I was glad to see the paper take one edition and devote it to health care issues. Right now the issue of government run health care is a major issue to all Americans. Many of us want to keep the coverage we have and “hope” that this message will not change.
I have heard that in five years if our own coverage doesn’t meet the government’s requirements, we can lose our health care. We would then have to go on the government plan. I also understand that only about 10 percent of Americans aren’t covered under some form of coverage.
This new government plan will cover huge numbers of illegal immigrants as well. Do we want to spend another huge amount of taxpayer dollars to cover these individuals?
And as Mr. Moss stated in his letter to the editor, we could become like England and Canada and be on long waiting lists for care. The folks in these countries are not allowed to chose our own doctors or hospitals. Does this sound like a good idea?? We could use some tort reform. I sincerely hope our senators and representatives take a very close look at this plan and actually read it before anything is passed.
Everyone should be entitled to good heath care, but they shouldn’t rush something through without lots of thought.
Teressa Beavers
Rockingham
Corporate America are not "People". But every time there is a debate about the sins of what corporate America is doing to this country in the name of profits they raise their heads, spend their money, and buy people to decry the possibility that some of their precious funds might be spent to actually help real people and not just the heads of the corporations.
United Health Care paid their CEO over a BILLION dollars in wages and benefits. Yet they are spending money to spread a lie that the Government is going to take a half billion out of Medicare. Who benefits from that lie? If they stop Health Care Reform and prevent a Public Option, they may be able to pay the CEO TWO BILLION next time.
Now, since we both recognize that people are stupid, why don't we spend time trying to educate them so they can make a wise decision instead of acting like a mob?
Though I have thought those words I am not the author. They were written by Terry Goodkind, a very good author.
None the less, they are true.
Facts are being thrown around all over like dust in the wind. Everyone believes only the ones they want to believe. So much confusion most don’t know what to believe. The government wants you to believe their “facts”, the opposition theirs. But what both of them want is two things power and control.
The so called “Fact Checkers” in the media have chosen sides so they aren’t trustworthy. The internet is a joke when it comes to “facts”. You can find anything to uphold or dispute any argument.
Even the government “facts” dispute government “facts”.
The FACT is, as long as we hold to the belief that governments and politicians care for us, we will forever be their pawns.
As for UCLA, now there's a true representation of average American health care. Kevin, there is no dispute over the kind of health care one can get in this country if they have a huge load of cash to pay for it, the problem is average Americans don't have that kind of money to pay for health care. I'm sure very wealthy foreigners come to this country every day to get incredibly health care they pay very high prices for.
The problem lies in the expense of our health care and the accessibility of our health care to average Americans.
There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they “oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care.” Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands.
Now, people who don’t know that Medicare is a government program probably aren’t reacting to what President Obama is actually proposing. They may believe some of the disinformation opponents of health care reform are spreading, like the claim that the Obama plan will lead to euthanasia for the elderly. (That particular claim is coming straight from House Republican leaders.) But they’re probably reacting less to what Mr. Obama is doing, or even to what they’ve heard about what he’s doing, than to who he is.
That is, the driving force behind the town hall mobs is probably the same cultural and racial anxiety that’s behind the “birther” movement, which denies Mr. Obama’s citizenship. Senator Dick Durbin has suggested that the birthers and the health care protesters are one and the same; we don’t know how many of the protesters are birthers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a substantial fraction.
And cynical political operators are exploiting that anxiety to further the economic interests of their backers.
Yes, well-heeled interest groups are helping to organize the town hall mobs. Key organizers include two Astroturf (fake grass-roots) organizations: FreedomWorks, run by the former House majority leader Dick Armey, and a new organization called Conservatives for Patients’ Rights.
The latter group, by the way, is run by Rick Scott, the former head of Columbia/HCA, a for-profit hospital chain. Mr. Scott was forced out of that job amid a fraud investigation; the company eventually pleaded guilty to charges of overbilling state and federal health plans, paying $1.7 billion — yes, that’s “billion” — in fines. You can’t make this stuff up.
