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U.S. favors health-care prevention, poll finds
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But when it comes to their own health care, they want the best their money can buy.
ANY government program will only exacerbate the situation.
But, we all seem too stupid to realize this, so, let's let China continue to pay for our gluttony and we'll just saddle our children and grandchildren with the responsibility of paying the piper.
Have either of you had a weight problem? If not, you're ignorant, your criticisms aren't constructive and criticism without construction is judmental, and harmful! The recommendation of 2,000 calories a day is wrong. There needs to be a list of calorie intake per height, age, weight, active, and inactive. I've lost 80 pounds (postdate) by eating 1200 calories for my 5'4" height. In order to stay a decent weight, I'll have to count calories the rest of my life. Weight Watchers works-they count calories by a point system. When I was single and extremely active, able to have a support system of guys, roommates, etc. I exercised daily. I got married, my support gone and I ended up living in an area where I was frightened to go out by myself. Husband worked all the time, responsibilities in the home and elsewhere doubled. I wasn't caring for myself anymore, and now I had an overwhelming learning curve. We couldn't afford the expensive exercise equipment. My diet didn't change, exercise did. To my surprise, I fattened! Constructive critics buy equipment, become exercise buddies, and don't criticize.
Actually, the core problem is with people like you, who have no ability to see the larger picture, and use only your personal experiences in dictating what you think is correct.
Here's the reality check. 60% of bankruptcies are due to medical bills, and 75% of those bankruptcies had medical insurance but were still overwhelmed by the costs (American Journal of Medicine). These aren't entitled, lazy or greedy people! They are hard working, tax paying Americans who were financially destroyed due to a medical condition in the family. Yet you would label them as leeches on the system. The irony is that unless you are infinitely wealthy, or already covered by some government program, you also are only a medical emergency away from a similar fate and label.
There are many countries who do health care more effectively and less expensively, while covering ALL their citizens. Failure to examine and adopt a better, cheaper system puts the US at an economic disadvantage, and amounts to nothing more than nationalistic hubris.
Everybody has problems. Some are just more visible than others. I don't see why a predisposition to obesity is any more of a societal problem than low IQ or just plain laziness.
I'm fine with programs to educate people. In fact, I'm all for them. I also enjoy helping my neighbors and providing support when they need it. If you happen to live in the Portland area, I'd love to go for a run with you.
But, I'm adamantly opposed to a nanny-state, where all the hard decisions are made for us.
Do you beling to a religion that is essentially a "nanny church" where all the hard decisions are made for you?
Just wondering...
Well, you're close, but as usual, the statistics are deceiving. I think you're referring to the Harvard study, which said 50% of bankruptcies were caused by "illness and medical bills".
Of those 50%, 75% of the people did have insurance, but 38% lost their coverage because they could pay for it. Besides the medical bills, I'm sure than general irresponsibility had a lot do to with it. People should plan for at least one disastrous event in their lives.
Reports like the one you cite serve themselves if they can make alarming and sensationalize claims. I read last month that 20% of Utah children are hungry, which is crap, unless you count teenagers because they're always hungry.
Look around you. How many people have 3 months salary in the bank? How many people have disability insurance? How many people have a boat, RV, iPhone, Sony PS3, 3000 sqft home, new cars, etc. It's incredible to see where our priorities are.
And, I do have a right to get mad and criticize. I'm paying for your medical bills.
I would be interested in a government assisted health insurance program in which the individual or family would be responsible for a reasonable deductable amount and insurance or government would pay for catastrophic costs only (deductable based on the person or family's income). But I would have a problem if the catastrophic costs paid for by the government were because of the recipient's drug or tobacco or alcohol abuse. Or because of gluttony or sexual promiscuity or other health issues in which the person placed themselves at risk.
I also would like to see tax sheltered health savings accounts. But liberals hate that idea.
