Most Americans want overhaul of health system

Right now, the uninsured pay more for the same service than someone insured in a small company , who pays more than someone insured who works in a large company. What a joke!!!! Right now, the ability to negociate with the insurance provider is the KEY element determining price and availability of care. Get the insurance companies out of this loop!

Sorry to seem vague but they need to change something. At the rate premiums are increasing employer are not going to be able to afford health insurance benefits for their employees soon. They are absolutely ridiculous. Then once you do file a claim you need to fight with them for 6-12 months to pay it as they are supposed to.

My youngest daughter is 14 months and we still occasionally get bills for her birth. Then we have to pull out all the freaking paperwork again, make copies, fax stuff out, and wait 4-6 weeks for them to either figure out "we'd better pay it, they aint gonna drop this" or "Let's screw with them some more and see if they give in.". In the meantime, their hours are generally 9-5 so MY customers suffer so I can sit on the phone and haggle with these crooks.

I would say this, whatever they come up with, they need to require a full time paycheck (I don't care if it is Microsoft or McDonald's, they need to work and pay into the system), serious proof of disability, or specific hardship that prevents them from having a paycheck. In cases like mine (we have 4 kids so my wife stays home) I have no problem paying a little extra for coverage since I am consuming more of a service (6 people, 1 paycheck, 4 kids under 7). What I fear from socialized medicine is the liberals who think we need to pay for illegal immigrants, and those who choose not to work and leech off society. If you are not a citizen, IMO you don't get socialized coverage (special cases to be made for REAL emergencies). If we try to pay for these people who contribute NOTHING to society or more importantly to the fund (in terms of taxes) then we will create a bloated, underfunded system that will collapse under its own weight.

Also, this needs to be funded by the FEDERAL government. The states cannot bear the burden of the expense. Medicaid and Medicare funding has crippled the budgets of the states. If the feds want it, they need to pay for it. Whatever they come up with, I would like to see if go to a national referendum. Whatever plan they hobble together will have a major impact on the lives of Americans and I do not trust the lobbyist owned congressman to do it right.

Everyone is hung up on who is going to pay the inflated costs for healthcare, whether it is government or the private sector. How about a system that pays or reimburses for services based on outcome? If you walk in to the doctor with a 300 cholesterol, how about payment made upon a reduction to 180? Doctors would get real focused and creative in delivering results as opposed to current strategies. Diet, complementary medicine and new innovations would be more readily utilized. Physicians would survive the marketplace based on skill and knowledge rather than on being a conduit for the corporations involved in the current system. As a physician and having worked in a Latin American country that did this under simultaneous government and private pay, it worked well.

Steve

Step one MUST be to make health care universal, ala Hillary Clinton's plan, and then find a way to pay for it. The much touted gimmicks such as HSAs and "more competition" have it backwards, working primarily to reduce the cost. But, note that HSAs have been around for a while now, and they have done nothing to reduce the number of uninsured or under-insured. It must be mandatory that every single individual that has an income contribute to a health care plan.

I moved to the US from England in the 80's. The National Health Service gets a lot of flak and, yes, people may have to wait for a non-emergency procedure. However, one can always opt to go private. My dad had open-heart surgery 20 years ago, performed on Harley Street in London, and it cost $10,000 then. In the US, that amount would possibly cover one day post-op.

The point of NHS is that it's a safety net. It's not perfect, but you know that if you're in a car smash, or your kid gets some dread disease, that you will be able to get care without losing everything.

For a country that touts itself as the leader of the free world, it is wrong that so many of its citizens--including middle-class self-employed, self-insured families like mine--must lie awake at 3am worrying that some health insurance company may one day jack our rates beyond reach, or deny coverage for a procedure, raising the spectre of bankruptcy.

It makes me absolutely LIVID when lawmakers waffle on about how a national health system will eliminate choice (er, yeah, like the choice of medicine or food, of paying the massive hospital bill or the mortgage, of letting a bill go to collections or declaring bankruptcy), and how the US has the "best" health care in the world.

I think most people just want the health care lawmakers (and other federal employees) have given themselves as an employment benefit. It is iniquitous that these people don't have to worry about health care at all because taxpayers--many of whom can't afford to insure their own families--are paying for it!