Does this sound familiar? It should: it’s a strategy that has played a central role in American politics ever since Richard Nixon realized that he could advance Republican fortunes by appealing to the racial fears of working-class whites.
But Bonnie and her ilk would never believe any of this, would they?
The Constitution limits the role of government and only the people can expand it. And then it takes a 2/3 majority of the states to do that.
So health is a right. You can not have a real life if you are not healthy. And your happiness is restricted if you are sick or someone close to you is sick. So I think Health Care is a Right. If the Insurance Industry and the Health Care Industry in this country has the
"Right" to pay their top executives over $5,300.00 AN HOUR, then we should also insist that OUR GOVERNMENT make provisions that guarantee the every citizen have health care available to them. I don't care what the cost. Put a higher tax on those who make $5,300.00 PER HOUR so that there is sufficient funds available to provide that health care.
They aren't going to go broke! Like the average citizen will if they get sick and don't have health insurance. Most of the bankruptcy that occur in this country are because of health care issues. Wake UP America! Quit defending the GREED MONGERS and Quit FEARING their MERCHANTS OF FEAR! Is that clear, Bonnie, Billy, and Theresa? It isn't going to cost you a dime of your hoarded gold!
I don't expect the government to take care of me, and most of the people out there don't either. What you fail to see is our free market system is not working! Our founding fathers didn't intend on the greed and "it's all about me" attitudes of the majority of the corporate world! Our founding fathers didn't intend for big business to do all it can to keep from paying taxes and American people so they can have billion dollar bonuses. Billy, I must question your morals and values as you obviously uphold this kind of behavior.
I believe the corporate world sending jobs to other countries which work for slave wages is criminal! I believe that's the downfall of this county, much more so than any government welfare program. If you think about it, we wouldn't need all this government assistance if the jobs were in this country!
I asked you some questions, Billy, I asked how you could so passionately support a war of greed and turn around and come out against caring for our own people with the same passion? You and Bonnie both lectured us on how important it was for us to protect the Iraqi people, and I’m confused as to why you feel they are more important than the American people! You have told us all how important it was to spend all that money in Iraq, and now you want to blame a huge deficit on the man who inherited the largest mess in the world!
Our citizens and our leaders need to look to God more for answers, and that would truly solve all the problems we argue about.
America is 37th in the world's health care systems
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
America is 24th in life expectancy.
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthy_life_table2.html
America is 72nd in health attainment and performance, and I might add IRAN, Bosnia, and Mexico are all ahead of us in availability of health care and the performance of the health care available!
http://www.photius.com/rankings/world_health_performance_ranks.html
And here's the real eye opener! You know where we rank the highest? In health expenditures, we come in at #2!
http://www.photius.com/rankings/total_health_expenditure_as_pecent_of_gdp_2000_to_2005.html
Kevin, I realize health care is not a right, but our money would be better spent if it were a right! I find it absolutely scary to hear someone working in healthcare talk like you do! I know doctors take an oath, I guess the rest of you don't! I would be ashamed and disgraced to speak about healthcare with such a condescending attitude as you have. I hate to break this to you, but no matter the size of our bank accounts, we are all equals! Maybe that’s something you need to learn more about!
NEWSFLASH: HEALTHCARE IS NOT A RIGHT!!!!! I know some of you will not agree but for it to be a right it shouldn't have to come at another's expense. You are not entitled to my time or a doctor's time.
Kevin. no one bothered to rebut your facts so they must be correct. Some on this forum have a problem - They can't accept reality so they live in an unreal world.
Then during the Bush Administration they tacked Medicare Part D on it. And our family values Senator Burr, who is owned by the big Pharma companies got an amendment passed that said the drug companies didn't have to bargain on the price of drugs. The result, Medicare is fast approaching bankruptcy. What you don't seem to realize, people who work pay Medicare Taxes. (Unless your wealthy and have an offshore address so you don't pay taxes, which over 2,300 corporations do. Including Haliburton and KBR!)
