Obama's Healthcare Reform

[scubanurse]

You may have to go work for a company full time to receive insurance Ruff, but I am having to stay in school full time to even get the mediocre insurance I receive now. I'm willing to do that right now, but what happens to me when I graduate in 2 years? I have a major pre-existing condition as well, and an extensive medical history for a 22-year old. If I stop being a student and loose insurance, I will have to file for bankruptcy at the age of 22 as I can not afford my medical bills and neither can my parents. It is a very scary place for me to be in and while I don't agree 100% with what Obama is doing, at least he is doing SOMETHING. What was voted on isn't final, there are more steps that must be taken before it all becomes affective, so the Republicans have a chance yet again to shoot it down.

My question is this though, what are the republicans willing to do to reduce the number of uninsured americans?

For those who aren't willing to pay more for others insurance, do you realize that you're already paying for them in your premiums? Private insurance companies jack up their premiums because hospitals charge insurance companies more to make up for the uninsured and non-paying parties. So in your premiums, you are paying for the uninsured and non-paying patients.

[Asclepius]

With the understanding that we are talking different states' protocols, regulations, and laws (I'm in NY), it translates much as follows (wording is mine, not the official stuff):

It is my presumption that this runs from volunteer agency "in-house" certified First Responders, to State DoH (department of health) Certified First Responders, EMTs, and Paramedics

I brought my own chair, but do you have any low or no-fat "butter" for that popcorn?

I'm pretty sure that's what I said.

My question is this though, what are the republicans willing to do to reduce the number of uninsured americans?

Government hand-outs is not the answer. Everyone has a sad story and I sympathize with yours. Forcing American's to foot the bill for your problems doesn't hardly seem fair to me. Most American's are charitable almost to a flaw, but when you force us to give...charity goes right out the door. I support making it illegal to deny someone coverage because of pre-existing conditions. I support cost caps. I support tort reform (which is where huge health care savings could be found). I don't support this massive tax bill veiled as health care reform. I don't support our lawmakers overriding the will of the majority, just to save the face of the president. Ramming through a bad bill that nobody wants and at the very least that everyone thinks should have been scrapped and started over is wrong and it is costing us our freedom and will worsen this economy to the n'th degree.

[the_rogueEMT]

this is what I wanted about this thread is one that ppl can talk about there views and not get jumped on...in my city Portsmouth, VA there is a restaurant near me with all this Obama stuff and I had an "Impeach Obama" and all I did was of course cover my face, but I held it up to the window (not banging on it or anything threatening) and just shook my head yes and just leave....the owner comes out and says "are you trying to tell me something" and I said "its just freedom of speach" next thing I know I have 3 squad cars...anyways I felt like if I did say I did that, that I would have been taken to jail for my freedom....but in my few yrs. I've been a member of this site ppl always jump on someone for there views or something and this thread I think that has not happened so props to everyone on this thread for not jumping on the other person who disagrees with you...keep this thread going cause its helping me also in my opinion of this bill...which Pres. Obama will be signing 2morrow

[usmc_chris]

I wholeheartedly agree that there is something amiss with our healthcare system in the United States. We have many people who are uninsured, and skyrocketing medical costs and health insurance premiums. I would not be able to afford insurance if I weren't in the military, so I can get Tricare for a reasonable monthly premium as a reservist. My premium, as a single person, through my employer, even with an employer contribution, would be over four times what I pay now per month - I simply could not afford it.

That being said, I honestly don't believe that extending government benefits to additional people in the name of insurance coverage is the answer. Medicare payment rates, while not ideal, are not, from what I understand, to be horrendous. In fact, many ambulance services, my own included, uses Medicare allowable rates as our "usual and customary" rates. However, Medicaid payment rates are atrocious. For a typical BLS non-emergency transport, for which I believe we bill $465 + $9.65/mile, of which we would normally see payment in full from Medicare or a private insurer, we see less than $60 from Medicaid. I understand that ambulance transport only accounts for substantially less than 5% of total healthcare costs, however, I can only imagine how these kinds of payments extrapolate to the healthcare setting as a whole.

In my honest opinion, with this kind of "insurance" costs will only go up for individuals with private insurance. If we were guaranteed payment in full for EVERY transport, we could probably afford to only bill $300 for a BLS transport instead of nearly $500. However, increased costs are passed on to those who can afford them, because we still must provide the care and transport to Medicaid patients and patients with no insurance whatsoever. Coupled with this, rampant lawsuits and medical malpractice insurance costs keep physician's costs very high, which are in turn passed on to patients. Universal healthcare coverage, I believe, is an admirable ultimate goal - everybody should have access to affordable, high quality coverage. However, in practice, the sense of entitlement that certain modes of coverage brings with it as I see in my patients leads them to abuse the 911 system and the emergency department for problems that would better be handled elsewhere (and cost less).

