How to make America great again.

[OldWiseGuy]

Are you sure about that? I know I don't have see the future glasses, do you? Even if people do, that doesn't mean we shouldn't provide better access to healthcare for all. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I have asthma. Not caused by anything that I did. With my current insurance, I cannot pay for the inhalers that I need in order to breathe. My insurance doesn't even cover my inhalers and I pay $584 a month for them. The next insurance up is over $1000 a month to have coverage that covers my inhalers. I cannot afford the plan that I have now, no way I can afford the next tier up. My mom gives me hers so that I can live.

If a plan like Bernie Sander's has goes into effect, I can get my inhalers.

I sympathize with you. But if those who are able would care for and improve their health it would reduce the burden on the healthcare system and there would be more resources for those such as you. Millions of now overweight people are developing type 2 diabetes and other problems because of their overindulgence in food. This alone puts a huge, and unnecessary, burden on the system.

Sadly our leaders won't address this and other shortcomings of the people, instead they are using the crisis as political weapon to advance an agenda. An agenda that won't actually help you or anyone else.

 

[nanookadenord]

I sympathize with you. But if those who are able would care for and improve their health it would reduce the burden on the healthcare system and there would be more resources for those such as you. Millions of now overweight people are developing type 2 diabetes and other problems because of their overindulgence in food. This alone puts a huge, and unnecessary, burden on the system.

Sadly our leaders won't address this and other shortcomings of the people, instead they are using the crisis as political weapon to advance an agenda. An agenda that won't actually help you or anyone else.

Thank you for your sympathy.

I however disagree with you on the fact that going to healthcare for all wouldn't help. I believe that it would as people will have better access to healthcare and as a part of that healthcare better access to the preventive medicine, which includes the proper way to eat.

Will some not avail themselves of that? Sure, but that is in any society. I am not willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater in regards to them.

 

[GOD Shines Forth!]

...the irony of this post? It's pretty amazing.
tulc(might just point out almost 3,000,000 more voters verdict was that they wanted someone else to be President)

Thanks, Founders, for the Electoral College!

 

[Desk trauma]

Sadly our leaders won't address this and other shortcomings of the people, instead they are using the crisis as political weapon to advance an agenda. An agenda that won't actually help you or anyone else.

What specifically would you want the state to do with regards to obesity?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

What specifically would you want the state to do with regards to obesity?

Open a dialogue (have a 'conversation') on the responsibility of the individual to care for their health. We already have several federal agencies that are concerned with disease and injury. We need one that focuses on health and safety.

Perhaps a 'sin tax' in the form of higher insurance rates for those who engage in lifestyles that are unhealthy or dangerous.

Of course there should be health education in public schools starting in the earliest grades and continuing through college.

 

[TLK Valentine]

The greatness of a nation must be reflected in the character of it's people. Governments can do great and beneficent things using the taxes extracted by force from it's people, but those efforts ring hollow if the populace doesn't reflect the goodness of those efforts. The weakness or strength of the nation is the weakness or strength of the individual citizen.

So what is weak that needs strengthening? Several simple but crucial things.

Citizens must be law abiding.
Citizens must be financially responsible.
Citizens must be healthy.
Citizens must be industrious.
Citizens must be honest.
Citizens must be moral.
Citizens must be caring.
Citizens must be involved.

These qualities will make America great again.

All agreed... but the nation as a whole must be beholden to these principles... every citizen, including and especially our most powerful and influential.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

All agreed... but the nation as a whole must be beholden to these principles... every citizen, including and especially our most powerful and influential.

True.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Thank you for your sympathy.

I however disagree with you on the fact that going to healthcare for all wouldn't help. I believe that it would as people will have better access to healthcare and as a part of that healthcare better access to the preventive medicine, which includes the proper way to eat.

Will some not avail themselves of that? Sure, but that is in any society. I am not willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater in regards to them.

Healthcare for all will break the bank. People need to have skin in the game at every step.

 

[nanookadenord]

Healthcare for all will break the bank. People need to have skin in the game at every step.

Then how do other nations do it? Other nations are poorer than we are, and yet they still implemented healthcare for all.

Something is going to break if we continue with the status quo of allowing insurance companies run the medical field. Unfortunately, it will not be the insurance companies, but rather the American people.

Part of the reason why I am having to file for bankruptcy is because I have to provide insurance for my kids, which I have no problem doing, but at $600 a month and then child support on top of that, I cannot afford to live. BTW, as I probably mentioned in this thread, that is for the cheapest plan that adds my kids.

I am all for healthcare for all, because at least my taxes will be going towards something that I can truly use!