The Bush Administration, with the divine help of our former Congressman, Robin Hayes, passed CAFTA and FAST TRACK, which sent thousands of North Carolina jobs to countries like India, Vietnam, Honduras, and Costa Rica. We got fruit in return. No jobs, just fruit. People who don't have jobs buy junk food, they can't afford fruit from Costa Rica or South Africa.
40 years we have been fed a line of lies. Trickle Down Voodoo Economics don't work. Never will. When the Chinese passed their Recovery Act they put a clause in it that said the money had to be spent in China. The Japanese did the same thing. But we didn't and Americans ship their hard earned dollars to these countries without thought of the damage they are doing themselves.
I heard a report that if you go the parking lot of the Super Wal-mart, (Chinese Habitat for Humanity) at around midnight you will hear a giant sucking sound as the money leaves Richmond County on its way to Arkansas. Then if you go to Arkansas at around 12:30am you will here a giant sucking sound coming out of the Chinese Habitat for Humanity Headquarters as about 65% of that money is sucked into China.
We are our own worst enemie.
Kevin...I'm really curious as to where you got those facts, because I doubt they are facts, more like wishful thinking, or something the insurance and pharmaceutical companies put together to help further this "stop health reform" agenda.
I know this may be shocking to some of you, but all of those emails you get are not facts, and a great many are just out and out lies.
Billy.... if you truly think the health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are being demonized, you have a lot of homework to do. I hope you learn the evils of their ways through research instead of experience.
As for the trillions of dollars this reform will cost, you neglect to mention to the trillions of dollars this reform will save! In addition, I didn't hear you complaining about the deficit when Bush and his administration were putting us in this condition with their "war on terror"! So exactly how do you justify that way of thinking, Billy?
Am I to believe our tax dollars are better spent on Iraq than health care? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they promise us the Iraq war would pay for itself? Has it? What did we get from that war?
I just don't understand your logic, Billy, you raved on and on about support of the Iraq war, and justified the spending and death surrounding it. Now, we have a chance to reform health care and you're worried about the deficit? Please explain this to me! How is a pointless war more justified than health care reform?
As for your worries and threats of increased taxes, shouldn't you look to the facts! Our children and grandchildren are going to be paying for the mistakes of Bush and his cronies for years to come, so shouldn't we at least give them a health care system to keep them healthy while they do it?
As far as illegal immigrants are concerned, put the emigration authorities busy doing their job. And if they need help, bring those national Guard Troops that are stationed in the Middle East home to help guard our borders and apprehend these folks. You remember the ones you wanted to pass out Bibles in their spare time? Then have some straight talk with Mexico unlike G.Bush in and the Republican Party did. Tell them flatly that they are going to patrol their borders or we are going to cut all the trade agreements including the ones that the Tx politicians have made with the Mexican Drug Lords! That should get their attention!
I do resent my Medicare Rx plan being able to over rule my doctor's decision about my medicine. I have Rx insurance; it is taken out of my SS check befor I get it. More people go bankrupt because of medical expenses than any other reason (tv business report). I appreciate the concept of free enterprise but only a moron wants to rob a sick or old person. If the shoe fits for you and Bonnie then wear it!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Americans have better survival rates than Europeans for common cancers.
2. Americans have lower cancer mortality rates than Canadians.
3. Americans have better access to treatment for chronic diseases than patients in other developed countries.
4. Americans have better access to preventive cancer screening than Canadians.
5. Lower-income Americans are in better health than comparable Canadians.
6. Americans spend less time waiting for care than patients in Canada and the United Kingdom.
7. People in countries with more government control of health care are highly dissatisfied and believe reform is needed.
8. Americans are more satisfied with the care they receive than Canadians.
9. Americans have better access to important new technologies such as medical imaging than do patients in Canada or Britain.
10. Americans are responsible for the vast majority of all health care innovations.
I know, I know healthcare in this country stinks. Since most of you don't like our healthcare, you are free to visit Cuba for your doctor appointments or check out their emergency rooms.
Did you know about 15 million of the supposedly 40 million uninsured are illegal aliens?
Hamletresident, quit whining and pay the hospital their 300 dollars.