Why would someone go to a ER with a fever. EMERGENCY condition of urgent need. That is why our ER's are overcrowded and overburdened . When Canadians need care do you think they get it at home No they come to the United States we dont have a 7 mo wait for a Mri or Cat Scan.
The system needs to be fixed but universal health care is not the answer. Our system has flaws like a Dr charging an insurance company for a comprehensive visit when you have spent 2 hrs in his waiting room and he sees you for 5 minutes and doesn't even lay a hand on you. We need to place the right people in office who listen to the concerns of the the people who elected them. We have the power to vote them in or out of office. Government by the people for the people. Government is to protect the people not to wipe their running nose . Look how welfare has gotten out of hand ,nothing but waste fraud and abuse. Let the charity's and churches help the truly poor, get government out of the business of enabling the lazy. Welfare has been a "family business" for generations. Start paying our teachers more invest in education, empower our child to suceed. Make parents responsible for the actions of their children.

What ever program happens there should be a choice for people who want private insurance like they have now without any dings. If the Federal government is involved you can bet taxes will go up. If they do this program they had better make sure that the illegals don't get a free ride. Just think how affordable the program or any insurance might be if it had all that money spent on illegals. MMMMMMMMMM Just my opinion.

I work full time, make a decent amount of money and pay my taxes like every other working "schmuck". I pay for my privatized insurance (approximatley 160.00 a month). I took the plan with the highest deductible. I was uninformed about how high it was (3,000.00). The people advising me on which plan to take said it's better to keep your money yourself, than to pay into the higher plan with the lower deductible. Um, not! I had to have a procedure done at my OB/GYN. Cost me 600.00 out of pocket because, of course, I've got a 3,000.00 deductible. So, I'm basically paying for something that is of no use to me unless it is a catastrophic event. Not to mention, the prescription coverage is a joke. So, to make a long story short, when it's time to review my insurance options in a few months, I am definitely going to find an alternative. It would be better for me to take that 160.00 a month and put it in a health savings plan and tell the others to go screw themselves. I'm sick of it, really. I don't know what the answer is, but everyone that says we've got the best care here in the states, is clearly not your "average" joe going broke trying to keep up with premiums and still having to pay out of pocket, because of an astronomical deductible. Ok, so some of you, your argument is that you could die waiting for surgery in Canada, but what the heck difference does it make if you get it ASAP here and then go bankrupt afterwards. What kind of life will you have then?

Consider how much money companies in this country has to shell out for health care. This puts companies in this country at a significant disadvantage when competing with companies in countries that provide some type of a national health care program. We have to modify our health care system if we want to keep competitive in a global economy. Companies will reach a breaking point with health care costs and will simply not be able to afford those ever increasing insurance premiums.

Consider how much money companies in this country has to shell out for health care. This puts companies in this country at a significant disadvantage when competing with companies in countries that provide some type of a national health care program. We have to modify our health care system if we want to keep competitive in a global economy. Companies will reach a breaking point with health care costs and will simply not be able to afford those ever increasing insurance premiums.

When are the anti tax people going to wake up and smell the coffee. We are already taxed. The spending is wrong. When you have a situation where half of all bankruptcies are due to health related costs, there is a real problem. We pay a huge price for uninsured people because the only care they can get is the emergency room. That is one reason that we pay more per person for health care than any other industrialized country in the world. Even the AMA is now behind health care reform. No one should loose their home because they have an accident. Those who think that nationalized heath is a disaster should listen to the people in other countries who get whatever they need, whenever they need it and never worry about the cost. Now the only entities being served by our system are the insurance companies and big pharma. Wake up! We deserve better!

1.Many people who have no health coverage use emergency rooms because they have no other access to health care

2. I currently pay 35% of my take home pay (and I have 2 jobs) for GROUP health insurance. I am soon going to have to drop coverage because I just can't afford it. In the last year I have been turned down twice for jobs because they had other candidates (in one case, less qualified) who were already covered under their spouse's plan. In both cases I was told this up front by the employer - they will continue to provide coverage for their current employees, but have in place a policy that requires that all new hires be covered elsewhere. They compenssate them with a slary boost of about $300 a month, which is much less than the health insurance costs

3. I don't mind paying for health insurance, but I shouldn't have to pay that much when many folks who make much more than me pay absolutely nothing or a token amount.