I honestly don't know what to do to fix the system - no one thing, even a 2,300 page legislative bill, can fix the system. I don't think that this legislation will fix the problem - it may very well worsen it. I also truly believe that the bill is NOT what the general public wanted, and I really hope that our elected leaders can eliminate this partisan BS and actually listen to the public rather than vote purely based on political ideology, especially when the vast majority of the populace doesn't wholeheartedly agree with either party's platform - but I'm not holding my breath.

[CBEMT]

I think that it's a travesty that one of the world's richest and powerful countries has waited so long to adopt decent healthcare for all, regardless od socio-economic status.

Newsflash: this doesn't cover everyone. And will result in millions of Americans who currently DO have health insurance, to lose it. And others, their jobs (and therefore their insurance too).

Shame on you all for opposing this bill. And yes, I'm an outsider. An outsider that pays 52% income-tax to benefit from one of the world's most developed social security systems.

It's always amazed me the number Europeans willing to work more for the goverment's benefit than their own. I guess it comes from centuries of being subjects instead of citizens?

No-one in the developed world such need to worry about a basic right such as decent healthcare.

No adult has a right to something that by it's nature someone else has to provide for them.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit (NOT necessarily the attainment) of happiness. Those are rights. Nothing that costs money is a right. (Yes, healthcare costs money, even in your little Utopia. You pointed that out better than anyone by telling us how cheerfully you hand over 52% of your income, a large portion of which is no doubt used to support- in a myriad of ways- people who don't work as hard as you do.)

What it call comes down to is this- this "health care plan" (in quotations because it isn't, really- it's a national bankruptcy plan) was written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it, to be signed by a president who also hasn't read it, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, and financed by a country that's broke.

Explain to me again why I'm supposed to be celebrating?

Maybe you didn't know all that. I can give you the benefit of the doubt. Next time, know what the hell you're talking before you stick your nose in.

My question is this though, what are the republicans willing to do to reduce the number of uninsured americans?

We WERE building a fence and deporting illegals, until "Hope and Change" came along.

Draconian? Perhaps. Will it cut down on uninsured consumers of healthcare? (Not necessarily actual "Americans.") Almost certainly. And for a lot less than $960,000,000,000.

In terms of direct impact on the healthcare industry, allowing residents of one state to purchase cheaper health insurance from another state, and enacting real tort reform would both reduce the number of uninsured and overall healthcare costs for everyone. Both opposed by the current regime.

Edited March 23, 2010 by CBEMT

[Kiwiology]

Shame on us for knowing that ... our current President ... going through the government coffers and giving it away to people that haven't contributed a dime ...

Healthcare is a right, not something you earn.

Until the US gets that through thier head, I don't think you guys are gonna get very far.

Edited March 23, 2010 by kiwimedic

[chbare]

Healthcare is a right, not something you earn.

In your humble opinion.

Take care,

chbare.

[Kiwiology]

In your humble opinion.

Take care,

chbare.

Touche my friend. However, if your house burns down the fire department will come and put it out free of charge, the police don't send you a bill for helping you out if you need it, most local libraries are free, you don't have to pay to get US mail and so on and so on .... all of these things are regardless of income or how much you have "put into" the pot.

Why is it that healthcare, one of if not the most basic and essential human services is not seen as so in your parts?

[chbare]

Well, to be fair we do pay for mail service. In fact, people, regardless of their ability to pay, have to pay the same price for stamps and mailing packages.

Take care,

chbare.

[Kiwiology]

Well, to be fair we do pay for mail service. In fact, people, regardless of their ability to pay, have to pay the same price for stamps and mailing packages.

Take care,

chbare.

Ah so that why the US Mail don't work lol. I am not arguing that somebody has to pay and that tax is our way of paying and we get off the Govt whereas you pay for insurance. If you can pay, you should and that's just basic principle of being fair and how the world goes around.

However speaking of being fair I think solidarity says those who unable to pay should not have to; we're not talking about me paying your restaurant bill or something like that but rather an essential human service. I don't mind that some of my tax dollar goes to paying for those who can't pay so they can get healthcare, welfare etc.

A healthy population pays for itself over and over.