Obama finally called them out

[Big Daddy]

Great post Farmer. If the people on the right would just listen to some common sense instead of all the rhetoric they hear from their info sources. Whenever you hear a right wing politician talk about it, It is usually the same old "Uninsured s always have emergency care to fall back on. So they aren't without any health coverage". More of the same old "I got mine sucks to be you mentality". They have coverage for now so who cares what is happening to the entire system. Kind of like all the people who refuse to acknowledge global warming. They'll be dead by the time it starts causing serious problems so who cares. Then you have the ones that say "Hey all the hospitals have to do is collect the money owed to them". Well the fact is that they do where they can. You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. Most people that don't pay their bills don't have an extra dime. The ones that do have a little extra but can't make monthly payments on a 100k hospital bill,so they claim bankruptcy.

Pat, I think you live in a great country. If we ever get another President like Bush in office I might try to get citizenship there. I'm sorry so many Americans seem to think that America is so much better than the rest of the prosperous countries in the world. Fortunately we now have a President who is trying to make us part of the world community. This overlord mentality is a little tiring. Particularly when our banking and stock institutions are responsible for the world economic crisis. I'm sure you have seen quite a difference in your countries opinion of it's neighbor since Obama took over.

 

[patandchickens]

Just to clarify, Big Daddy, they're *both* "my country" -- I am a US citizen and only moved up here when I got married at 37 to a Canadian, would never have considered leaving the US otherwise I've been here, what, seven years now, though, and I like it here about the same as I liked it in the US (different strong and weak points, mind, but I would not say I favor one over the other *overall*). The only reason I am not a dual citizen is that I'm lazy about getting around to filing the paperwork

Certainly Canadians take a less jaundiced/hostile view of the US administration since Bush is gone <rolling eyes>; but I am not sure there has really been a change in the overall opinion of the US as a country. For one thing, sad to say, Canadians seem about as ill-informed about what real America is like as Americans are about real Canada; and for another thing, the whole Buy American thing has not gone over real well (for obvious reasons) in a country for whom the US is the main trading partner Mostly, though, Obama hasn't been in office long enough for Canadians to have formed a real solid opinion of him, it seems to me. I would say he is floating in the sort of 'neutral, wait and see' zone here, aside from trade protectionism issues.

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

Based on census data, 13.7 million people aged 19 to 29 had no health insurance, either public or private, in 2006, up from 13.3 million in 2005, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that researches health policy.

Those aged 19 to 29 represent one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population lacking health insurance, the report said

They often are dropped from public insurance programs at 19 or from parents' private insurance policies once they finish their education, either graduating high school or college.

Many jobs available to young adults tend to be low-wage or temporary, the type often unlikely to provide health coverage.

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This is a tough group. The younger ones. No coverage but what about the years of wanting to start a family. The burden that falls on the young ones is very hard. AND these are the people (when we are older) are relying on helping us old folks.

WOW---young families starting out have it rough definitely. Having affordable insurance available to them is so important. Those 20-30 year olds with no coverage, when they get into their 40s and 50s without having prior health care.....whew....they sure can be alot sicker than those with previous healthcare.

Imagine just having a baby, you are 25, just bought your first cheapest house, you and your wife are working hard to start your life. Boom.....a medical problem that puts you in serious debt because you have no coverage. Did they ever have a chance? NO, all because of healthcare insurance. Healthcare insurance can stop lives from being lived! In more ways than just death.


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then all those like me---going on 50. (almost) have it paid for and with decent insurance still taking a chance I could afford and survive medical bills if a big illness hit. Imagine NO insurance. Again, you don't have a prayer. You lose point blank. Did you have a chance to keep what you have earned? Nope, all because healthcare insurance was not there for some help.



To have insurance become unaffordable is irresponsible on everyone's part. To make it where the health of nation is not equal to the strength of a nation is wrong. Citizens are this nation and without health, we are a weak nation.



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just throwing out stuff again--I truly feel so strongly that this fiasco must be corrected.

 

[FarmerChick]

Pat I thought you were dual citizenship.

What do you have to do to stay there? Anything? Or is it cause you married a Canadian you are just allowed without filing paperwork or anything?

just wondering

never checked into citizenship issues ever. I am not going anywhere...well not right now..LOL

 

[patandchickens]

Pat I thought you were dual citizenship.

What do you have to do to stay there? Anything? Or is it cause you married a Canadian you are just allowed without filing paperwork or anything?

I am eligible for citizenship, just have not yet got around to doing it.

I am a "Permanent Resident", the equivalent of a US Green Card. I had to fill in All The Forms In The World, In Triplicate, and pay for police checks from every state I'd ever lived in (ka-ching), and pay a thousand dollars or so, and wait for most of a year, to get my PR card. And that is *with* marrying a Canadian inside Canada - if we'd married while I was still in the States, or if I just wanted to come as an immigrant, it would have been much longer, more aggravating, and in some cases more expensive.

