This comes from the site you recommend in your article. Read again the challenges: "Health access for working poor? Discrepancies in care between rich and poor. Rising costs. Overuse of tests and procedures. Low international rankings on basic health measures, including infant mortality and preventable deaths..."!!! Do you need more elements to believe the health care system needs major reforms in this country? Give the new president a chance...the previous certainly has not cared enough to change anything...

ANON - I will give him as much of a chance as the media and pundits gave Bush. As for healthcare needing reform yes, and throwing trillions at it won't be the reform needed. How about dealing with fraud first, like they should have in Obamulus von Porkulus.

You kool-aiders believe that "gubment" can fix everything, when they have proven time and time again, that they can fix nothing.

The only change ObamaNation wants for healthcare is what I wrote: The same crap system for everybody. Lower standards for all!

They must destroy this country in order to rebuild it in their image... an egalitarian workers paradise ala Russia in the 1920s just as FDR and his Marxist advisors did. The Obamites are following that playbook to the letter.

Constantly Liberals say that Health Care/Coverage is a Right in America! Maybe I missed it in my High School Civics Class or even in some of my Political Science and History classes in college but where in the Constitution of The United States does it guarantee its citizens government health care or any health care.

You are right that we must rid our current system of Fraud and Abuses. But it is usually because of some "gubment" interference that people see fit to double charge, over charge and just plain defraud.

Try some Tort reform as well.
The Dem's vice-president candidate in 2004, John Edwards, made his fortune suing hospitals because they did not perform immediate Cesarean section for patients and the baby was found to have cerebral palsy. Mind you now women are receiving unnecessary Cesareans at an higher rate and the cost of this surgical procedure is not cheap.

Who says the poor are not receiving health care already?
I live in a metropolitan area where the poor are cared for at no cost via the public hospital and clinics. The cost are paid by the tax payers from the surrounding counties and from private donations. And if you see how long these people have to wait for assistance then multiply that by 100 fold and you have what is brewing with this administration. Yet even this institution has been wrought with fraud, mismanagement and budget short falls before the current economic crisis occurred.

You compared Universal Health coverage in America to IRS (Gestapo) compassion and Post Office Efficiency. So I guess within one or two years the Health Care system will be looking to close one or two days a week to save money just like the Post Office is proposing right now. So don't you go get sick on a Wednesday because the "gubment" done closed the hospital for the day.

Sir RonB

"What Obama should be focused on is the waste and the fraud within the existing system"

He is a "throw the baby out with the bathwater" kind of guy. Just like our economics, oversight on those who are corrupt in capitalism, lets throw that out too, and have redstribution.

I am going to hold my tongue now,cuz I don't have much nice to say about this.

Kirby, I couldn't agree more!

And THAT folks is why SirRonB was knighted!

Pondering - Don't go losing your religion. We have time to put a turd in his punchbowl. His approval rating is down 4 pts today...59% I can't wait for it to hit 49%, because that's when we are not just eating fat, but eating meat!

That is an outstanding article Kevin, in fact that was a public service.

Digital - Thank you kind Sir. You are yet another who I have needed to advance to Knighthood! Consider yourself henceforth, Sir Digital!

Others are in consideration...

2612

Spot on again, Kevin.

Landthatilove

"Liberals are meddlers. They don't really care about improving the quality of healthcare in America, they just care about making it "even" for everybody…even if even sucks!"

Pretty much....

I came over here from Parkway Rest Stop and very much like what I see. I've bookmarked the site and look forward to your future posts

JohnMc - Thanks for the read, and for the kind words! I suggest past post, as well!

Would you let the government do your grocery shopping for you? Can you imagine what your shopping basket would look like if bureaucrats were doing it for you?

In that case, why on earth would you want them to manage your health care?

Bike - Great analogy!

The President of Italy recently had heart surgery here in the USA. His own country has government controlled healthcare.
after reviewing his agenda on his own www.whitehouse.gov website, I can tell you that this very antichristian president and his unethical administration combined with full control of our healthcare is a scary thing. I am aware of someone whose wisdom teeth were pulled without anesthesia by a military (gov't controlled) dentist simply because he didn't like soldiers. can't sue the government though. what happens when we get a lusty doctor who is attracted to our wives...or worse, our daughters? can't sue though.

