dex
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2003
- Messages
- 5,105
See? I told ya they were gonna kill my grandmother!
How it will end?
&
See? I told ya they were gonna kill my grandmother!
Or care is forgone.
Nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance, according to a 2009 study published by the American Journal of Public Health. That figure is us considerably from the 18,000 shown in a 2002 study, which I reported on before.
The study found that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher risk of death than their privately insured counterparts, up from a 25 percent excess death rate found in 1993.
New study finds 45,000 deaths annually linked to lack of health coverage | HarvardScience
Unnecessary or unproven high tech imaging and testing, aggressive end-of-life care for elderly or chroniically ill patients with no meaningful hope for recovery in any event; tens of millions of uninsured or underinsured who uses the hospital ER for primary care, pandemic obesity; untreated hypertension, diabetes and other diseases with effective treatment available; pharmaceutical abuses and numerous "me-too" drugs of no added value to old stand-by drugs; a 25-30% administrative cost on every dollar of services; neglected prenatal care; rampant violence in certain locations requiring massive trauma care; lack of primary care physicians who can deflect a reflex referral to subspecialists (who often a buck-stops-here approach which is costly and is sometimes avoidable with no adverse consequences.
I'm just getting warmed up, but I'll give it a rest.
That's just the opening. In California, one of the affected states, there is already a bill on the Governor's desk to require that any firm selling that lucrative individual medical insurance in the state also sell individual policies for children.
Call and raise...
Here is a comparison online (take it with usual grain of salt) by country. Note the $ per capita difference between US & other countries with better healthcare: Healthcare Costs Around the World |
Yes, I was surprised how little attention the Swiss system got in this whole debate leading up to what we got. I could be 'sold' on the Swiss system, and I'm a tough 'sell'.
Makes me wonder - how did the Swiss manage to do it?
-ERD50
Switzerland only has about 8 million people. I'm guessing that it's a lot easier changing something when you're dealing with a population that small (as compared to the US with over 300 million people).
What's to keep the insurance companies from selling the child policies but at say $10 or $20K per year and still complying with the law?
Their state insurance commissioner. Any politician running for election.
-- Rita
What's to keep the insurance companies from selling the child policies but at say $10 or $20K per year and still complying with the law?
Nothing. I would normally say 'competition', but that may be an alien concept to the insurers.
If they can rule that corporations and unions have Constitutional rights and that private property can seized by eminent domain for private redevelopment projects benefiting developers, it appears that anything goes. And I'll leave it at that lest it get political.I for one am waiting to see what the Supreme Court rules in regards to the constitutionailty of the HealthCare bill........apparently there are several cases working their way up the appellate court side at this time.
Let just have universal healthcare and end this controversy. I don't hear any countries that have universal healthcare talk about their healthcare problems and try to repeal their healthcare system and replace it with employer provided private insurance.
Let just have universal healthcare and end this controversy. I don't hear any countries that have universal healthcare talk about their healthcare problems and try to repeal their healthcare system and replace it with employer provided private insurance.
AgreeOf course not - why would we want 'employer provided private insurance'? That's a big part of the mess we are in. We should get away from that, which can be done any number of ways.
-ERD50
I for one am waiting to see what the Supreme Court rules in regards to the constitutionailty of the HealthCare bill........apparently there are several cases working their way up the appellate court side at this time.
Political positions aside, the arguments for it being unconstitutional are a major stretch and are inconsistent with precedent. The lawsuits are mostly posturing. It isn't even a good law school exam question.
Congress has the power under the Commerce Clause. (The Supreme Court found it was legal for the feds to bar individuals from growing marijuana for their own personal medical use under the commerce clause--that is more of a stretch). Congress also has its power to tax and spend for the general welfare. (It's not like it is a crime if you don't buy insurance, you are only taxed if you don't. Since the 1930s the SC has given Congress pretty much free reign on the taxing power. The power to tax is why social security and medicare are constitutional). No individual liberties are violated--there is no right to go uninsured.
That is the short answer, if you want a long one pay me $350 an hour.
I think it is the must purchase part of the bill.
The Collegian » Panelists differ on health care legislation
The most controversial provision in the bill is the mandate requiring individuals, including students not covered by their employer or family’s plan, to purchase health insurance, which also goes into effect in 2014. Individuals must provide the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proof of health insurance when filing their income tax, or be penalized up to $2,000 for a family of four, or 2.5 percent of your income.
Political positions aside, the arguments for it being unconstitutional are a major stretch and are inconsistent with precedent.
...
That is the short answer, if you want a long one pay me $350 an hour.
I think it is the must purchase part of the bill.
Yes, Dex, that is the part people are saying is unconstitutional. What I am saying is that 80+ years of precedent all the way up to recent decisions support its constitutionality. Under two separate clauses of the constitution. I'll edit my prior post to make it clearer.