I used to be able to summarize the differences between the Canadian and American immigration systems, but that was too many years ago now and I forget the details anymore

The *kids* are dual citizenship (b/c born in Canada to a US citizen parent) but their US citizenship is so far undocumented, which I really ought to fix someday.

Pat

 

[Blue Skys]

I regret having contributed to this discussion without having reliable internet access.

But I have to wonder why one that is striving for self sufficiency is so adamate about putting the government in charge of yet another aspect of our lives. With the plan the president is pushing it would make you a criminal if you did not have health insurance coverage. You would be fined and face possible jail time.

Saying if you don't have insurance you will be fined is a bully tactic - even worse. I don't do bullying. That's worse than fear mongering.

Life is not fair, despite what you were told in elementary school when you got a ribbon for honorable mention and given a dozen chances to correct a paper to receive a passing grade.

Some people have to struggle and work for what they have, not just expect it to be handed to them. I'm not saying it's right, that is just how life works.

And just to point out, I am all for change. However, the government should not be heading in this direction. As consumers, we can do more than we think to change the way things are, it does not take a government takeover.

Don't tread on me!

 

[FarmerChick]

**Saying if you don't have insurance you will be fined is a bully tactic - even worse. I don't do bullying. That's worse than fear mongering.
______________________

Do you drive without insurance, registration and do you pay vehicle tax on your car if you state warrants, do you pay for car inspections to be on the road safely? Do you think drivers without insurance, registration and do not pay all their responsible vehicle obligations should be fined? Should they be driving??

You take your life on the road important I am sure. Other persons vehicle insurance is important for you, correct? They be insured so you don't have to carry that cost?

So---if you just add "healthcare" where the word vehicle insurance is....what you are doing is just "guaranting the strength of this nation with healthy citizens"---who in turn might help you one day also.



For me, not one admin has helped this problem. No one private sector has helped this increasing horrible problem. Govt. requirements are needed at this point. Or we die as a country. This can not continue and only the govt. can push something forward now. I don't see private corps or people helping the 47 mil that are uninsured. Time for big change and I think the only one that can help would be the govt. Never total control, just get something started out there!

 

[me&thegals]

You should look up the thread named something like "Mutually Exclusive? rant" by Wifezilla.

I don't have much opinion on the health fine part. In WI, it is law to carry auto insurance. Why? If I crash into you, I may not give a rip what happens to my car, but who pays for you to fix yours?

Regarding healthcare, you may not care to carry insurance, but if you end up in the ER for something that needs urgent help (maybe you would prefer to die, but bystanders may call the ER to haul your possibly unconscious body there), all health insurance carriers will end up paying the price in increased premiums.

I think it's about self responsibility, which really is a SS concept.

As a consumer, I would like to know how you are going to force healthcare prices down. Not arguing here, but really, how? You can shop for the cheapest plan, but they are ALL out of control. Or, you can go without insurance. See above.

I and my family do all we can to stay healthy because it's a value for us. We help not drive up healthcare costs, but our good habits and lack of bad ones do not get us lower premiums. That's not really fair, either, is it?

 

[Blue Skys]

**Saying if you don't have insurance you will be fined is a bully tactic - even worse. I don't do bullying. That's worse than fear mongering.
______________________

Do you drive without insurance, registration and do you pay vehicle tax on your car if you state warrants, do you pay for car inspections to be on the road safely? Do you think drivers without insurance, registration and do not pay all their responsible vehicle obligations should be fined? Should they be driving??

You take your life on the road important I am sure. Other persons vehicle insurance is important for you, correct? They be insured so you don't have to carry that cost?

So---if you just add "healthcare" where the word vehicle insurance is....what you are doing is just "guaranting the strength of this nation with healthy citizens"---who in turn might help you one day also.



For me, not one admin has helped this problem. No one private sector has helped this increasing horrible problem. Govt. requirements are needed at this point. Or we die as a country. This can not continue and only the govt. can push something forward now. I don't see private corps or people helping the 47 mil that are uninsured. Time for big change and I think the only one that can help would be the govt. Never total control, just get something started out there!

Vehicle issues are, for the most part, regulated by the stae, not the federal government. Getting something started is one step closer to total control - look at GM.

edited typo, though there are probably still one or two.

 

[FarmerChick]

Do you agree with the "mentality" behind it though?
If you drive, don't insure, you should be fined?

I wasn't talking who funded it?




and should states tackle their own insured's problems. Pick a very highly under-insured state? Could those other residents who work and pay taxes give their uninsureds healthcare? Just let the states raise state taxes to a level that every single person is insured in the state?
The inbalance would be huge in some states, and very minute in others where the majority are insured.

Do you think that can be done?