Anon - Yes, and I'm sure the president of Italy came here, because he heard that our healthcare system stinks?

Ok I just have to say that I absolutely love this blog!! I have been reading for about a month now and it always puts a smile on my face.

With that said, I also wanna say thank you. I am still fairly young (24) and I have never really been much into politics or understood a lot about it. Until of course this election and since becoming a mom I realize more how it truely does affect me and my kids. So I am trying to say thank you for putting stuff into perspective and terms that I can understand!! I just love this blog and I come here everyday!

Luckymommy...So glad you are an avid fan. You are the type that warms my heart, so please keep visiting! Thank you so much for your support, and "stop washing your underwear together! That's what's causing all those "chirrens"! :-)

Well thanks.. And just for the record, I am a young mom about to give birth to my third baby and me and my husband both work full time, opposite shifts so that our kids are taken care and we have never nor will we ever use Government programs in any way. And we have have private healthcare. All this socialized medicine and government handouts make me sick. What kind of a parent would I be if I showed my girls that all you have to do is be lazy to get taken care of?! That would be the biggest disservice to them!

I heard something on Mark Levine's show today that the government already 'controls' 43% of medical care through programs like Medicade, VA, and others.
Guess these pesky libtards just can't stand not having that other 53%!
Jim

drjim - EXCELLENT point my friend!

Ajajadude

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Too bad the countries that have already been down this road have better quality of care than we do, for a lower price.

Landthatilove

You may wish to do a little research. You;re either grossly misinformed or flat out lying through your teeth.

@landthatilove - data is in the blog, ajajadude is just lazy!

wonderchemist

So is spending $2.4T on healthcare a bad thing or good thing?

@wonderchemist - What's a trillion anymore in ObamaNation?! For me, spending $2.4T is a bad thing, but I guess it depends on the drugs that a "wonderchemist" makes?

internetcoward

how should I take the right seriously when they use the twrm 'porkalicious?' pah-lease.

lettruthout

Health care was privatized years ago so now more groups need to make money. So costs go up. Many people cannot afford this so they're uninsured. When they get sick they go to hospital emergency rooms. This is more expensive than preventive care or doctor office visits. So who pays for emergency room care? The tax payer.

'Seems to me that universal health care could solve a lot of problems. This article seems short on offering any real alternatives.

80hd

How ***** dumb. This article cites no facts and basically is some self appointed expert who looked into his crystal ball and 'knows' that being given the chance to choose between privately or publicly funded doctors, will only be a bad idea.

He doesn't even bother to cite other countries where non-elective public healthcare has run into problems. Canada's system works great, nobody calls them socialist either. 70% of money spent on healthcare comes from public insurance funds which means that an awful lot of people must like the system.

I don't understand why people don't want this. If anything there is great potential to save money since people can go to the doctor for preventative care instead of sitting and suffering until the day they go to the E.R. for a far more expensive visit the hospital will have to write off.

I'm going to dig this so it can maybe get noticed outside this lurker crowd. It's like anything that doesn't benefit people who aren't already on their feet in society is bad for society.
Maybe we should get rid of public schools and state colleges too since students are just a bunch of freeloaders and won't contribute back what the state spent on tuition. /s

80hd

before i get slammed for saying no facts, let me correct that with incomplete facts since he does give emergency room waiting times and follow it up with.."

In both Canada and the United States , access to health care can be a problem. Studies suggest that 40% of US citizens and 5% of Canadian citizens lack adequate access to health care."

"ADHD" - You "self-corrected" which is more than most of you Liberals will do. Nevertheless you are still a mental "small person", and not worthy of entering The Black Sphere.

Bartboy919

I guess random Blogspot blogs are the new authority on Healthcare.

Bartboy - You'd be right!

C0lMustard

I'm Canadian here's some info:

- The government is invested in the healthcare of it's citizens, so it's to the government's benefit to reduce unhealthy habits and work on preventative care. Thats why we are a leader in banning smoking in public places and early prevention. It also explains why we are slower to approve drugs, and don't allow BS drugs (like Airborne) to be sold in drugstores. We also jump on vaccines faster as it will save the country money in the long run.

