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Healthcare mandate passed
Topic Started: Jun 29 2012, 12:06 PM (2,726 Views)
Azdgari
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Founder + Goofball

:o

Figured I couldn't think of a more mature place to discuss a mature topic. Watcha guys think?
I get all the news I need on the weather report
Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile
Here I am, the only living boy in New York
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HellstormOP
Learning to Fly
Though I live in Germany and don't care much about US laws, I totally approve the act. In Germany, we have a mandatory insurance paid partially by the employer.
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Fjord Mustang
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I Don't Really Look Like This. Usually.

I don't like forcing people to purchase insurance, but I actually think something like this supports a free market system with giving people the freedom to choose what plans they want and a focus on offering affordable insurance. People can choose what is best for them rather than take a "one size fits all" view. I live in Massachusetts, which has actually been operating under a similar health act since 2006. I think the state may have even been a model for Obama's legislation. More info on the act is here.

I think it's good if the act can provide access to affordable health insurance and support people with medical care who are below the pvoerty line. Currently, federal law requires hospitals to treat all people who come to emergency rooms, regardless of if they have insurance or not. US taxpayers have to foot the bill for emergency room patients with no health insurance. Hopefully something like this will provide health care under an insurance plan.

The act will require that there is a good pool of healthy insurance enrollees who opt for insurance instead of paying the penalty. Also, I don't want to see small businesses penalized because it is harder for them to provide insurance for their employees, given their smaller employee "pool". There needs to be a system in place for small businesses to offer affordable insurance options or employees of small businesses to be able to purchase affordable insurance.

I think the law will also address some of the financial problems with the system based on inflating prices of procedures. I don't want such a system to degrade the quality of the health care system, though. The US system does encourage a lot of research and medical innovations that should be supported and encouraged. The real problem is not the development of new drugs but the overinflation of medical services and the high cost of malpractice insurance for doctors in our very lawsuit-friendly society.

Overall, the very poor have social programs and the very rich can pay for their health. It's important to have alternatives and choices for the middle class that work in a free market economy and offer choices rather than forcing people to only accept one alternative.

It is a bit ironic that this legislation was put forward by a Democratic president. The Massachusetts health care system was actually put forth and undertaken by Republican Mitt Romney when he was the Governor of Massachusetts, and the legislation itself was based on concepts put forward by Republican President Richard Nixon in the 1970s. It's so ironic that Republicans protest this when the original concept was a thought process and creation of Republicans.

Edited by Fjord Mustang, Jun 29 2012, 10:26 PM.
"And now each night, I count the stars.
And each night I get the same number.
And when the stars won't come to be counted,
I count the holes they leave."
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Night Fury
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It certainly makes sense to have everyone buying insurance due to the fact that it leads to greater cost efficiencies. That is one reason why countries with single-payer, nationalized healthcare systems have so much lower health costs than the US. When you have 50 million people paying into the same insurance plan, it's much easier to lower rates.

Of course, this mandate doesn't do much to change the overall landscape of US healthcare. You still have your private, for-profit healthcare industry - but I think it is only a matter of time before the US will have nationalized healthcare like most of Europe and Canada. This compromise just tries to please everyone while kicking the can down the road for a while longer.

Interesting fact: The US government already spends more per capita on health care than Canada and most of Europe, even though those countries have universal health care systems

More interesting data: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/23/40905066.pdf

Edited by Night Fury, Jun 30 2012, 01:25 AM.
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Backroads
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Proclaimer of Book Wisdom

I do see benefits, the ones Fjord mentioned, but I do have issues being forced to buy insurance and then being taxed if I don't. My uncle has an account he priorly put money into in case of a medical emergency... which I thought was a good idea.

I'm very libertarian, so I just really hate the notion of being told I have to do something. Those of you who are Facebook friends will see me sharing fairly anti-health care mandate stuff because of this.

On a more practical note on that, I think it's smart to buy major medical and then just budget for little things and check-ups. I think I would have preferred a national healthcare plan option to a forced law.
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Backroads
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Proclaimer of Book Wisdom

I discussed this with my co-worker this morning. She claims to be more conservative than me, but I don't think it's true. Her complaint was that their was no cap for the insurance companies, but to me that's a good thing and a perk.
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Night Fury
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Backroads
Jul 2 2012, 11:09 PM
I think I would have preferred a national healthcare plan option to a forced law.
From a conservative standpoint, I think that would have made a lot more sense than forcing people to buy insurance. I have never understood the opposition to publicly funded healthcare for all citizens. Are people not aware that they are already paying taxes to support Medicaid, Medicare, and several other government-funded programs?

Here is a list of government health programs:

-Medicare, generally covering citizens and long-term residents 65 years and older and the disabled.
-Medicaid, generally covering low income people in certain categories, including children, pregnant women, and the disabled. (Administered by the states.)
-State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health insurance for low-income children who do not qualify for Medicaid. (Administered by the states, with matching state funds.)
-Various programs for federal employees, including TRICARE for military personnel (for use in civilian facilities)
-The Veterans Administration, which provides care to veterans, their families, and survivors through medical centers and clinics.[63]
-Title X which funds reproductive health care
-State and local health department clinics
-Indian health service
-National Institutes of Health treats patients who enroll in research for free.
-Medical Corps of various branches of the military.
-Certain county and state hospitals
-Government run community clinics


Wouldn't it make more sense to consolidate these programs under one umbrella, removing the inefficiencies and allowing the US to provide a universal care for all citizens? Other countries have proven that a universal health program can be realized for the same cost that the US is paying to run this patchwork of programs.

And private insurance wouldn't disappear -- it would still be available for those willing to pay more, and also for procedures not covered by the public option. Most countries with universal healthcare still have a healthy private insurance industry, as shown in the charts I linked to in my previous post.

Edited by Night Fury, Jul 5 2012, 02:59 PM.
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CrazyTrace
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Night Fury
Night Fury, I completely agree. I like the basic idea of the Healthcare mandate, but some people, probably me included, are going to suffer if we don't meet the correct numbers for insurance. Yours is a great plan.
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Eyes Wide Open
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Gronckle
Please take the time to review the video below.
It is well worth the seven minutes.

Obamacare explained

EWO
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Delanie
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Night Fury
I am against it namely in principle--I don't agree with the government forcing people to make a purchase. I come from a heritage where you take care of yourself and your community out of personal will, so this doesn't sit right with me ethically. Don't get me wrong--I can see how it might work. I just don't it.
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