Here's some good news..........NOT!

[aussiephil]

Where does the line of "health care" get drawn. Should the government pay for my lipo because it affects my mental health? I do not want more children, should the government pay for me to get clipped?

Just a little devils advocate!!

No way, as JakeEMT stated it is elective.

Having said that there is the point of the government having responsibility for public health education, eg trying to educate people on the health dmage caused by obesity & trying to have them need to use the health system - preventative medicine is as important as treating an illness.

Racemedic, what I am talking about i basic healthcare needs. Immunisation, vacination, the treating of illness on presentation. The basic tenet of having a 'well' society.

JPINFV,

So, if healthcare is a "right" who decides what health care providers get paid? Who decides what amount of health care is enough? What about people who use more health care than 'their fair share?' Should people who have money be allowed to spend it on health care and get a higher level of service? If not, why? It's their money after all.

No one can or should dictate how much a person can charge, here that is a breach of the Trade Practices Act, however, the Australian Medical Association have a Scedule of Fees, as I am sure the American Medical Association could do & that recommends the minimum charge. Rebates can then be worked out from this. It then becomes a supply & demand thing, if the Scheduled fee is say $40.00 but he wants to charge $80.00 & force his patients to make up the gap, he can, but will expect to lose patients.

Health should not be about the money, it should be about the lives it involves. If a person is a frequent flyer, so what, there is a reason for it (could it be a mental illness?), but regardless they are still deserving of medical treatment at that time.

[RaceMedic]

it is a nice dream ... will never happen, cant happen.. we can't even keep our Medicare/medicaid system working with out constant cuts. not to mention all the illegal aliens we supply with money for food and free or extremely reduced health care. now if you would add in all the rest of us that are currently paying the taxes to fund those projects and programs... it would never work out

It will take for more government spending and budgetary reform to ever even think about this working. not to mention you would greatly cut in to saleries for physicians, i realize they are already problably over paid but now they will be making less. so how many will leave the profession further increasing the shortage. I say shortage because hell when i cant get an appointment to see my doctor in less than three weeks as it is. shoot i remember being able to get in on the same day, and not due to a cancellation.

My thinking may be flawed but this is what i see happening. anyway ... have a nice day