- Ford recently publicized that it costs them $4000 less per vehicle manufactured in Canada because they don't have to pay for Canadian employees healthcare.

- We do have longer wait times, but the wait times are based on assessed risk to the patient so if you have a long wait time you are a lower risk (this still sucks), life threatening procedures are performed immediately and without waiting.

- Our hospitals tend to be more efficient as they operate close to or at capacity.

-Doctors tend to have a much smaller overhead as they only have one account to bill, and collections are non existent.

Our taxes are higher than we would like, and the healthcare system is an annoying bureaucracy, but at the end of the day Canadians are proud to take care of our sick and injured.

I take only one small issue with your post. Nurses can be sued. I used to be a nurse. Even when I was making $6/hr (back in the early 1980's) that was my hourly working nights so I got a shift differential... heh... I carried my own malpractice insurance as a precaution. It was (back then) offered through the American Nurses Association.

No one was ever sure if the hospital coverage would be enough if we were named in a suit. Granted we paid FAR less than doctors, but prudent nurses carried their own and didn't rely on hospital umbrella coverage.

That being said.

Where is the biggest waste of money often found? Medicare/Medicaid. Who runs that? Oh yeah, the government. Ever helped someone on Medicare try to figure out how to pay the bills for stuff Medicare WON'T cover??? Do you REALLY think the government will provide MORE if they take over? (if so, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn... it's very nice)

Which group gets some of the worst health care in the country? American Veterans. Men and Women who have put their very lives and health on the line to protect our country. Who runs that? Oh yeah, the government.

Just go to any VA hospital if you want to have a short sweet lesson in what our upcoming health care will be like. There are some truly dedicated people who work hard in VA hospitals, but it's not nearly enough and they don't get paid nearly enough. (nurses and doctors - go ask a VA nurse or doc what kind of money they make - do you think you'll get more than that if the government takes over????)

If they don't respect those who fought for our country enough to give them decent health care - why in the world does anyone think they'll do MORE for Joe or Jane who works for a living but is only good for handing over tax money?

And so, the government can't take care of the current medical coverage it is supposed to provide. Now tell me again why anyone thinks they will do a better job than the current system (which is not great by any means but at least gives us a chance to have a working system)

Teresa - Thanks for the correction. Nurses can be sued, but for usually not as much as a doc. And yes I am very familiar with VA healthcare!

Colmustard, Let us also not forget the price your country pays for this. I will never forget when I heard the quote from your country that Sarah Palin was a bad influence because she had her baby Trig, who happens to have Ds. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08091005.html

Well, if I have to give up my morals so that I don't have to risk Airborne being sold in Walmart, I guess I just have to go with Airborne. Give me a break.

If you want to see what Obama's health care system will be like, just check out your local VA hospital.

As a veteran who uses that system (I have no other option) I can assure you that if I could, I would pay for my own treatment any where else.

My wife has completed medical school, but refuse to take the medical exams for one simple reason: LAWYERS! Those blood suckers had sucked the lifeblood in her passion to even think about praticing here. There seems to be nothing in the bill about people still be able to sue doctors under this socialized care (though they won't be able to sue the government. . . and win). After all, how can the likes of Edwards make his money? So low pay, high risk, high liability. Yea, that's going to make the system better. To the Canandian that's praising his medical system. If it's so wonderful, why are so many Canadians coming HERE for their medical care?

BO's system will only make Cuba look sophiscated and will be the IRS meets the Post Office on steroids.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that realizes that the blood sucking leeches...err sorry...lawyers, are a BIG contributing factor to the costs of our health system.

Socialized or government controlled healthcare is NOT the answer. I have served in the military and been on the receiving end of such 'medicine' which included not realizing my arm was ACTUALLY fractured like I said. And the only medical experience I had was as a Boy Scout. Shall I mention that I also got a finger jabbed into it, and was only given 800mg Motrin until I pressed the issue to finally get an xray? Ah yes, then an hour and a half drive to get a cast done in Jacksonville, when at the time I was stationed in Orlando. No thanks, I'll pass and let a real doctor make my medical decisions.