I'd love to have some of that coverage pay more (instead of offer minimal contracted discounts) for health education, customized diet and lifestyle education (everyone knows about the food pyramid and 30 minutes 3x a week general guidelines), and mental wellness education. Maybe it would help motivate our struggling, overwhelmed family member to think less and do more.
We're not pros, but we do the best we can.
You place yourself on a pedestal as if you alone support the uninsured, when in all likelyhood, you don't even pay your medical bills. Heaven help you if you actually have a catastrophic medical issue in your family. No amount of insurance or savings will help you if you hit your policy's maximum coverage. And no provider would touch you after that. 3 months savings equates to one night in intensive care.
Spend a day at Primary Children hospital. It might give you some perspective.
If there was no subsidized health care then doctors would have to compete for what others are willing and able to pay just like any other market.
Its simple folks. Its time we elected government representatives who can actually balance a budget, perform the math that would help them understand decisions and elect those who understand who they are working for!!
The majority of Americans are without insurance and its time the government cared about our healthcare instead of the auto industry.
Time for results is now. Stop the greed. Focus on Love.
Unfortunately the healthcare industry is corrupt with ethic problems. The government has turned a blind eye because of the payouts to our senators and representatives to look the other way.
Time to fix it is now! Take over it and clean it up.
You don't think there will be rationing of care? How will the same number of docs take care of an additional 47 million patients, who, because health care will now be cheap (govt subsidized) will run to the doc every time they have a runny nose? The only way will be to ration the care. And then you'll have a situation like my fist cousin in a western European socialized medicine country who wasn't sent for an MRI for 18 mos because the governor of the area decreed that one MRI facility for a population of 400,000 was all they can afford. She died of lung cancer. She had experienced excruciating pains in her arm and back for nearly 2 years before the MRI. Physical Therapy was obviously not working.
Fewer law schools and more medical schools could lead eventually to a situation where you had a shortage of lawyers and an excess number of physicians!
The reason the US system is so screwed up has been described by other posters. Americans feel entitled to everything. They sue everyone for any stupid thing. The juries award crazy settlements causing the need for outrageous liability insurance costs to the health care providers. That cost then gets passed on to the insurance companies who pass it back to the taxpayer/worker/company, etc. It's a vicious cycle that will only stop when Americans stop being so greedy and self centered and start worrying about someone other than themselves.
Show me a study where behavior has changed as a result and then I'll believe this nonsense.
President Obama is in the forefront of finding ways to REWARD preventive actions.
The very people who can least afford health insurance (the poor), are also the people who complain if cigarette taxes go up.
Over 80% of total lifetime medical costs occur in the last two years of one's life. Once someone is deemed terminal, why do we give them other healthcare (ie, lasik surgery, etc)? Yes, that happens.
We "save" ultra-premature babies by spending millions on them, then have to care for them for the rest of their lives, because they have severe medical issues. Why? If God creates life, and God had the baby emerge early, why don't we let God's will prevail?
We make NO sense...but we want it all.
But wait, this won't work because then the people who have self-caused health problems will protest, just like they do with welfare reductions, social security, low income housing, everything else. Punish the people who are doing well, reward those who don't.
So just like when I am successful I pay more taxes, when I keep myself healthy, I'll be punished with an increase in healthcare costs that I don't have.
National, I don't have a problem with people getting a profit or making money. But why are we paying CEOs of these companies millions when they can't even come up with an affordable product? It seems like we reward incompetence. That is why having a private company administer a national plan will not work.
nor does Government have anything of it's own to give,
it can take away from one and give to another.
but if you give it power it will control things and people, that is a certainty,
which means what you are doing is gieig it the power to decide who gets care and who doesn't,
which it must do to control costs.
MUch better is to leave life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to the people,
Where you will always have TRUE freedom.
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In fact a government healthcare program that everyone could have access to would keep the other insurances honest. The government would see the value in Quality healthcare care and prevention programs.
The government would be interested in us being healthy because it would not cost them if we are healthy. It would be a great start on monitoring the private healthcare industry which is corrupt with ethic problems and Republican handouts.