Quote:
Originally Posted by Wagner
Not entirely true, never has been in my experience. While it may have issues, it is still by far for MY money the best system available. Health care in the US is outstanding, best in the world IMO, health accessibility...completely different. However with 90%+ insured and amazing capability, I'm for it.
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But that plays right into my point: "capability" without "accessibility" is worthless. If the current US national model is "Health Care is a privilege, not a right", that's fine
. But then don't play games with people's minds (and wallets).
State it clearly and plainly, for all Americans to see and comprehend. Just like driving a vehicle. It's a privilege, not a right. Don't let the HMOs play political mind games by "pretending" that they're insuring us and "pretending" they're giving us equal unfettered access to basic standards of medical care. This way, at least folks who are not multi-millionaires know they're on their own, rain or shine. Don't allow hard-working folks to get criminally robbed into paying insurance premiums for what is essentially FAKE coverage. This way there are no last minute surprises in the mail: "We are sorry to inform you that your claim for chemotherapy for your cancer of the______ has been denied. Our on-site administrator has determined that this is not an approved therapy for your condition. Thank you for insuring with us and letting us f&*k you up the A-hole. Have a wonderful day."
This is the most audacious, most dumbfounding racket that is taking place in today's America, a gigantic criminal enterprise with fancy corporate tentacles that has both doctors and their patients by the balls. It is like Watergate and Enron and Bernie Madoff all wrapped up into one fat box with a bow-tie on top, waiting for someone with enough BALLZ to come along and expose all its' ugliness and criminality. And yet Congress is so deeply in bed with these Aetnas and Horizons and Blue Crosses, that it will require a national grass-roots referendum before anything gets done about it.
Some brutal take-home points from JCL's link above:
1) In 2007, before the current economic downturn even began, an American family filed for
bankruptcy in the aftermath of illness every 90 seconds;
three-quarters of them
were insured.
2) “This study provides further evidence that the US health care system is broken,” according to James E. Dalen, M.D., M.P.H.,
University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson. “Medical bankruptcy is almost a unique American phenomenon, which does not occur in countries that have national health insurance".