There are 3 perfect solutions to the issue facing our healthcare system at present, and none of them actually cost any money.

1) Seriously reduce the amount of frivolous malpractice lawsuits. I know a doctor who ran a small practice who has to pay 275k per year for his insurance. Add in facility, staff, supplies, education, and then a bit of profit...and people wonder why it costs 300 bucks just to get seen. Surprise!

2) Cut ALL benefits to illegal aliens, period. I'm sorry you gashed yourself while jumping the fence to enter my country illegally. Cry me a river. They wouldn't be injured if they came through the proper channels. I support immigration, and value it as an American. LEGAL immigration. I feel no compunction whatsoever to support someone who is committing a crime. That's like saying I should pay for the guy who cut his arm on the glass when he broke the window to break into my house. Look at it that way.

3) Americans need to live a healthier lifestyle. We are seriously obese, too stressed, and consume too much hydrocarbonated/ synthetic crap in our daily lives. We need more exercise, to consume healthier more natural foods, and exercise more preventative medicine.

Those 3 solutions alone would save Billions with a very big B in our healthcare system. There's your reform right there.

Findalis - So true. We should be outraged by how veterans are treated. Many of these doctors couldn't make it in the "real world".

Madmath1 & Xandrus - Lawyers are a big part of it. And Xandrus I agree with your 3-point plan.

OK, let me jump into this fracas and drop some real 411 on y'all.
Our medical system is not broke by any reason due to medicine or technology.
Nope, the health care system as a care delivery unit works just fine.
I should know, I am an employee benefit specialist who sets up group healthcare plans and administers claim adjudication for my clients.
I'll bet The One either doesn't know or doesn't care that the average Med Mal insurance rate for an Ob/Gyn in NJ is $350,000. Then you take into account how their capitation payment from the carriers aren't that great anymore and you have a financial/legal system that can't support itself.
The libs will never kill the private insurance system...oh no, they have to maintain the appearance that they are for liberty and freedom. Nope, what they WILL do is make the private system so unaffordable that folks who are on that bubble of affordability will now slide into Uncle Sugar's plan and are now slaves to the U.S Government.
Lower med mal, allow for tort reform, remove guaranteed insurability in the reform states allowing small business owners to opt out of Health Care Reform and boom, you have a start at lowering rates. Sure, you will run into an adverse selection situation but hell, aincha there now?!?!? When everyone pays the same cost no matter age or illness....you are paying higher rates because carriers will charge worst case scenario rates and viola'.....adverse selection.
We already have free healthcare in this country. The MAPD plans are free...well inasmuch as you pay your $94.60 a month for your Part B premium through your social security check.
It is in the healthcare debate that Obama proves in my eyes that he is not ready for primetime. His ideas, his inexperience and his inability to see what will happen despite the pleas from folks like myself who have experience show he is either clueless or dangerous. In either case he needs to get his one term and head back to Chicago to continue his magnificent and benevolent Community Activism.

You gotta love it in here! You get the real insight, like what RobbieRob reports! Great post!

Obama Speaks and the Markets Answer

Obama Is On My T.V. More Than I Love Lucy Reruns

One thing that you have to say about our new President is that he is not shy. He definitely likes his face time and loves to hear himself speak. The problem is that the rhetoric stays the same and the American people as well as the world markets want to see results and not just well spoken words.

Last night we had the Washington puppet show of up and down applauding depending on the side of the aisle you sit on. Hard to believe that there are typically no clapping dissenters on either side. You had the head puppeteer, Nancy Pelosi with a smirk or a smile glued on her face during what was really a somber speech about the economic condition of the country (see above).

Read the full story at The Political and Financial Markets Commentator at http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com

I have been a nurse for 29 years and have seen what DRG's have done to ruin our health care system. When insurance rules what doctors can and can't do, and how long a patient can stay or if they can even be treated, health care standards went down and costs skyrocketed as doctors scrambled trying to figure out how to break even. Paying a doc who is only allowed 5 minutes per patient is insane and it will only get worse with the government getting involved. We had a system that while not perfect worked well until non-medical people messed with it.

Well said, Julie! Keep the fed out, and you might just make it!