Bernie for president 2020.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Perhaps a 'sin tax' in the form of higher insurance rates for those who engage in lifestyles that are unhealthy or dangerous.

Well, that would be the prerogative of the insurance companies, wouldn't it?

 

[bhsmte]

Open a dialogue (have a 'conversation') on the responsibility of the individual to care for their health. We already have several federal agencies that are concerned with disease and injury. We need one that focuses on health and safety.

Perhaps a 'sin tax' in the form of higher insurance rates for those who engage in lifestyles that are unhealthy or dangerous.

Of course there should be health education in public schools starting in the earliest grades and continuing through college.

People are already deluged with information on healthy lifestyles and no what they should be doing.

The issue is culture and a lack of individual motivation to change lifestyle habits, which requires expending energy and committment.

 

[cow451]

Healthcare for all will break the bank. People need to have skin in the game at every step.

I disagree that universal care is more costly. Georgia has 15% uninsured. Those people are primarily unable to consistently access basic primary care. That in turn leaded to going to the ER after getting an illness that won’t fix itself. Those costs are far higher than being able to have primary care. And guess who pays for the unnecessary ER and hospital care.

Now, I’m not for Medicare for all because it isn’t necessary or reasonable to try to dismantle existing employer based coverages. But having been in the healthcare business 40 years, I am totally convinced that universal care makes sense.
Now, let’s look at the GOP healthcare plan:





Still looking.....


I’m sure there’s one somewhere....

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Well, that would be the prerogative of the insurance companies, wouldn't it?

Auto insurance companies already do it.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

People are already deluged with information on healthy lifestyles and no what they should be doing.

The issue is culture and a lack of individual motivation to change lifestyle habits, which requires expending energy and committment.

I wholeheartedly agree. There is no incentive. I propose adding that incentive.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I disagree that universal care is more costly. Georgia has 15% uninsured. Those people are primarily unable to consistently access basic primary care. That in turn leaded to going to the ER after getting an illness that won’t fix itself. Those costs are far higher than being able to have primary care. And guess who pays for the unnecessary ER and hospital care.

Now, I’m not for Medicare for all because it isn’t necessary or reasonable to try to dismantle existing employer based coverages. But having been in the healthcare business 40 years, I am totally convinced that universal care makes sense.
Now, let’s look at the GOP healthcare plan:





Still looking.....


I’m sure there’s one somewhere....

Any GOP plan would include education and a large measure of personal responsibility.

Any healthcare proposal has to contain facts regarding the actual circumstances surrounding poor health, which is sadly lacking. It's the same as MS13 members among the migrants. The body of those who need healthcare contains large numbers of people who could care less about their own health and safety, or that of others. We need an accurate accounting of legitimate healthcare needs.

Doctors and insurers need to hold patients accountable. We can't just continue to pay for medical issues that should have been addressed by lifestyle changes.

 

[cow451]

Any GOP plan would include education and a large measure of personal responsibility.

Any healthcare proposal has to contain facts regarding the actual circumstances surrounding poor health, which is sadly lacking. It's the same as MS13 members among the migrants. The body of those who need healthcare contains large numbers of people who could care less about their own health and safety, or that of others. We need an accurate accounting of legitimate healthcare needs.

Doctors and insurers need to hold patients accountable. We can't just continue to pay for medical issues that should have been addressed by lifestyle changes.

I can confidently say that lots of insured people could care less and lots of uninsured really do care about their health.

You talk about what a GOP plan would include.... where is such a plan? Been looking for it since the Clinton administration. Or is healthcare just too complicated ?

 

[bhsmte]

I wholeheartedly agree. There is no incentive. I propose adding that incentive.

Incentives are a crap shoot. Not everyone is motivated by the same incentative, or even any external incentive at all.

Motivation to make any change in life, must come internally, for any real change to occur.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I can confidently say that lots of insured people could care less and lots of uninsured really do care about their health.

You talk about what a GOP plan would include.... where is such a plan? Been looking for it since the Clinton administration. Or is healthcare just too complicated ?

I'd give worlds to know myself. Perhaps they know that the personal responsibility thing wouldn't fly.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Incentives are a crap shoot. Not everyone is motivated by the same incentative, or even any external incentive at all.

Motivation to make any change in life, must come internally, for any real change to occur.

I propose presenting the cold, hard facts of life...we can't afford to insure everyone, so they better start taking better care of themselves.

 

[bhsmte]

I propose presenting the cold, hard facts of life...we can't afford to insure everyone, so they better start taking better care of themselves.

Good luck.