ANSWERS: 17
  • Gone too far? The American health system isn't exactly envied by the rest of the world. Still, I don't know what his goals are, but personally, I'd say it needs a bit of an overhaul.
  • Healthcare should not be a business. Healthcare should be about making people healthy, not profit margins. The way our system is is beyond screwed up and it needs fixing in a big way. I don't know if Obama is right or wrong on this, but I think that even if it is wrong the fact that it's changing is a good step forward.
  • Gone too Far? Pshhhh, it hasnt gone far enough! Healthcare is a right for all and should not be run like a business, i personally am glad to see what Obama is doing and would like to see more. Socialized medicine is the answer to our problems, at least then every one is equally entitled to the same helthcare. And this is coming from a Republican.
  • First, who says the government has taken over the healthcare system? Last I checked, it was very much in the hands of the corporations and with no intention of changing that Second, even if the government took over healthcare, how could taking over something which is a national rip off, a giant fraud scheme, a gamble, theft of the public at large be going too far? Last, if you've been listening to the Right Wingers who speak only on behalf of the corporations that own & run them, ask yourself one thing: are my healthcare benefits good? The answer to that should tell you the rest
  • +5. I am unemployed. I have no insurance and have just spent three of the longest and sickest days of my life. Yes, please lets do something. Saturday I thought I wanted to die it was so bad.
  • Nationalized healthcare will be based on cost-analysis. The government will begin to let people die after a certain age because it just isn't cost-effective to save them if they're too old. That's the only reason I need to say, "No thank you!"
  • Has Canada gone to far having had a government system for the past 30 years ? Some say Yes ? Why do older American's with dual citizenship or means to have a home here in Canada ;come here with health care problems and put my taxes up,by using something foreign they don't believe in,in THEIR America ?
  • The government is not "taking over" the healthcare business. Why must you people always distort things? It is proposing to get into the business to compete with the existing corporations and to provide an alternative for people who can not afford to pad the corporate profit margins. This is called capitalism. The government is also in the postal business, by FedEx and UPS seem to be doing alright. Got it now?
  • insurance abuse had gone too far. my little visit to john muir cost my insurance 32,000 and they tried to keep me as long as insurance would allow... If I did not have insurance they would have said ohh he is just fine let him go.
  • There's a lot of room for debate on this one, and I think all of us are going to have some tough evaluations and decisions to make in the coming months. You talk about the government taking over the healthcare business. That's not what's on the table. I've lived in countries with socialized medicine -- meaning that the doctors are all government employees, the hospitals are all publicly owned, and everything is paid for through income taxes. I've seen countries with national health insurance -- where private health insurance is banned and everyone has the same government-sponsored health insurance policy. Doctors and hospitals are still private sector employees/companies, but health care financing (insurance) is public. Neither of those options are what the President is proposing for us in the U.S. He's proposing to continue our system of private health insurance, with a public plan along the lines of Medicare that people would be free to choose. The theory is that having the option of a public plan would force private health insurers to improve customer service. Personally, I'm not convinced of this. I've worked in health policy for a long time and (based on my experience with Medicare and Medicaid) there is a continual temptation on the part of the government to cut reimbursement rates so that the books don't look quite so out of whack, and just hope that private health insurance plans pick up the slack. The result is that there are quite a few doctors who limit the percentage of their practices devoted to Medicare and Medicaid patients. The concern is that people who sign up for this public plan will not be able to find a doctor to treat them. Oddly enough, if you were right and the Administration was proposing to take over the healthcare business, I would have fewer problems with that. At least then, it would all be out in the open for everybody to see and comment about. I can't get Blue Cross to return my phone calls; I've never had that problem with my Congresswoman or her staff. But what's likely to happen with a public plan is that we'll see things like reimbursements for certain tests and treatments under the public plan being cut -- on the theory that the private health insurance companies will just have to boost their reimbursements to compensate for it. Which is a kind of "hidden" tax. Hidden because it will be more difficult to actually see the full picture of what's going on. I consider myself to be very non-ideological on this question. All I care about is what works, and what works best. If that's national health insurance - fine. If that's regulated private health insurance - also fine. I couldn't go for socialized medicine -- although it does have its points; the doctors in Denmark routinely make house calls. When was the last time you saw that in the U.S? I'm sorry about the length of this answer, but as I said I don't have an ideological bias on this one. We all need to be thinking about what will work and what won't, and let our elected officials know accordingly. In summary, I don't think that the President is talking about the government taking over health care. I am worried that the system he is proposing may (and I do mean may, I'm not sure yet) produce an influence on the healthcare business -- and that influence may be hidden from public scrutiny. Not that it would be classified or anything -- just that it would be buried several layers deep where you'd really have to dig to find it.
  • It would appear that the facts regarding your Northern Neighbour's health care system are not wanted . You have been looking in the mirror so long that you see nothing else. Educate yourself on facts not opinion. If Canada's system is wrong then help tear it down with facts.
  • The government should take positive strides in improving health care. God knows, we pay enough into it. Other countries have great success with the method when it is working.
  • It is wrong. and yes. here is a thought that most folks do not know about that most Canadian and other foreigners come here for treatment. why because we are best at what we do. Here is an example also as well, In England Women who are in the late stages of breast cancer are diend any medicine because they are critical but those who are less critical will get the help . So they pick and chose to help and care for .
  • Do Medicare and Medicaid ring a bell? If not, let's talk about life and death for profit.
  • about time something was done because private health companies are not going to do anything about it as they are making huge profits out of the system the way it is . The Government is not taking over healthcare they are going into competition and offering healthcare for every tax payer and not just the rich. This will make greedy doctors drop their prices and hospitals as well and if this means threatening them with with holding Fed funds to get them to do this then so be it. Yes some may have to wait for elective surgery and thats fair but many more people will get the surgery they really need to save their lives .
  • KG, really don't think, in the final analysis, there is not going to be much change. Right now, the cost would be too much with the present state of economy. We shall see!
  • I thought we were talking about working enterprises and Right and Wrong .Guess this was a made in the USA question with only answers to come from the same USA exclusive. Sorry if I intruded with reference to a working North AMERICAN model. Will review the question for signs of that exclusive censured expectation.

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