4. The system is broken. It is in the hands of insurance companies and drug companies, who want to regulate what care people get and charge extraordinary prices for the care they provide. I was recently on vacation and suffered a fall. I had to go to an ER, where they X-rayed my wrist to see if it was broken. It was a first class, world renowned hospital. I got a bill the equvalent of $35 US dollars. Here the bill would have been close to $500

"True story, I went to the emergency room, I did not have my insurance card. I filled out the paper work wich took about 10 minutes. Because I took an aspirin for my fever ahead of time I was feeling better by the time I got to the ER. Once in, they took my temperature and blood pressure, and a doctor asked me how I was feeling, add another 8 minutes after the 10 minute sign in.
For that 8 minutes, I got the bill $700, of wich I was responsible for $200, $700 to take my temperature and blood pressure, and ask me a question. " They should have given you the boot, or charged you $10,000, for obvious abuse of the Emergency Room, holding up care of patient that actually needed the emergency care, and possibly infecting other patients who were there for care. Morons with colds and flues think they have an emergency, bypass their primary doctor, and drive up the costs.

I have worked in healthcare most of my life and have seen from both sides the problems with health insurance or lack thereof. Currently I am unemployed with no insurance and worry about what would happen to me if I suffered an accident or severe illness. If I broke something in a fall and needed services (x-rays, orthopedic care, casting, physical therapy to prevent permanent disability) I would be unable to obtain such care.

My daughter has insurance but we have found that it is of very little value. It did not pay for her preventative (annual) gynecological exam($166.) or the $100. cost for her pap smear. I doubt it will cover the cost for her bi-annual eye examination. Neither will it cover the cost for the vaccine which prevents certain types of cervical cancer. She pays for this insurance but certainly does not get her money's worth. PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE IS LACKING FOR MOST PEOPLE AND SO THEY WAIT UNTIL PROBLEMS ARE MAJOR TO GET TREATMENT AND THEN THE COSTS ARE HIGHER.

I have had to give up regular check ups for skin cancer, postpone gynecological exams and any other type of medical care for fear that when I do become employed again and hopefully have insurance again (given cutbacks with employers offering insurance) that any problems would be judged as pre-existing. If other countries can find a way to have health care programs for their citizens why can't we? I would certainly prefer to have my tax money go for something of value to all of us and not have to worry so much about what I would do should I have a serious health problem.

I hear people say that Canada and England's systems ration healthcare services or it takes so long to get an appointment- WELL I SAY THE RATIONING DONE HERE IS FINANCIAL.....and PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF IT.

Figure it out- you people who would deny others healthcare.... you are going to pay the costs one way or the other...
higher costs to cover the uninsured.... higher taxes to pay for those who have to rely on the emergency room and cannot pay for their health care....the costs of human suffering should be on your conscience - THE MOST BASIC HEALTHCARE SERVICES SHOULD BE A RIGHT FOR ALL OF US and as Americans we should be ashamed that so many other countries are ahead of us in taking care of their citizens.

I certainly hope that our next President can address this very important issue. If the "Hillary Haters" had not been so strong maybe it would have already been addressed.

I worked in healthcare most of my life and saw from both sides the problems with health insurance or lack thereof. I am currently one of the unemployed, have no insurance, and worry about what would happen to me if I had an accident or a severe illness. For example, several years ago I broke my arm and without insurance I would have had no way to have x-rays, see an orthopedist, have casting or obtain the physical therapy needed to insure no permanent disability. Today I would be unable to obtain these services.

My adult daughter is covered by insurance BUT the plan is such that evidently preventative care is excluded. She has received bills for her annual (preventative) gynecological exam and the PAP smear
(about 280.) which were not covered by insurance. Her bi-annual eye exam is also probably not covered and GOD FORBID your have a hearing impairment because hearing aids would definitely not qualify. The vaccine that prevents certain kinds of cervical cancer ($450.) is also not covered by insurance. She pays for this insurance but certainly will never get her money's worth. Since she only makes about $7.45 an hour she goes in the red trying to keep up with these bills.

PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE IS LACKING FOR MOST PEOPLE AND SO PEOPLE WAIT UNTIL THE PROBLEMS ARE MAJOR TO GET TREATMENT AND THEN THE COSTS ARE HIGHER AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVING A SERIOUS ILLNESS IS LOWER. IS THIS WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR PEOPLE?

I have had to give up regular preventative checkups for general health, gynecology, dental and screenings for skin cancer as I can no longer afford them. Also if a problem was found it would then be considered pre-existing, should I become employed again with an employer who still has health insurance benefits (given the number of companies reducing benefits).

