Why Universal Healthcare Bothers Me...

[sweeneytodd.livejournal.com]

My brother and I were just having a discussion...

So, the government gives free healthcare to anyone and everyone. Doesn't it bother you that the governments money is going to end up going to some meth addict on the verge of death? I mean, seriously. Even with the state provided healthcare today, I just feel that you should at least have a drug test. If you're killing yourself with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes why should the government hold your hand through it all?

Comments

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

*nods* And that is the problem with government healthcare. When the government holds the purse strings and the ability to decide who does and does not get benefits, people like your dad has to fight to get what he should have automatically. He's disabled, unable to work, has paid into the system all his life, but he has to fight the government for his due right for medicare.

That's the point. My husband, who broke his neck, began having seizures and literally could not drive, had to hire an attorney and fight for 5 years before he got his SS disability and medicare.

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

Exactly, and many Republicans had some excellent ideas for reform. The problem with Obama care is that it has nothing to do with healthcare. It's all about politics - givin the dems in power more power.

The main thing is tort reform. Dems don't want to do it because they are in the lawyer's pockets. They get huge donations from them. But you would be surprised how much costly medicine is done simply because of defensive medicine and fear of a lawsuit. Any female with pain at the level of her naval and above gets an EKG and cardiac workup. Even if she has a cough and it's evident it's a cold. Just because the liability is huge if she is that one out of 10 billion that is having a heart attack with her navel pain.

If someone comes in stating their appendix is about to burst, even though none of their symptoms or physical exam suggest that is true, we still have to do costly blood work, CT scan and the whole thing.

Another idea was allowing insurance companies to compete over state lines and to compete for business by having better and less expensive plans.

There were several ideas set forth and ignored.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Well said. Doctors have to pay huge premiums for malpractice insurance and all kinds of tests are ordered to avoid lawsuits. Once my dad got sent to MRI-Land because he was experiencing some hearing loss in one ear. This was due to age and having spent his younger days scuba diving but the doc ordered the MRI on an off, off, off, off chance there miiiiight be a tumor in the ear canal. Of course there was nothing but the insurance company had to pay for that MRI.

This was never about making health care more affordable. It is about using health care as a way to expand the power of the government over the individual and to keep a voting bloc within the Democratic party permanently.