would be good to hear peoples opinions

I agree.  Its not perfect but I am thankful everyday for our Canadian health care system. As a person with medical problems, I couldn't imagine having to pay for health care or not having something available if I needed it(MRI, tests, specialists,prescriptions etc).  My family would be bankrupted by the bills.

I've been trying to understand why "americans"(aka, the opinion they primarily talk about on TV) are against changing their health care system.  What exactly is the US proposing when they talk about public health care? How would your system change? Isn't making health care available to everyone a good thing? What are the "cons"?

I think a lot of people don't want their taxes going towards other peoples illnesses. I follow a girl on tumblr who is the sufferer of a chronic disease and watching her struggle with the US health system just breaks my heart. shes on permanent disability and she often posts stories of other people, ie a man whos daughter has leukemia and had to pay thousands of dollars for private health insurance when he was trying to survive on a few hundred dollars a week.

i suppose someone from the US could give me a better insight into the reasons for/against public health.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

I would be for it but being a family thats make very little money and drops over 300 a month on health insurance and still pay co pays to doctors and to get meds I am all for it.

For example hubby got the flu last week I had to pay 35 to doctor then 85 for hims meds. But I pay 325 monthly for us to have health insurance. I can not wait to see my 36 hour hospital stay for the flu. And I can not get medicaid to help with my pregnancy. I have to pay the doctor over 400 then pay the hospital bill and the chick or dude thats going to give me the pain meds after I get out.

We do have medicaid which is like free health care but you have to qualify for it.

The health care system here is designed for rich folks to me and everyone else either suffers or dies. Here if you don't have money they stabilize you and send you home. Give you a prescription that most of the time you can not afford. With insurance you get a little better treatment but if you can not pay its not much better.

I should add Texas is the hardest state to get help in also.

 

[maxysmummy]

Mrs. PBJ wrote:

I would be for it but being a family thats make very little money and drops over 300 a month on health insurance and still pay co pays to doctors and to get meds I am all for it.

For example hubby got the flu last week I had to pay 35 to doctor then 85 for hims meds. But I pay 325 monthly for us to have health insurance. I can not wait to see my 36 hour hospital stay for the flu. And I can not get medicaid to help with my pregnancy. I have to pay the doctor over 400 then pay the hospital bill and the chick or dude thats going to give me the pain meds after I get out.

We do have medicaid which is like free health care but you have to qualify for it.

The health care system here is designed for rich folks to me and everyone else either suffers or dies. Here if you don't have money they stabilize you and send you home. Give you a prescription that most of the time you can not afford. With insurance you get a little better treatment but if you can not pay its not much better.

I should add Texas is the hardest state to get help in also.

wow that's really shocking. if i want to go to the doctor for the flu, it's free, meds are never REALLY more than $10 or $15.

i had a laperoscapy surgery which included an overnight stay and that was free, in the past 6 months my partner and i have both visited the emergency room one time each (his resulting in a teanus vaccine) which was free.

i've had a CT scan and an ultrasound, which were all free,

i had a dental checkup a few years ago which was free, eyes tested for free.

you know what this cost me in my taxes? less than $300.

i understand my taxes don't even nearly cover the cost of my medical treatments, but in 3 years i'll be a lawyer. i'd be more than happy to pay my 1% of my relatively high income to ensure that students/less privileged people don't die/spend their lives in debt because of a situation out of their control.

 

[degrassi]

See thats horrible. I believe everyone should have health care if they need it. Having to pay that much for insurance and then still having to pay more over that is ridiculous. Why doesn't the insurance cover everything? Isn't that what you are paying for?

Like for me when I was growing up. I was covered under my parents insurance which was given through their work. It would always go through my mom's plan first and then anything not covered(somethings it only covered 80%) then my dad's insurance picked up the rest. When I turned 18 I was no longer covered under then and I had to go on AISH(a type of disability) because of my medical problems and with that I got medical, eye, dental and prescriptions. The only thing is I only get so much $ per year to spend on dental and some prescriptions I've needed weren't covered since they were new. If I wasn't able to get AISH I dont' know what we would have done as I wouldn't be able to pay for eye, dental and prescriptions out of pocket. My parents would have had to buy me insurance. But even without insurance I can still go to the doctor or hospital. I just show them my alberta health care card.

This is what I dont' understand about the healthcare situation in the states. Wouldn't you rather up your taxes a bit then have to pay high medical bills. I"m sure the taxes would be cheaper then 325$/month + extras bills that you are paying now.

I have no idea how the US will manage to change it. That is a HUGE under taking. Not sure why the US never had this implemented in the first place. Practically every other "westernized" country had some form of public health care.

 

[maxysmummy]

degrassi wrote:

See thats horrible. I believe everyone should have health care if they need it. Having to pay that much for insurance and then still having to pay more over that is ridiculous. Why doesn't the insurance cover everything? Isn't that what you are paying for?

Like for me when I was growing up. I was covered under my parents insurance which was given through their work. It would always go through my mom's plan first and then anything not covered(somethings it only covered 80%) then my dad's insurance picked up the rest. When I turned 18 I was no longer covered under then and I had to go on AISH(a type of disability) because of my medical problems and with that I got medical, eye, dental and prescriptions. The only thing is I only get so much $ per year to spend on dental and some prescriptions I've needed weren't covered since they were new. If I wasn't able to get AISH I dont' know what we would have done as I wouldn't be able to pay for eye, dental and prescriptions out of pocket. My parents would have had to buy me insurance. But even without insurance I can still go to the doctor or hospital. I just show them my alberta health care card.

This is what I dont' understand about the healthcare situation in the states. Wouldn't you rather up your taxes a bit then have to pay high medical bills. I"m sure the taxes would be cheaper then 325$/month + extras bills that you are paying now.

I have no idea how the US will manage to change it. That is a HUGE under taking. Not sure why the US never had this implemented in the first place. Practically every other "westernized" country had some form of public health care.

i think for the mega wealthy (who have a lot of pulling power with these sort of things) they pay far more in taxes than they would in insurance/medical bills. i know in australia if you are on private health insurance you don't have to pay the medicare levy (which is 1% of taxable income)