If other countries can provide their citizens with health care what is wrong with us? I hear people say that the quality won't be as good or that you'll have to wait longer for services, WELL- WAKE UP....
OUR HEALTH CARE HERE IS RATIONED BY FINANCES AND BY YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY...AND PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF IT....

I would prefer to pay more taxes to insure that we all have a basic level of health care. And people need to also realize that a certain percentage of people exist (drug addicts, alcoholics, and mentally disordered) and that they are part of our society - always have been always will be - and that they also deserve care - not to be put down for problems ... Look at the Dutch - they factor this segment of the population in....

Figure it out... we pay the costs anyway in the long run...higher costs to cover the uninsured, higher taxes to cover emergency room services.... the cost of human suffering should be on all our consciences

THE MOST BASIC HEALTHCARE SHOULD BE OUR RIGHT AS CITIZENS OF THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD...WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED THAT WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND OTHER COUNTRIES IN TAKING CARE OF OUR CITIZENS AND DEMAND OUR REPRESENTATIVES TAKE LONG DELAYED ACTION ON THIS ISSUE.

I hope our next President can address this very important issue. If the "Hillary Haters" had not been so strong maybe we would be further along in solving our problems with healthcare services.

** also keep in mind that some standardization in insurance cards and benefits offered might also reduce the paperwork which also drives up the costs - it would be helpful to know what your care is actually going to cost you "out of pocket" instead of finding out later that you are unable to afford it - once your insurance company has done everything they can to deny payment....

I have worked in healthcare most of my life and have seen from both sides the problems with health insurance or lack thereof. Currently I am unemployed with no insurance and worry about what would happen to me if I suffered an accident or severe illness. If I broke something in a fall and needed services (x-rays, orthopedic care, casting, physical therapy to prevent permanent disability) I would be unable to obtain such care.

My daughter has insurance but we have found that it is of very little value. It did not pay for her preventative (annual) gynecological exam($166.) or the $100. cost for her pap smear. I doubt it will cover the cost for her bi-annual eye examination. Neither will it cover the cost for the vaccine which prevents certain types of cervical cancer. She pays for this insurance but certainly does not get her money's worth. PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE IS LACKING FOR MOST PEOPLE AND SO THEY WAIT UNTIL PROBLEMS ARE MAJOR TO GET TREATMENT AND THEN THE COSTS ARE HIGHER.

I have had to give up regular check ups for skin cancer, postpone gynecological exams and any other type of medical care for fear that when I do become employed again and hopefully have insurance again (given cutbacks with employers offering insurance) that any problems would be judged as pre-existing. If other countries can find a way to have health care programs for their citizens why can't we? I would certainly prefer to have my tax money go for something of value to all of us and not have to worry so much about what I would do should I have a serious health problem.

I hear people say that Canada and England's systems ration healthcare services or it takes so long to get an appointment- WELL I SAY THE RATIONING DONE HERE IS FINANCIAL.....and PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF IT.

Figure it out- you people who would deny others healthcare.... you are going to pay the costs one way or the other...
higher costs to cover the uninsured.... higher taxes to pay for those who have to rely on the emergency room and cannot pay for their health care....the costs of human suffering should be on your conscience - THE MOST BASIC HEALTHCARE SERVICES SHOULD BE A RIGHT FOR ALL OF US and as Americans we should be ashamed that so many other countries are ahead of us in taking care of their citizens.

I certainly hope that our next President can address this very important issue. If the "Hillary Haters" had not been so strong maybe it would have already been addressed.

Where is the sense of outrage? Americans are a bunch of brain-washed, apathetic sheep. Ever since the Republican/Fascist coup d'etat eight years ago, the country has been taken over by the robber barons. The pharmaceutical CEOs are no better than the gangster drug lords. The health care system in this country is a disaster and farce. This is a country of, for, and by the filthy rich and the rest of us are irrelevant and expendable. The so-called opposition (Democrats) have neither the intestinal nor testicular fortitude to impeach the present cabal of psychotic, criminal, and grossly incompetent politicians and bureaucrats. "Wahn, Wahn, ueberall Wahn"! Vive le Revolution et mort aux tous les cons!!

Trollkong

We have been subjected to generations of propaganda about why we do not want "socialized" medicine", meaning anything organized by the only entity that is capable of overseeing the entire system to ensure that essential services are available to the entire population -- namely the government. Since we have rejected such an organized system designed around the public good, what we have instead is "profitized medicine" -- a chaotic patchwork designed by and for corporations to ensure first and foremost that they MAXIMIZE PROFIT, and allowing SOME of us to receive SOME care SOME of the time as a byproduct. What the insurance companies sell is access to use essential medical services. The rich can buy and the poor can not. Who decided that the chance to live or die if you get sick should be just another commodity to be bought and sold like a car, a couch, or a box of soap. We are the only industrialized nation in the world without a national healthcare system and it shows. We are far down the list or DEAD LAST in every survey of healthcare outcomes with comparable countries. This is a national disgrace!

I get good health care because I pay for it but since I retired it is becoming a matter of paying my monthly premium or going without eating. This is no way for a retired person to live. I guess I could just drop my health insurance and go to the ER when something bursts and let the taxpayers pay for it.

The time for socialized medicine is now. Out taxes wouldn't go up if we had a fair tax system.

1) People against single payer are either millionaires or have not done any research on the subject and are spewing out tired and untrue arguments.

2) But my taxes will go up - waaaaaaaa- Just add it up- do you really think that if everyone paid in it would cost what you pay now? Of course not. Now imagine your employer doesn't have to provide insurance anymore- you might just get a raise- especially when you are no longer tied to a job because Cobra is too expensive.

3) To any middle class happily insured poster- you THINK you will be covered if something bad happens- but in reality you might be headed to bankruptcy- Only in the U.S. do families have to lose everything because of illness- Medical bankruptcy is a term that should not exist in a sane society.

4) Tort reform- what a stupid argument- malpractice payouts are a drop in the bucket. I do agree that damages should be capped or even better paid out of a fund set up in the system-rather than including parasitic insurance companies into the mix. They are the problem. One fact- if big Pharma and other businesses were honest and followed the rules there would be no class-actions. They just happen to prefer lying and cheating and get caught sometimes. If business had its way you would not be able to even sue in court at all- you would be relegated to an arbitrator for everything. They want this-please do not support 'tort reform' because you have read stories like the hot coffee grandmother at McDonald's and failed to research the truth about it.

5) I am healthy and eat right - why should I pay to cover....... Because you just might develop a vicious cancer, lose your job, get dumped by the insurance carriers you are defending, and wind up broke and on the government's dime like all of the other sick people that are 'uninsurable' or have had their policies 'retroactively cancelled' and have no options.

Anybody that cannot afford a major health incident out of their own pocket needs to support single payer- if you do not, you are working against your own best interest. What a great country- where big business and the ultra wealthy have succeeded in having the little guy go to bat for them- stay ignorant if you want to.

Here is something for you to think on. In North Dakota you can get your hip replaced for approximately $3,000 less than you can in New York. To top it off your outcome will be at least 75% better. Better medicine at a lower cost. Now here is the rub. As a professional nurse of over 20 years experience I make about $28.00 an hour, the same level of experience in New York makes roughly twice that. don't believe me check out the Labor Stats. But what really gravels my behind is that I pay my auto mechanic $50.00 plus an hour to fix my car. Healthcare reform my eye. Economic reform in a big way. We have our priorities all messed up. I can save your life but a entry level professional football player makes more just to walk on the field than I will make in 5 years. go figure?

$50/hr is cheap for a good mechanic.

I am a physician, and all the talk about health care reform misses the point- doctors are driving the expense of care. I often see doctors ordering unnecessary tests to get kickbacks from the lab- I know of a few physicians who get more than 50% of their income from this source. I see physicians order antibiotics which cost over $100 when a $10 one will work, so that the drug company will reward them if they are the #1 prescriber for the month. I recently worked for a hospital where I was expected to order unnecessary tests and X-rays on insured patients to improve the hospitals profits. I could go on. We need to fix the system to keep the physicians from robbing the system blind.

I pay over 15,468.00 A year for health insurance I have 2 children an my wife got cancer over 18 month's cancer free I'm thank full for this but I am still paying on the bills because of reasonable and customary charges. My wife still has to take a lot of medication that are not payed for by my insurance I broke my ankle the same thing reasonable customary charges what has are doctors come to for big profit that is what.

What about all the expense created by illegal aliens.